I love this place!! I have long since forgotton how many times I have been to Sauce, but the one thing I can remember perfectly well is that the restaurant has never once disappointed. Their salads are excellent and one is easily enough for two people. Their pizzas are totally delicious with a wonderful thin crust. This is one of those restaurants that produces the same quality food every time.
When you walk in the menu is on the wall as you approach a cashier. You place your order taking your beverages, and an order number stand for your table. In the restaurant you are looked after by a young, very pleasant staff that is well supervised. There is no server assigned to your table, but you are always well attended should you want another beverage, an extra roll, or whatever. I do not believe I have ever been in Sauce that there was not a management person supervising the operation of the restaurant.
Sauce's other menu selections are all very good, though I admit to rarely eating them because I generally go for the salads and the pizza.
Conveniently located next to Frost in Casas Adobes Shopping Center. This one is an easy call.
Grade : A
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
NoRTH La Encantada
Silvia and I have a good thing going for the moment at the restaurants owned and operated by Fox Restaurant Concepts (www.foxrc.com). This company presently has 11 restaurants including Sauce, Wildflower, Zinburger, and NoRTH - all of which have provided us with numerous excellent dining experiences, but unfortunately, a few bad ones as well.
So my Valentine wanted to try NoRTH La Encantada (2995 E Skyline, 299-1600) for her Sweetheart dinner this year. We had had two excellent meals there since Christmas so it seemed a good choice.
We arrived to the intense hustle and bustle typical of NoRTH on a Saturday night.The vibrant up-scale crowd gives a nice energy to the restaurant, and I am not too old to enjoy the delicious decolte and short skirt of the young lady who opened the door for us. We had reservations of course, but we never mind a short wait at the bar. It is pleasant and the service is superb. We once choose to split an order of the calamari served up with argula while we waited, and it was exceptional!
On this night we had a very short wait and went to our table for two. I was totally surprised that it was a prix fixe dinner. We had about five choices over each of three courses - none of which appeared very special. We ordered a bottle of wine and settled in for our romantic celebratrion. The waiter said he couldn't bring olives (a NoRTH tradition) because all the dishes were dirty. He promised to try again shortly, but no olives ever appeared. The wine was a good chianti but grossly over-priced.
We finished our huge appetizers and agreed that there was certainly no motivation for consuming any more food. Portion control with balanced pricing seems a thing of the past in virtually every restaurant these days. Frankly, an excessive amount of food does not add to my dining pleasure - and it didn't at NoRTH on this evening either. My steak was small and average at best, and my bread pudding with a scoop of vanilla ice cream was as blah as it was unimaginative. Silvia's chocolate dessert tasted like the chef grabbed it at the last minute off the Nutella web site.
After searching to find a bag for all our "doggie containers" (we had four), our waiter presented me with a check for just over $160. NoRTH had conviently added an 18%+ gratuity so I could not even discount my missing and forgotton olives. The wine was $29 by the way.
I still like NoRTH, but I will never, never go again for a special day meal (like Valentines, New Year's, etc.). We felt robbed, even if we did eat the leftovers for 2 days. When I made the reservation there was no mention of prix fixe, set gratuity, or any of these fun things! We will need a little time to recover before trying NoRTH again. $160!!! Don't you just hate being ripped off?? I know I do.
Restaurant Grade for Valentine's Dinner : F
Average Grade for NoRTH : B+
So my Valentine wanted to try NoRTH La Encantada (2995 E Skyline, 299-1600) for her Sweetheart dinner this year. We had had two excellent meals there since Christmas so it seemed a good choice.
We arrived to the intense hustle and bustle typical of NoRTH on a Saturday night.The vibrant up-scale crowd gives a nice energy to the restaurant, and I am not too old to enjoy the delicious decolte and short skirt of the young lady who opened the door for us. We had reservations of course, but we never mind a short wait at the bar. It is pleasant and the service is superb. We once choose to split an order of the calamari served up with argula while we waited, and it was exceptional!
On this night we had a very short wait and went to our table for two. I was totally surprised that it was a prix fixe dinner. We had about five choices over each of three courses - none of which appeared very special. We ordered a bottle of wine and settled in for our romantic celebratrion. The waiter said he couldn't bring olives (a NoRTH tradition) because all the dishes were dirty. He promised to try again shortly, but no olives ever appeared. The wine was a good chianti but grossly over-priced.
We finished our huge appetizers and agreed that there was certainly no motivation for consuming any more food. Portion control with balanced pricing seems a thing of the past in virtually every restaurant these days. Frankly, an excessive amount of food does not add to my dining pleasure - and it didn't at NoRTH on this evening either. My steak was small and average at best, and my bread pudding with a scoop of vanilla ice cream was as blah as it was unimaginative. Silvia's chocolate dessert tasted like the chef grabbed it at the last minute off the Nutella web site.
After searching to find a bag for all our "doggie containers" (we had four), our waiter presented me with a check for just over $160. NoRTH had conviently added an 18%+ gratuity so I could not even discount my missing and forgotton olives. The wine was $29 by the way.
I still like NoRTH, but I will never, never go again for a special day meal (like Valentines, New Year's, etc.). We felt robbed, even if we did eat the leftovers for 2 days. When I made the reservation there was no mention of prix fixe, set gratuity, or any of these fun things! We will need a little time to recover before trying NoRTH again. $160!!! Don't you just hate being ripped off?? I know I do.
Restaurant Grade for Valentine's Dinner : F
Average Grade for NoRTH : B+
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Palo Verde Lounge and Bistro
I found this on my email this morning:
The Restaurants in SaddleBrooke TWO:
Palo Verde Chef Robert introduced the new
Palo Verde Lounge & Bistro Menus last Thursday Night, February 19th.
The Palo Verde menu features his Chefs’ Gala Award Winning Entrée
Braised Short-Ribs Served with a
Mascarpone Cheese Polenta &
Roasted Butternut Squash Gratin
Why would you serve a fatty meat entrée (short ribs) with a cheese polenta and a vegetable gratin?? Two very rich cheese sides?? I will only try HOA2 dining again when they bring delicious and healthy alternatives instead of (or at least along with) entrees like this.
My last visit to the PV Bistro was a disaster. I am definitely not a complainer, and I am easily embarrassed when I am with someone who does. Generally I just don't return to a restaurant I do not enjoy. But on this evening our friends and Silvia urged me to return my food. The staff told me my tasteless and inedible food was loved by everyone who ordered it. And that was it! No "would you like something else?" or "we will take half price off the tab" or "let the house buy you a drink". Nothing! Any small concession by a restaurant ALWAYS tempers my distress and brings me back for another try. Three couples, all Saddlebrooke HOA2 homeowners, resolved at that point to give up on HOA2 dining. So far as I know, none of us has gone back.
That was months ago and nothing has tempted me to go back since. Certainly short ribs with two cheese sides won’t do the trick!! About a week ago I invited a friend to join me for lunch. When I asked where, he responded, "Anywhere is fine, except HOA2!" Ouch!!
While it pains me to give my lowest rating to the Palo Verde Bistro (Silvia and I would honestly like to dine there regularly), I need something or someone to convince me things have improved.
Grade : F
The Restaurants in SaddleBrooke TWO:
Palo Verde Chef Robert introduced the new
Palo Verde Lounge & Bistro Menus last Thursday Night, February 19th.
The Palo Verde menu features his Chefs’ Gala Award Winning Entrée
Braised Short-Ribs Served with a
Mascarpone Cheese Polenta &
Roasted Butternut Squash Gratin
Why would you serve a fatty meat entrée (short ribs) with a cheese polenta and a vegetable gratin?? Two very rich cheese sides?? I will only try HOA2 dining again when they bring delicious and healthy alternatives instead of (or at least along with) entrees like this.
My last visit to the PV Bistro was a disaster. I am definitely not a complainer, and I am easily embarrassed when I am with someone who does. Generally I just don't return to a restaurant I do not enjoy. But on this evening our friends and Silvia urged me to return my food. The staff told me my tasteless and inedible food was loved by everyone who ordered it. And that was it! No "would you like something else?" or "we will take half price off the tab" or "let the house buy you a drink". Nothing! Any small concession by a restaurant ALWAYS tempers my distress and brings me back for another try. Three couples, all Saddlebrooke HOA2 homeowners, resolved at that point to give up on HOA2 dining. So far as I know, none of us has gone back.
That was months ago and nothing has tempted me to go back since. Certainly short ribs with two cheese sides won’t do the trick!! About a week ago I invited a friend to join me for lunch. When I asked where, he responded, "Anywhere is fine, except HOA2!" Ouch!!
While it pains me to give my lowest rating to the Palo Verde Bistro (Silvia and I would honestly like to dine there regularly), I need something or someone to convince me things have improved.
Grade : F
A Brief Introduction
Steve"s Restaurant Reviews is a "fun" project. Silvia and I love to eat - we love to cook and we love to eat out, and especially with friends who share the experience. Some experiences are totally wonderful - and some are not. Most fall between the extremes. The purpose of this blog is to share our experiences, those of our friends who join us, and to help you have more good experiences when you dine out.
My grading system is simple A, B, C, D, and F. I will not break down service, food, ambiance, and so forth, but I will include these in my blog where relevant. It will be great fun for me, and I hope for you as well.
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