dinner – Waiting For Delight https://waitingfordelight.com Honest Restaurant Reviews & Travel Experiences Thu, 08 Sep 2022 03:55:57 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.4 https://waitingfordelight.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/cropped-WaitingForDelight_Coffee_Logo-32x32.png dinner – Waiting For Delight https://waitingfordelight.com 32 32 Bear at Stanley Ranch https://waitingfordelight.com/bear-at-stanley-ranch/ Sun, 11 Sep 2022 08:09:00 +0000 https://waitingfordelight.com/?p=644
Ambiance
4.5/5
Service
5/5
Food / Drink
4.5/5
Overall (4.6)
4.6/5

Visited for dinner on May 14th, 2022

The experience and food at Bear is one that I will always remember! 

Years back, my friends and I all lived close to each other in the bay area. Since, people have moved and it’s not often we are able to get together. This was one such occasion. We got together earlier in the day in Napa. We kicked the day off with pool-time at one of the nearby resorts. We were supposed to head out to wine tasting in the afternoon, but instead we spent the day catching up at the pool. Don’t you love the feeling of meeting up with friends after years and just picking up where you left off? It’s refreshing and also brings a sense of calm and relaxation along with it.

While at the pool, we made a reservation at Bear, located at Stanley Ranch and were not disappointed!

 

Cheers from Bear

Anyway, after day at the pool, we got ourselves cleaned up and headed over to Stanley Ranch, which is where Bear is located. I’ll note that while using Google to navigate to Stanley Ranch, it is easy to get lost. And by easy, I mean we got lost! Google does not take you on a direct route through roads that are permissible. So, take a few minutes and map your route prior to heading out. Of course we ended up finding our way to the parking lot and walking up to the restaurant. The grounds are beautifully curated with nice paths through the ‘ranch’.

 

Sunset at Bear

When you walk into bear you can definitely see that this is a fun and fresh new California restaurant. The decor is modern, and the host was bright and cheerful – definitely good spirits when you walk in. We were lead by the host to our table, which was outside. This was perfect as the weather was delightful. The ambiance of the back patio, watching the sunset while we dined was beautiful. The sky did not disappoint and provided brilliant pastels as our backdrop. 

 

Bear menu on 5/22/2022

The menu at Bear looks to change seasonally, and we ordered quite a few things so we could have a nice sampler. Also, the wine menu (not pictured) was nicely curated. There were light reds and both California and old world wines.

 

Farm Vegetables

To start, we ordered the farm vegetables which were slices of raw veggies, mostly consisting of carrots and radishes with a few pieces of endive. Essentially was like hummus and veggies.

 

Sourdough Loaf

We also ordered the sourdough, which came with a very creamy butter. Throughout the evening, we ended up ordering a couple of these little loafs because they were delightfully crispy on the outside and the perfect amount of soft on the inside.

 

Sun Choke

As another share plate, we decided on the sun choke, which came with cheddar yeast and a little bit of a cream sauce (the menu describes it as brown butter, but it tasted more like a light & cool yogurt). The sunchoke (if you’ve never had it) is hard to describe – almost like a potato, but not quite. Best way I can describe the taste & texture of this dish is that it was crispy like a fried sweet potato on the outside and delightfully buttery like a yukon potato on the inside. It was delicious!

 

Crispy Rice

We also decided on the crispy rice dish, as we were intrigued by the description. I’m not sure what I was expecting from the menu, but when the fried rice squares arrived, I will say I was intrigued! The texture of the fried rice was perfect. You know when you have a good Bipimbop with the crisp/charred rice at the base? That is what these were – except that delightful crispy rice in every square! The pickles and coconut shavings for the presentation were a nice addition.

 

Off Menu Vegetarian Linguine

In terms of vegetarian entrées, as you can see they didn’t have any on their menu. So, I talked with the server and they offered to make a linguine pasta with a pesto sauce. 

The pasta had mushrooms and some freshly grated Parmesan cheese and the noodles definitely tasted like they were freshly made so that was a good plus. I appreciate when a place gets noodles right! The sauce had good flavor and was a bit thin, but still coated the noodles well enough, so I enjoyed each bite. Overall, I think they did a good job with the linguine and if you’re in a pinch like I was, it’s a decent choice, but given the option would try something else next time. As you’ll hear me say a lot – I really wish that they had at least one permanent vegetarian entrée on their menu. This allows folks like myself to feel included and not that they need to make a special request.

 

Short Rib

As a main entrée the meat eaters in the group got the short rib. When the short rib arrived at the table, the server cut fresh (and large) basil leaves over the plate. The aroma of the herbs was great. Everybody who had it said it was delightful and melted in their mouth. Due to the flavors (and appetites) we actually ended up ordering a second plate so that folks could have some more! I got a high thumbs up from those of my friends who ordered this.

Overall, this place was a delight. You can’t beat the ambiance of being in Napa, particularly on a warm night with a beautiful sunset. The servers were really fun to be around and we laughed with them quite a bit. Also, with their well rounded selection of wines by the glass and by the bottle, you can’t go wrong, even if you just come to share a small bite. Honestly, it’s even a nice place to hang out after your meal is complete! There’s places to sit watch the sunset. 

Would definitely recommend a visit if you find yourself in wine country 🙂

~Jeremy

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Le Plongeoir https://waitingfordelight.com/le-plongeoir/ Thu, 08 Sep 2022 13:47:00 +0000 https://waitingfordelight.com/?p=968
Ambiance
5/5
Service
3/5
Food / Drink
2/5
Overall
3/5

Visited for Dinner on May 26, 2022

Le Plongeoir is a restaurant on an island

Once my friend Jennika and I had bought our flight to Nice, she immediately started scoping out fun restaurants to try. She stumbled across Le Plongeoir from a video she saw on TikTok and shared it with me. We were both in awe of the little island restaurant and booked us a reservation for the second night we were in-town. I mean take a look at these photos! Here is a video when walking up to Le Plongeoir. It’s just as incredible to see in person as the photos show.

We were staying in Old Town Nice, which isn’t too far from the restaurant. If you like to walk, you can easily do so in about 30 minutes. We opted to take an Uber there and walk back.

View of the walkway connecting the restaurant to the mainland

When arriving at Le Plongeoir, the restaurant looks just darling. It is positioned perfectly on a rock outstretched into the ocean, connected by a manmade walkway. 

Looking down from the walkway, you’ll see guests dining below at the bar seating area

You travel down the walkway and if you look down, you’ll see that they also have tables (and a bar area) below. So, if you forget to make a reservation or want to pop over for a quick drink, you can likely do so.

The kitchen is down below, along with a few inside tables

To get to the restaurant, you’ll head upstairs. Now, I’ll say that the owners / designers really did not plan well because directly at the top of the stairs is a speaker hanging about 5.5 feet high.

Watch your head as you come up the narrow stairs! Many people hit their head on this speaker.

So, when I walked up the stairs I hit my head squarely on it (and not lightly). Through the time we were at the restaurant, I watched person after person hit their heads on the speaker – so just please be careful! Also – if the restaurant ever reads this, please move that speaker!

You can’t beat this view

Walking in, you can’t beat the view. Really, there isn’t a bad seat in the place for the view. That said, they initially tried to seat my friend and I at a table right at the top of the stairs, with the edge of the chair just a few feet in front of the stairs. It did not feel safe / comfortable to sit there, so we asked to be moved. The staff in the restaurant were actually a bit rude and dismiss-missive, even though there were quite a few empty tables. So, I went down to the host to ask and eventually we were accommodated. 

Click here to see a video of the view from our seats 🙂

The ambiance of the outdoor restaurant is classy, but it doesn’t pull in a Parisian crowd. What I mean is that the clientele (from what we could tell) were entirely American tourists! We talked with folks from the surrounding tables and near everyone had found out about the restaurant from some type of social media. That said, there were folks from all across the states (Illinois, Los Angeles, etc.) so that was nice. Some families and also parties of friends out on vacation.

The Burratta

We ordered a bottle of wine to share (Domaine Toasc, 2021 – AOP Bellet €59 – nice, crisp and stone fruit flavors) and the ‘Beef tomatoes, buratta, vinaigrette with herbs’ to share (€25). The tomato was cooked alright (it was still a bit hard in the center), but the burrata was nice, creamy and thick. With the large amount of burrata to tomato ratio, there was plenty to spread on-top of the home-made sourdough rolls, which were our favorite. 

The sourdough biscuits (which went well with the burrata)

During the first course, we weren’t super impressed with the servers, but the owner seemed to be the friendliest. When he came over, he was engaging, but as soon as he left, we felt again like we were invisible. Usually at a place you want to be left alone, but each time we had a need and I tried to flag someone (for additional sourdough rolls (which were yum), refills on water, etc.), the servers would ignore us, which was frustrating since there were like three folks on the floor at most times.  

Risotto

For the main, we both ordered the risotto carnaroli (with seasonal vegetables & aged parmesan shavings €32). It looked beautiful (as you can see). The problem was, it was lacking flavor. Not a dish I would recommend or order again. The most flavorful things were the vegetable toppings and shave parmesan. The risotto was entirely flavorless, we expected more. So, we decided that we wouldn’t worry about it and instead hang out, enjoy the rest of our wine, and have dessert in Old Nice on our walk back. 

Cheers from Le Plongeoir

As the sun-set, the view just became better and better. It truly is an incredible setting to sit and enjoy the experience. There is a time limit (they have dining & reservation windows), so we were told our time was just about up after about an hour and a half.

Sunset at Le Plongeoir

Overall, I wouldn’t say that the experience at Le Plongeoir was bad, I would just say that it is very hyped. You truly can’t beat the experience of dining on a restaurant island during the sunset on the French riviera! I mean, that just sounds as delightful as the experience was, but the food and service did not make us feel like returning. Location & setting: full 5-stars. Food & service, 2 & 3 stars respectively. So, my overall rating for Le Plongeoir is 3 stars. Go for the view & experience, and share a light meal. You can grab something at better value (and flavor) in-town later. 

~Jeremy

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Le Grande Café de France https://waitingfordelight.com/le-grande-cafe-de-france/ Wed, 07 Sep 2022 13:37:00 +0000 https://waitingfordelight.com/?p=961
Ambiance
4.3/5
Service
3/5
Food / Drink
4.3/5
Overall
4/5

Visited 5/25/2022 (afternoon snack) & 5/28 (breakfast)

Le Grande Café de France is located right on the main strip of the hotels and restaurants in downtown Nice. It is definitely a ‘tourist trap’ of a restaurant, but I can say happily that it lured me in, not once, but twice for a quick snack.

I suppose I should start with that I appreciate France for it’s outdoor cafés and when I see one with the white wicker and classic vibe, I have a hard time resisting to sit down at least for a cappuccino. 

The menu at Le Grande Café de France has everything you’d expect from a Parisian tourist restaurant. Croissants in the morning, Aperol spritz in the afternoon, and Italian / sea food in the evening. The prices are a bit elevated from those of restaurants not on the ‘main street’, but the lure & draw is that you are in the mix of it all while you sit and enjoy your meal.

The ambiance of the café is so cute. Outside, which is where I sat both times, is under a covered awning. You sit and face the walking traffic, so you get some nice people watching as you sip your Aperol or enjoy your meal. I am very sad I did not take a photo of the inside, but if you do visit, please go inside and check it out. There is a grand spiral staircase that takes you upstairs (to where the restrooms are). Across from the restrooms is a beautiful bar, a chandelier, and seats with a terrific view. Plus, the staff were attentive as well.

When I stopped by the evening of May 25th, I wanted just a snack, so I ordered the cheese and fig plate. It came with so much cheese! There were brie, gouda, and cheddar. There were dried apricots and figs intermixed as well. In the center was a mixed greens salad with some pine nuts. While very cheese heavy, it was a nice snaking plate as I relaxed. 

I popped over again for a quick snack (aka croissant breakfast) before my flight on the 28th. I ordered a couple croissants (one for now, one for take away), a cappuccino and a mimosa! Basically all the delightful things. While I was only there for about 25 minutes, the croissant was buttery, flakey, and perfect. Ugh it was great! And the mimosa sure hit the spot. Cappuccino is hard to go wrong in general, but this one was darker than the one I had the previous day while out and about, which I appreciated because of the brightness of the mimosa. 

Similar to the previous visit, I was able to people watch during my snack and get one last piece of the French experience before my flight back home.

Solid 4-stars.

~Jeremy

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Giada Las Vegas https://waitingfordelight.com/giada-las-vegas/ Tue, 30 Aug 2022 13:12:00 +0000 https://waitingfordelight.com/?p=930
Ambiance
5/5
Service
5/5
Food / Drink
5/5
Overall
5/5

Visited for dinner on 5/16/2022

 

Sign when walking up to the restaurant

Giada’s is located in the Cromwell hotel in Las Vegas. My friend and I were in-town and had heard great things, so we opted to check it out! Let’s just say we weren’t disappointed.

To get to the restaurant, when you’re in the Cromwell, you will go up a large escalator, which the restaurant reception is right at the top of (you’ll be greeted by the sign above). Because it is up and out of the casino, you don’t even notice it is located in a casino while you’re eating! Which is delightful.

 

View of the kitchen and dinning area at Giada

Otherwise, the interior (and details) of Giada’s exude relaxed luxury. From the thick branded paper towels in the restroom to the lighting, to the number and attention of the wait staff, it all is on-point. People visiting are in solid business casual outfits and you’re pleasantly greeted whenever walking around. There is a good ‘buzz’ / energy in the air.

 

View of the dining area

 

View out to the strip (if you’re lucky to get a window table)

Also, since the Cromwell is right on the strip and Giada’s has a long stretch of windows overlooking the strip, if you’re lucky enough to get a space by the window you’ll have so much to look at while you dine! Definitely a super special moment.

 

Mozzarella crostini

To start, we ordered the mozzarella crostini ($15.99). They were extremely crunchy – almost like little croutons.  In terms of dishes, this one was not our favorite as it was just lacking something. The pine nuts, pesto and sun dried tomatoes were a nice touch, but didin’t give us enough to make us craving more with the crouton toast. 

 

Split arugula salad

As our second starter, we ordered the Arugula salad, which came with candied lemon, crispy pancetta (held on mine) & Parmigiano-Reggiano ($17.99).

We did request if we could split the salad, which the waiter did without question. He brought them out on separate plates, with our own large pieces of cheese, and one with and another without the pancetta, which was excellent! This way there was no fighting over pieces or the awkward dishing of salad to friends or who will eat the last bite. If you just want a small bit of salad, this is the way to go here. 

 

Giada’s signature bread board

Giada’s Signature Bread Board ($9.99) was also a delight. Three different types of bread (sourdough loaf, onion loaf, bun) with a variety of dippings, sprinklings, or mixings. Each were perfectly baked, nice crispy edge on the sourdough (my favorite) and soft and springy (roll). No hints of dryness, definitely were just freshly baked! We actually liked all of the toppings (pesto, butter, salt, olive oil & balsamic, chili flakes), but also appreciated the ability to be able to soak up the delicious remains of our dinner entrees with the bread!

 

Rigatoni vegetable bolognese

For the main entrees, I ordered the Rigatoni vegetable Bolognese ($32.99), which was hands down the best vegetarian Bolognese I’ve ever had. I’m often let down by vegetarian options that are well hyped by the wait staff and my expectations actually were truly exceeded! Now, I am a bit of a ‘premadonna’ and don’t particularly care for round tube-like rigatoni pasta (or penne for that matter), so I did request to swap for the longer bucatini noodles and was accommodated without question. When it came out, it didn’t disappoint! I asked the server about how they created the Bolognese and he mentioned it was. Reduction of eggplant and other vegetables until they were tiny and delicious. I was astounded at the flavor and also the waitstaff’s knowledge of the dishes! 

 

Salmon with basil orzotto

My friend ordered the ‘Salmon with basil orzotto, artichoke-tomato broth, and lemon gremolata’ ($40.99). He described the salmon as perfectly cooked and a joy to eat. It was packed with flavor and was both crispy and buttery.

 

Apple pie bake

For dessert we ordered the Apple Pie Bake ($12.99). The Apple pie bake was so yummy! The bake comes in a cute saucer cup, that you then break with your spoon. Once you’ve made an inlet, you pour this caramel sauce in the middle and go to town! It is apple pie deliciousness. Delightful cinnamon, delicately crisp top, and caramel buttery sweetness. So good.

 

Cheers!

Overall: Walking into Giada’s is walking into relaxed luxury, you don’t feel lavish or out of sorts, but its casual and upscale all at the same time. All details are thought through, from attentive service to nice restroom towels. As for the food, while the crostini were not a hit, literally everything else was. The Salmon was perfectly cooked, and the vegetable Bolognese blew me away. Hands down the best Bolognese I have ever had. I’m often let down by vegetarian options and this didn’t disappoint. For what we got, the food wasn’t too pricey (keep your price expectations low, this is Vegas). Overall, definitely recommend!

5 Stars

~WFD

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