Cafe Marcella in Los Gatos, CA
MH and I made reservations at Cafe Marcella for dinner last Sunday night, and boy, are we glad we did. We showed up on time for our reservation, and the place was packed! There was a particularly loud party taking up two large tables by the door, the bar was overflowing, and every table was taken. We stood by the door for about 15 minutes before we were seated. The wait wasn't that bad; it gave us plenty of opportunity to scope out the restaurant and its clientele. I'd say the patrons were mostly in the 40+ range, although there were a few younger couples.
The restaurant is located on a quiet side street in sleepy downtown Los Gatos. The interior of the restaurant is spartan (white walls, plain bar area), but the flowers on the table and the bustling staff make up for the lack of gorgeous decor. NB: An adjoining market sells wine and other grocery items. Cafe Marcella is listed as a 2005 Zagat noteable restaurant.
Once we sat down, away from the breezy door area, the food took over. MH started with a simple salad of arugula, endive, and candied pecans, sprinkled with roquefort, and then moved on to the filet mignon, served with a balsamic glaze, mashed potatoes, and topped with blue cheese. The filet was one of the most delicious pieces of meat I have ever tasted. It was perfectly aged, and had a mouthwatering gaminess that was perfectly complimented by the balsamic glaze. I had the duo of grilled Scottish salmon with scallops, served with aged balsamic vinegar. The sides were asparagus and potatoes. I substituted out the potatoes for some additional vegetables, which turned out to be broccoli rabe and carrots. The salmon was cooked well (texture was good), but the flavor of the grill was overwhelming. I much preferred the two perfect scallops, and the asparagus, which was outstanding.
Our entrees were so good, we passed on dessert. MH took the opportunity to finish our glass of wine, a syrah blend which had gone well with both of our selections.
We really enjoyed our dinner. In recent memory, the only other comparable restaurant on the Peninsula that we've frequented was Le Papillon, in San Jose. Cafe Marcella is the kind of place you return to again and again. This is a small-town restaurant with a big-town feel (especially in the food), and I highly recommend a visit.
Cafe Marcella
8.5/10
The restaurant is located on a quiet side street in sleepy downtown Los Gatos. The interior of the restaurant is spartan (white walls, plain bar area), but the flowers on the table and the bustling staff make up for the lack of gorgeous decor. NB: An adjoining market sells wine and other grocery items. Cafe Marcella is listed as a 2005 Zagat noteable restaurant.
Once we sat down, away from the breezy door area, the food took over. MH started with a simple salad of arugula, endive, and candied pecans, sprinkled with roquefort, and then moved on to the filet mignon, served with a balsamic glaze, mashed potatoes, and topped with blue cheese. The filet was one of the most delicious pieces of meat I have ever tasted. It was perfectly aged, and had a mouthwatering gaminess that was perfectly complimented by the balsamic glaze. I had the duo of grilled Scottish salmon with scallops, served with aged balsamic vinegar. The sides were asparagus and potatoes. I substituted out the potatoes for some additional vegetables, which turned out to be broccoli rabe and carrots. The salmon was cooked well (texture was good), but the flavor of the grill was overwhelming. I much preferred the two perfect scallops, and the asparagus, which was outstanding.
Our entrees were so good, we passed on dessert. MH took the opportunity to finish our glass of wine, a syrah blend which had gone well with both of our selections.
We really enjoyed our dinner. In recent memory, the only other comparable restaurant on the Peninsula that we've frequented was Le Papillon, in San Jose. Cafe Marcella is the kind of place you return to again and again. This is a small-town restaurant with a big-town feel (especially in the food), and I highly recommend a visit.
Cafe Marcella
8.5/10
posted by epicure | 4:05 PM
1 Comments:
This restaurant sounds really yummy, but we would never pass on dessert!
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