Ella A.
Yelp
08.18.2023 - Date Night
After shopping at Stanford Mall, we were famished. As I go through yelp's list for seafood, O+V popped up. Only 6-7min away from the Mall, perfect!
Reservations were easy to make on OT with ample slots available. Valet parking is offered, but not sure what the cost is. We were fortunate to find street parking just a black away.
O+V is nestled within a hotel. Bar seating, indoor seating and patio seatings are available. It was a warm evening so we asked for patio dining.
As the host escorts us to our table, we entered a courtyard type of ambiance with long lounge sofas in the center, patio tables surrounding it with a party room to the right and live music playing to the left. Seems like we chose an evening where a wedding was happening. Awesome!
Service was impeccable from start to finish. Our table was wobbly and the host was quick to get it properly leveled. He also offered us complimentary bubbles for the table not being properly ready upon seating. Wow! We were very impressed with their level of customer service. Bravo!
If you follow my reviews, you already know, I'm going to order the most (lol). To my defense, we don't live in the area and I have no clue when we'll be back to try other things on the menu. My poor husband is worried that I'll get too full and we'll end up with leftovers (I don't like leftover, therefore, I don't eat leftovers). But I insisted that we order everything I wanted.
Guess what?
I had to compromise and for-go two shareable items: Goodbye~ truffled fries and charred shishito peppers (sad face).
"If only I was with my seastar and bestie gf..." I thought to myself.
"Sorry honey. If you were with your sister and bff, I'm sure you guys would have ordered everything" he says. Amazed how he read my mind!. This is marriage.
-Back to the food review-
Mussels are a must! Super fresh with a kick of spice! Perfectly seasoned and buttery. The 2 levain toasts were the perfect utensils to absorbed all the broth.
Brussel sprouts seemed to be Asian-inspired and the flavors were tasty. Nutty, caramel-like sweetness, with a splash of fresh lime juice brought everything together. One word: Tasty!
Grilled salmon was clearly the winner between the dryaged ribeye. Tender salmon filet with savory blistered cherry tomatoes, crunchy-sweet yellow corn, juicy squash...every bite was enjoyable, and then some.
The dryaged ribeye lacked flavor. This was a disappointment as it was $59. The potatoes were bit on the al-dente side and the greens, oh the awfully bitter greens were just not palatable. The entirety of the dish fell short from the flavor to texture. Pass!
Early Girl tomato bisque was served lukewarm. The bisque appeared to be on the more watered-down side. We tried to finish it, but even my hubs was thrown off by it. Pass!
Tomato-Watermelon-Burrata Salad was very interesting. I enjoyed the individual flavors, but when I ate all the ingredients together, it didn't marriage well at all. The watermelon slices were sweet, but I felt as though it didn't belong in the plate. The burrata appeared more dense then the burrata that I'm used to. When cutting it, I expected the cheese curds inside to slowly run, but this burrata stayed intact through it all. Pass!
Crème brûlée, oh my love for dessert~ Now, how can you tell it's good crème brûlée? (1) When you use your spoon to crack the thin layer of torched sugar, and it cracks! This crème brûlée? It didn't. Very...elastic? Rubbery? It didn't crack. I had to stretched the top layer to tear it off. (2) The texture is supposed to be smooth, creamy with a slight firmness to it. This crème brûlée? It wasn't. Rather, very...wet. The custard's consistency broke. Pass!
Only 3 out of 7 dishes that we ordered were delightful! More than half of it fell short. However, despite several disappointments, considering the ambience, the friendly and super attentive customer service, and the price point, I still recommend O+V.
Despite it all, 4 stars are much deserved!!!