Tom B.
Yelp
It is located on the main street of downtown and quite the scene. Upbeat, trendy, overly decorated to impress it looks like a cross between a Martin Bullard and Liberace design, very white, bright, and overembellished. Let's just leave it as swanky.
Parking can be a problem, so give yourself some time.
Four of us arrived for a reservation time, yet still needed to wait longer than I would have expected. I got the impression that who you are might matter here.
We were finally seated way in the back of the 'north forty' of the back patio, which was just fine in order to sustain a nice conversation level, yet it was super chilly on this particular night. They have heat lamps, but none nearby, so we asked, more than once, if one could be provided. One finally came, put on full bake, and we asked for it to be adjusted before sweating profusely.
It's not a big deal, but still... for a fine dining experience, proper ambiance does count.
The menu is good, varied choices, and for me, many seemed quite appealing.
We started by sharing two salads, Baby Gem Caesar, that was good and prepared well.
I ended up ordering the Miso Marinated Chilean Sea Bass. It comes with rice, carrots, and baby bok choi.
My dish came in a bowl and definitely a sufficient portion. I found the fish delectable, flakey, and tender yet overly powerful with ginger, and I detected an overabundance of soy sauce (?), diminishing the flavor of the fish.
The carrots were perfect but the bok choi nearly impossible to eat. Even with a knife, it was difficult to cut and rubbery, and I ended up pulling it apart while splattering some on my shirt. I just finally gave up fighting it. I have never had such a struggle with bok choi!
At a cost of $48. for the entree, I expected better. Everyone else really enjoyed their meal, and we downed it with two bottles of Sauvignon Blanc, so perhaps I am the lone dissenter for the evening.
Service was good, friendly enough, but seemed stretched with obligations, too.
Overall, it was an interesting experience, but for the price and the hype, I had to wonder the value.