4.5 stars. Deducting .5 stars for a minor mishap in service. At the beginning of our meal we requested sparkling water which we received the first glass of, but then refills ended up being still water. For a restaurant at this calibur, we expect perfection. Also deducting for one item that didn't "wow" us below.
Came here for a birthday lunch and boy was it memorable. We were greeted by first promptly at the door and were offered champagne welcome drinks. When we were seated and presented our menus, they had customized the cover of the menu. Very nice touch!
The ambiance was elegant but not stuffy. Earth tones with a tranquil and beautiful atmosphere. 3 of the 4 amuse bouches were delicate, scrumptious and greatly contrasted each other highlighting the team’s skills! The shrimp tempura was ok, hard to pick up, not crispy even though it was battered (not sure if it was supposed to have some crunch to it?), flavor was nothing out of the ordinary. The rest of the menu was delicious through and through. The bread was outstanding—milkbread with our entrees and little breads shaped like tops of Shiitake mushrooms paired well with the sturgeon and caviar.
We decided to accompany our meal with 2 wine pairings—Vin Agricole and Rare and Unique. The sommelier was a charming gentleman that was so gracious and knowledgeable with all the wines as we chatted him up!
Dessert was a show stopper. First a cart of about 10 cheeses were wheeled out in a beautiful wooden glass casing ranging from France and Italy to Carmel Valley. When we decided to pass on the cheese course, our server offered us a sample of the cheese encrusted with toasted barley. Very tasty! Then, another matching glass cart came out with about 10 mignardise ranging from gummies, candies, chocolates to cake.