Jason V.
Yelp
My wife and I had tried to visit Redwood twice before, during what I would expect to be "normal" operating hours, but we missed out every time, due to them closing at 3pm daily. I'm not sure if this is a COVID/post-COVID thing or not, but it's been a challenge to get in the door. My fault partially, I guess, for not looking up their hours in advance, but still...9am to 3pm? Really? Even on the weekends?
Whoever puts together the menu here knows what they're doing, though. I've said it before, but in previewing the menu and photos of the food on Yelp during our failed attempts to stop in before, we were of the opinion that everything they churn out of the kitchen here looks fantastic. There's a reason we kept on trying to come back.
We finally made it on our third try, though! Was it worth the wait? Yeah, we'd say so.
We finally made it in for brunch around 11am this last Saturday, and were seated immediately inside. As expected, there was no shortage of choices on the menu, making narrowing things down a bit difficult. Eventually, between the two of us, we settled on the Fresh Mozzarella Sandwich, Irene's Flautas (from the specials menu), and the Firebird Bloody Mary (once again proving that if you put "habanero" somewhere on the menu, I *will* order it). During the surprisingly short wait for our entrées to arrive, we admired the rustic interior décor, remarking that this seemingly hole-in-the-wall establishment (from the outside, anyway) was so charmingly appointed inside - it feels like the sort of place you'd stop in for a hearty meal while out camping or mountain climbing somewhere!
My flautas were crisp and fresh, and improved slightly by the added side of pickled jalapenos I tacked on; they really should come included with the dish, if you ask me! The portion size was just right for a light morning brunch, and didn't weigh me down or leave me hungry. My wife's mozzarella sandwich was absolutely massive, and she enjoyed it quite a bit, although she remarked that it was a bit dry, due to their being no condiments of any kind on the bread. Adding a pesto or aioli of some sort (or a combo of both) would ratchet it up to perfection!
Other than these minor nitpicks, everything else about our visit, particularly the service and ambiance, was excellent. I'm still not a fan of their operating hours, but I did note that they were holding a pop-up pizza party later that night, welcoming back some employees who had apparently departed for a while, and were returning to the fold. Does this mean that Redwood may reopen for dinner service later in the year? I hope so, because I'd love to see what they can do with an even greater variety of entrées.