Sprite
Viognier

Viognier

222 E. 4th Ave. San Mateo, CA 94401, 94401-4035, San Andreas, United States

French • European • Californian • Contemporary


"Viognier is fine French dining in San Mateo! My date and I came to celebrate Valentine's Day and it was a lovely experience. It was a 5 course prefix menu for Vday and overall, it was a very enjoyable menu. 1) Truffle ice cream with caviar (Amuse Bouche) I've never had anything like this before The bite was salty and sweet, which made for the perfect bite. 2) Appetizer: Baby abalone with poached egg this was my favorite thing on the menu! The poached egg was perfectly cooked and seasoned. When it's eaten with the abalone, it has a great burst of flavor. 3) Second course: Warm lobster salad the poached lobster was absolutely lovely and tasted fresh, but the smoked chard tasted burnt in my opinion. 4) Third course: Braised lamb ragu the lamb was super tender and the house made pappardelle was on point. However, the sauce was a load too salty for my taste. 5) Intermezzo: Black cherry sorbet very refreshing and perfect pallet cleanser before the next course. 6) Fourth course: Hokkaido A5 wagyu the wagyu was amazing! It's fatty but melts in your mouth! I haven't had good wagyu since Japan. This is was pretty comparable. However, I can't say much for the truffled potatoes (gratin) it didn't add much to the wagyu. I would have been happier with wagyu on its own. 7) Dessert: Amour we had a predessert chocolate before our final dessert. The predessert with passion fruit filling was absolutely delightful. As for the main dessert, I loved the layers. The cake with the heart shaped cream and the lychee jelly and grapefruit was quite flavorful and not too sweet! It was perfect! My only critique is the cookie on the base. I couldn't eat the cookie with the other parts of the dessert because it was rock hard! I had to eat it separately, which isn't my preference. Otherwise, I enjoyed the dessert. I enjoyed the meal overall, but I would love to come back to try the prefix menu on another night!"

The Bbq Saloon

The Bbq Saloon

4900 Laclede Ave, Saint Louis, United States

Bbq • Full • Barbecue • American


"I really wish I could rate it higher. But when both the food and wait times are lacking, something 's got to give.I was excited to try my first St. Louis barbecue and was just a little hungry--I didn 't want a huge meal with sides and a basket of bread. So their menu looked perfect to me--two different varieties of mini sliders and even individual ribs for $3. I sat on the patio and ordered the brisket sliders and one rib. I was asked if I wanted the spicy or sweet barbecue sauce on the side, and opted for spicy.The food came out rather quickly. It was the first time in my life I had tasted tough brisket. What a disappointment. Brisket should be fatty, salty, soft to chew. This was stringy and dry. I dipped it in the sauce, which was good, but couldn 't save the meat. I did love the garlic-toasted bun. I hoped the rib might be better, since the menu had called it falling off the bone. Unfortunately, GNAWING off the bone was the best I could do. That piece of meat wasn 't worth $3.My server was at first very friendly and attentive, but when they checked on me at the end of my meal, I said I 'd like the check as soon as they were able. Fifteen minutes later the check was brought, and ten minutes after that my card was returned. I actually took the receipt with the tip inside because I hadn 't seen my server in ages and needed to catch a bus (I 'd already missed one).I used their restroom while I was inside. They are very spacious and clean.I wanted to return on a hungrier day and try their pork steak, but I 'm not sure I want to spend $20 if the meat will be the same quality this was. In a city known for its BBQ, they 're going to have to step it up."