Christina B.
Yelp
When I first moved up here, over a year and a half ago, I was complaining about the lack of good food (okay, more like bitching and moaning). The locals tell me that I haven't been eating in the right places. So I compiled a list of places that the locals said were must-eats, and Restaurant 301 was on that list. I finally made the trek.
Appetizers:
Brussel sprouts with bacon, walnuts, blue cheese and apples: brussel sprouts were cooked perfectly, and the bacon was very flavorful. The combination of all five ingredients was the perfect start to a meal.
French onion soup: Nothing extraordinary here. A very straightforward rendition of french onion soup.
Entrees:
Venison (more like venison wellington): I had to settle for the venison because they were out of the Field and Fowl (at 7:30pm on a Saturday night?). The venison was cooked well, but the outer pastry part was a bit blackened on the bottom, which had me wondering if that was their intention or not. It came only with five to six carrots on the side. For $35, I most likely would not order this again... perhaps if they accompanied it with something else like creamy polenta or some sort of potato, the dish would feel substantial enough to pay that price again.
Wagyu brisket bolognese: the husband got this dish... for reasons unknown. I can tell, however, that the pasta was freshly made, but unfortunately I feel like the wagyu aspect of the beef is lost in the way that it is prepared. Now, if you say wagyu ribeye or something else not smothered in sauce, then I can see why I would order it. But in this instance, it's more of a namesake than anything. You can't really TELL you're eating wagyu brisket that's been torn into little shreds.
And for people who perhaps were complaining about the Kobe ribeye not being up-to-par, they list on their menu that it is American Kobe. If you are unaware of the distinction between the two, you should probably look up the differences, as American Kobe is not nearly close to the standard of true Kobe. Again, namesake.
The service was outstanding, and I have absolutely no complaints there. Wine list is definitely extensive, but a bit pricey.
For Eureka/Humboldt standards, it is one of the top restaurants in the city, if not county. However, I think I must try it once more and order different things to truly gauge the restaurant, as it wasn't really as impressive to me as I was made to believe.