Trendy Santa Rosa spot with small shared plates that did not disappoint. 4.75 stars

Food: 4.75. Service: 4.5 Atmosphere: 4.5
Cost to worth it rating: 3
Opentableable: yes
Return worthiness: yes

Highlights
– Garlic noodles curly thicker noodles packed with the best savory super garlicy umami flavor. One of the best I’ve ever had and I’m not even a mushroom person. 5+ stars
– Duck bun: single bao like sliced bun with a good portion of duck either hoisin, cucumbers, and sprouts. Wonderful fusion version. 4.75 stars
– Poke: fresh large cubes of poke with thin large taro chips. 4.5 stars
– Fries: unusually thin and flat versions with a lovely spice combo. 4.25 stars
– Cheese curds: legit thin breading with gooey inside which is saying much just coming from Wisconsin the day before. 4.25 stars
– Cocktails: quality unique versions.
— Easy rider: coffee bitters bourbon one came in a cool flask-like glass bottle.
— Humming bird: vodka, Aperol, tea, and bubbly was nice.
– Wines: lots of great options by the glass, half bottle, or bottle. Some locals I hadn’t tried which is fun.
– Dining room is open and bright with wood floors, modern type furniture, and art. Also has a small bar where you can see drinks being made as well as a patio outside facing the street.
– Waitress: gave us great reccos for ordering in my fave sharing is caring style.

Lowlights
– Lots of items with mayo for non mayo peeps (in guac and desserts) with some hidden not noted on the menu (poke, duck)

Restaurant Week Rush: When Promise Doesn’t Meet Execution

Sonoma County Restaurant Week is meant to showcase a kitchen at its best — a curated experience designed to impress both loyal patrons and first-time guests. Unfortunately, my recent visit left me questioning whether this establishment was presenting its strengths or simply struggling to keep up.

From the moment I arrived, the tone felt slightly off. The hostess greeted me but skipped the basic courtesy of asking how many were in my party. Instead, I had to offer the information myself. Though several tables were available on the first floor, I was escorted upstairs to a completely empty dining room. Before I could even glance at a menu, I was asked whether I would be able to vacate the table by 6:45 due to an upcoming reservation. As a first-time guest who hadn’t yet seen the menu — let alone tasted the food — being asked to pre-commit to a departure time felt presumptive.

Curiously, during the hour I dined upstairs, only four additional guests occupied the room. Downstairs and on the patio, there were a handful more. The urgency expressed at the door did not match the visible pace of the dining room.

Opting for the Restaurant Week menu, I anticipated a thoughtfully paced progression of courses. Instead, my main course arrived simultaneously with my salad, eliminating any sense of structure or anticipation. Proper sequencing is fundamental to hospitality; when courses land together, the experience becomes transactional rather than intentional.

The noodles, unfortunately, reinforced that impression. Overly salted and lacking discernible garlic notes, they tasted as though they had been prepared in bulk and reheated to order. The green salad — composed of lettuce, thinly sliced Fuji apples, burnt peanuts, and shaved Parmesan — offered some textural contrast but little distinction. The concept was sound; the execution felt uninspired, reminiscent more of a casual takeaway presentation than a polished dining room.

My cocktail, a classic gin-based selection, was heavy-handed to the point of imbalance. So much so that I requested soda water to dilute it myself — never an ideal solution when ordering from a bar program that should value precision.

Timing continued to falter. An additional entrée arrived after the main course had already been served, disrupting the flow further. Dessert — described as a cake or mousse — never materialized at all. After waiting roughly fifteen minutes, the check appeared with far greater efficiency than the promised sweet conclusion.

In fairness, the service team was active, with multiple runners assisting in food delivery. I would rate service at a three out of five for effort alone. The food, however, lands closer to two stars based on flavor, execution, and presentation. The atmosphere leans old-school, and while the menu positions itself as Asian fusion, the flavors felt calibrated toward a broader American diner palate rather than a refined cross-cultural expression.

Restaurant Week should be an invitation — a reason to return. This experience, regrettably, felt rushed and inconsistent.

I believe in honest, top-to-bottom reviews. Stay tuned — next time, I may be on the other side of the country, searching for a dining room that truly delivers on its promise.

PS; I have dined at far less celebrated establishments, spent the same $130, and walked away feeling genuinely cared for — as though I had been welcomed into someone’s home. Hospitality is not about price point or prestige; it’s about intention, warmth, and execution. When a restaurant understands that, even modest surroundings can feel extraordinary.

Top notch little place downtown, Santa Rosa. I went to a similar place not too far away yesterday for breakfast and had a serious letdown… Food drinks service was subpar.

Hence, my happiness at locating this little piece of heaven! I had a wonderful bloody Mary along with my Diet Coke. My two restaurants staples! I had the cheddar cheese curds as an appetizer, which were pretty amazing and then I had the pastrami steam bun sandwich, which was off the hook with flavor! From the house made pastrami to the mustard seeds on top and the thin sliced house made pickles on the bottom. It was an all-around great tasting sandwich.

I will be back!!