Michael C.
Yelp
Guests should never overstay their welcome but tonight we chose to as The Guest and their staff really showed us a great time as we tried several of their delicious culinary varieties of what was a combination of American dishes with a Mediterranean Influence and everything we enjoyed had a special difference in preparation, texture and ingredients.
Never had we spent so much time sitting at a bar anywhere to eat and drink, but it was a 3 hour ordeal we really enjoyed.
My wife and I got there at around 5:00 when The Guest was just opening and as we walked up to the outdoor seating area, the beautiful inside dining area and bar was completely in sight, a mixture of dark and light wood toned tables and bar, earth tones all around and very interesting table and chair settings, with colorful upholstered cushioned chairs mixed in with dark wood chairs at the same table. They had two beautifully set 8 top tables and everything was spaced out nicely for a simple, comfortable and inviting look. Green plants hung from the ceiling which really added a tough of nice color to the dining room. Everything was simple and inviting. The open kitchen and bar surrounded the whole dining room.
We always like to sit at the bar and this bar was especially nice and comfortable. We were so lucky to meet Liz, our server at the bar who had so much knowledge of where she worked and specifics about the menu and answered any questions we had. We are big wine drinkers and she let us try a couple wines, and ended up ironically with one of HER favorites, a Tuscan, beautifully balanced wine, Villa Puccin 2015 which had a great Old World taste to it. We ordered a bottle and savored it all night.
We started out with a couple of small dishes to share. The Happy Hour Cheese Board went perfect with our wine; a nice combination of 4 cheeses, fig jam and nuts. Also served with a nice crusty bread. My wife loved the Brussel Sprouts, sautéed and served with almonds, honey and balsamic glaze. My favorite starter dish: The Beef Skirt Steak Skewers. The scallion sauce was incredible with this, as every bite we dipped right into it. Never had quite anything like it. Last but definitely not least, and I never pass up Grilled Octopus. The Octopus here is the most tender and tasty I have ever had. The whole tentacle served with chick peas had great flavors in this dish and was fabulous.
Getting down to business, I wanted to try some of the dishes I had seen and read about, and even though I pick my days of eating pasta carefully, I had to try the Gnocchi Pasta with a truffle cream sauce, four great cheeses including Smoked Pecorino and topped with porcini mushrooms ( Gnocchi Al Tartufo ). If you love truffle, I really recommend this. Perfect size portion and served with Parmesan Cheese to top it off. If you decide on a pasta night, this is the dish to order.
My wife ordered the special: Grilled Snapper topped with sautéed spinach, sun dried tomatoes in a lemon butter. This dish was also served with a fennel sauce, which my wife left off. The Snapper melted in your mouth and the sun dried tomatoes was a nice touch of flavor.
After this fantastic experience and 2 1/2 hours with Liz, leave it to The Guest to blow away this evening with their incredible Chocolate Bomb desert. A vanilla cream with chunks of chocolate cake, coated with a magnificent hard chocolate shell and not just for presentation, but also flavor, they poured a flamed Sambuca liquor on top to melt the chocolate. It even had a large "wick' sticking out of the shell to make it look like a bomb. Not only was that a great presentation (see video), but the Sambuca and Chocolate combo made it irresistible and had to finish it.
So after a fantastic 3 hour experience at The Guest, I must thank Jenia and Billy, the owners, Tracey, and all the management who made us feel at home. Special thanks to Liz who really made this day so special. I never enjoyed myself for that length of time at any eating establishment.
To top it off there is live entertainment on Wednesday and Sunday, a live DJ on Saturday and one other week day. Happy Hour menu is GREAT on Monday-Friday from 5-7 pm. with discounts on some wines, Champagne, beer and Moscow Mules. The Guest likes to have special theme nights with music. Word has it, that BRUNCH is coming!!!
The Guest is the perfect name!!!