Scott B.
Yelp
Surprised my girlfriend for her milestone birthday (and my own birthday - we are just one day apart) with an overnight trip to Sonoma. Coming from San Jose, the only time I'd ever been to Sonoma was to help evacuate a hotel during terrible fires in 2017 when I worked for Marriott. It was nice to be here and it not look like a hellscape. Since I had not really explored before, my boss, who lived and worked in Sonoma for years, recommended El Dorado Kitchen for dinner.
We originally had a reservation for 8pm, but were in town and hungry earlier. We decided to stop in and see if they could take us an hour and a half early. They were DELIGHTED TO ACCOMMODATE! Good start... We were sat by a friendly hostess, and moments later, our extremely hospitable server introduced himself by name (such a rare thing to hear anymore - my girlfriend and I noted that right away), and his name was Sam. Having worked in hospitality as long as we have, a server not introducing themselves by name is a real pet peeve!
Sam really made the night for us. He was friendly, funny, empathetic, and really paid attention to details you would never expect a server to note. Sam brought us still water for the table, poured for everyone, while simultaneously explaining the specials. He mentioned that all items were cooked to order (which made me happy - I have an allergy to mushrooms - and almost everything on the menu had them).
Right before it came time to order, Sam approached the table to acknowledge that my girlfriend and I were both celebrating our birthdays. He wished us both a happy birthday. Moments later, our appetizers came out. We had ordered the pork belly and shrimp and shrimp ceviche to share. Both appetizers were absolutely outstanding. The pork belly melted in your mouth. The ceviche was perfectly tart and loaded with shrimp.
The highlight of exceptional service occurred during our appetizers. As I tried to place a piece of pork belly on my girlfriend's plate, it slipped out from between my knife and fork, and landed directly on the floor. I immediately picked it up and placed it on an unused appetizer plate, and offered her one of the two remaining pieces. That was such a disappointment, because it was so good.
We continued wrapping up our appetizers, and about five minutes later, an expo or server came by our table and dropped off a fresh piece of the pork belly, even presented in the sauce and with garnish. We never said anything about the man overboard, no server mentioned anything to us about it. Someone who worked their observed my motor skills failed, and just made it right, elevating our experience to one of the best I ever had in a restaurant.
Right before bringing our entrees, Sam came by to ask if we got the extra pork belly and how did it taste? We were so appreciative of the gesture. The kitchen has no obligation to replace the piece that I so foolishly dropped. In my particular hotel brand, we refer to a signature moment as one in which our team does something so personal or so unexpected to delight a guest, that you can earn their loyalty forever. This was Sam/El Dorado's signature moment. Whether it was someone else who notified Sam or Sam saw the event himself, the team there was just outstanding and a real breath of fresh air. EVERYONE.
Entrees were delicious. I had the duo duck (no mushrooms). The duck breast was medium-rare to medium, the duck leg confit was tender and peeled right off the bone (just the way I make it at home). I was shocked by the mix of polenta, spicy mole sauce, and spinach/onion as the base of the plate. These flavors combined so well, and I never would have expected it. The Mole (which I typically don't like unless it's spicy) was perfect.
My girlfriend loved her Salmon and especially the vegetable medley it was seated on. My dad had the Paella and beet salad, as well as Brussel sprouts for the table, which he said were all very good. My mother had the filet mignon, and I was lucky enough to try it. That was AWESOME.
Our table was cleared and Sam brought us dessert menus. As we were reviewing, he came out with two separate macaron plates with birthday candles in them for my girlfriend and I, which was such a sweet gesture. Thank God they don't sing happy birthday or make a big deal. Just a perfect, small delighter, which is how we prefer things. The macarons were great. We also ordered the house made vanilla ice cream, which was amazingly creamy and had extraordinary vanilla flavor.
There's not much more to say, except kudos to Sam. He is a testament to servant hospitality and really impressed all of us.
Special kudos to the cooks. We spent a lot of time watching them hustle, knock out plates, and we were very impressed by them. I can't believe how fast they work.
