Yuki I.
Yelp
I was very excited to visit Anise, as I'd seen pictures floating online and heard about it through the grapevine. And I love Mediterranean food, so I was excited to try a new one! As soon as I walked in, I was impressed by the decor and ambiance of the restaurant. It looks small from the front door, as we only saw a few tables and the bar, but we were led toward the back of the restaurant, which is more expansive and has the kitchen, fireplace, and some larger tables. Love the interior design - modern and sleek while still being cozy.
We arrived on time to our dinner reservation and were seated immediately. We placed our drink orders, which came out fairly quickly. Then, we placed all of the below orders at once. The appetizers came out within 10 minutes of ordering. Our entrees took more time.
What we got:
Mezze:
- Crispy octopus (pimentón aioli, chilled white beans, cilantro, pickled celery): We really loved this dish! Loved the crispy exterior on the octopus. We are always cautious on octopus because it can be really chewy if grilled too much. But they did it perfectly here! The octopus was still very soft and not chewy!
- Scallop crudo (ras al hanout vinaigrette, cilantro): I love scallop, so I'm a little biased. But this was certainly done very well. The vinaigrette has a curry taste with cumin, which I've never had with scallop before. If I'd had bread with it, I would have dipped it all over the sauce!
Large plates:
- Lamb shoulder tagine (couscous, marcona almonds, cumin): I liked this dish - it's basically lamb meatballs in tomato-based stew with some veggies. I'm a big fan of lamb, whereas my partner thought it was too gamey in taste. I thought the stew went really well with the pita bread.
- Harissa-rubbed chicken (chicory salad, pan-drippings vinaigrette): We wanted the whole roasted branzino, but unfortunately, they were out of the dish. Our waiter told us it was one of the most popular items... We understand, but we would also expect better stock of the popular items on the menu, especially early on in dinner service on a weekend. We were disappointed, but we went with the chicken instead. I'm personally not a big fan of chicken dishes, and this one wasn't too impressive to me. The chicken was roasted nicely with crispy skin and rich taste. But it didn't really stand out to me.
Side:
- Charred broccoli (salmoriglio, pinenuts, toasted breadcrumbs): Loved these! I expected the broccoli to be a little more charred and crispy, but they came out more steamed. Still delicious, though!
Drinks:
- Sencha tea (comes in small pot to refill your mug as you wish)
- Beer
My reasoning for the 3 stars is due to slow and inattentive service. We ordered everything at once at the beginning of our visit. We figure this helps the kitchen staff time the dishes so that they are ready without much delay between appetizers and entrees. However, in our case, we waited 45 minutes between our appetizers and entrees. About 30 minutes into our wait, our waiter came by to apologize for the wait and explain that the chicken takes a long time to cook. We were a little confused by this - we feel that if the kitchen knows that the chicken takes a long time to cook, then they could have timed it better and started cooking it while getting appetizers ready, especially since they had all our orders already. We were also a little disappointed that our waiter did not come to check in with us for 30 minutes as we waited; we had not seen him since he had taken our appetizer plates away. When he came by to explain, he gave us some pita bread to make up for the wait. We certainly appreciated the gesture, but we expected better of a nice restaurant like Anise. I would also note that the pita bread is lacking in taste, so it by itself was not very appetizing. (As I wrote earlier, though, I did enjoy it with the lamb shoulder tagine!)
I will note that our waiter Noah was very sincere, friendly, polite. However, he did seem a little overwhelmed. From what we could tell, he was taking care of two other parties at the time, but he did seem a little frantic at times. We figured he was new to the restaurant and possibly to the customer service/hospitality industry in general, so hopefully, he can gain a little more confidence and efficiency with time and practice!
I couldn't help but compare Anise to Sachet - similar high-end Mediterranean cuisine in small plates. Similar modern and beautiful atmosphere. But the service is where these two restaurants differ.
Parking: Valet service is offered at the door for $5