Restaurant & Dining Reviews- The Raving Palate

Restaurant: Arcadia Restaurant - October 23, 2011

Address: 100 W. San Carlos Street, San Jose, CA 95113
Phone: 408.278.4555
Website
twitter: @ArcadiaSteak

• Food: Modern American, Steakhouse
• Attended: Dinner
• Decor/Ambiance: Contemporary, dark woods, leather, and glass
• Cost: $$
• Rave Factor: 4 Stars
  

Service:  3/4    Food:   3/4   Presentation:  2/4   Concept:  4/4    Value: 4/4

Review: 

This restaurant was fine in food and in service. The food was seasoned very well and the presentation was simple. We’ve always been a fan of simple foods: nothing fussy, where the main ingredient can really shine through. The service was great and the atmosphere was romantic. Great date night place!

We were seated promptly and our waiter came out right away. He was very friendly and attentive. Our drinks came out quickly and our bread soon followed. The bread came with sea salt butter and a sun-dried tomato tapenade, which was delicious! It was sweet and tangy and was wonderful with the butter.

Our appetizers were tuna tartare and rock shrimp louie. The tartare was prepared table side and the portion was big enough for two people! It was delicious and the use of pear gave it the right amount of crunch to balance out the texture of the tuna. The rock shrimp louie was good, but not memorable. The flavors were good, but we wish there was even more flavor to it — it was a tad bland. The shrimp was cooked nicely though.

The support staff was quick to clear our plates and fill out waters. Always a plus!

The entrees: strip steak and kurobuta porkchop. The strip steak was seasoned beautifully and we appreciated how they put the sauce on the side in a separate cup instead of all over the strip steak, as most restaurants do. We appreciate a nice piece of steak that is not drowned out by sauces. The waiter suggested the bearnaise, but we preferred the worchester vinaigrette with the strip steak. This was a winner among steak houses.

The kurobuta porkchop: how do you describe perfection? It was the most delicious pork chop I have ever had. Medium rare. It was tender, moist and most importantly, not chewy! This is a definite must if you are not the mood for steak. It was seasoned well and cooked perfectly.

We also had the duck fat fries, which we saw other reviews rave about. These are a must as well! They cook them so they are crispy and the duck fat gives it a nice flavor that compliments the other dishes we had.

For dessert: chocolate lava cake and banana tarte. The chocolate lava cake was really well done. The lava was nice and warm. It did get a little messy, but overall very delicious. It wasn’t a unique or memorable cake, but well-done nonetheless. The banana tarte was spectacular! The phyllo dough was cooked nicely, and didn’t taste store-bought. The banana on top was scrumptious! It tasted like a banana’s fosters, but better because it had phyllo dough! Everything is better with a little bit of phyllo dough!

All in all, a very nice showing by a Michael Mina restaurant. It showcases the chef’s tastes and inspiration very well. The food was nice and simple and the flavors were really spot on. The service was wonderful, though it did get slow between the entree and dessert. The waiter was very friendly and knowledgeable of the menu and we were completely satisfied with our service from our waiter and the support staff. We will definitely return!