Black Cat Bistro

So disappointed! I’ve been to Black Cat Bistro in the past and remember the food was excellent. My hubby and I went again on Valentine’s Day and the food/​experience was sub-​par.
They had a pre-​fixe menu and were not serving from their regular menu at all. I saw two other parties leave without ordering because of this fact. I don’t have anything against pre-​fixe menus, but they didn’t put some of their best dishes on it, so the choices were very limited and mediocre. No grilled Caesar salad, and no pasta dishes at all.
We were seated about 6 inches from another couple, so we might as well have come together. There certainly wasn’t any opportunity for conversation without being heard loud and clear. They were nice, though, so no worries there. Our waitress was very nice as well, but awkward and stilted, and didn’t know the menu at all. We had to ask for bread and for additional silverware. When paying top price for a valentine’s dinner, service is as important as the food, and the service here was just ok.
The food, also, sadly, was just ok. The amuse bouche crostini was the highlight. Very very tasty. The first course, choice of tomato bisque soup or salad, was blah. We got one of each, because it makes the most sense. The soup was thick and tasted of tomato concentrate. It needed something like parmesan cheese to enhance the flavor. The salad was under-​seasoned, and the dressing was nothing remarkable.
There was another small course that I can’t remember, because it wasn’t memorable.
For the main course, we chose the sirloin and the osso bucco. The sirloin was well cooked, but the polenta it came with (all two tablespoons of it) was oddly sweet. The osso bucco tasted like beef stew. Under-​seasoned beef stew.
The dessert, a pot of chocolate with a shortbread cookie, was very good as well, but you only got one to share, so a couple of bites each.
I’m sad, because I really liked their regular menu food when I had it years ago, and now we probably won’t be back. Oh well.

In an old house, with tables in separate rooms, the ambiance was lovely, quaint, romantic, casual, warm. Great music at the perfect volume. Wine and dine your lover or friend. Fancy food. Delisch. Gnocchi, polenta, osso bucco, lamb, pork.
Lamb was simple and tasty.
Pork was sweet and perfect. Pancetta filled with a sweet sauce, on mashed potatoes.
Osso bucco was yum beyond yum.
Great experience all around. This is a more expensive option, but worth it for a special night.
I went with my friends and we had a great experience.

Ugh. Valentine’s Day — $ 75 a dinner is the only option (not mentioned on the website or when I made a reservation).
One bathroom! Yep, you’ll be waiting in line for most of your visit, whilst dodging wait staff.
My appetizer was 2 gnocchi and 1 shrimp, which tasted incredibly fishy.
Tomato soup wasn’t great & wasn’t hot
Even the bread basket tasted very odd.
My entrée was osso buco that quite literally, tasted like cat food. I am not exaggerating even a bit; inedible.
Dessert was the only saving grace, too bad it wasn’t good enough to save a terrible meal with terrible service.
Add to that, our 10% coupon we got from our b&b wasn’t applied (although we heard it whispered they weren’t excepting it, no one ever mentioned it to us.)
If it had been a great meal & great service, would have happily paid the price, but McDonald’s would have offered better accommodations & food.

Came here a couple of times. Very good food. Wife’s duck breast was tasty. They accommodated my request to serve Yellowtail rare — which brings out extra taste IMO. Red wine of the night was called «Troublemaker» which was a tasty blended varietal sourced from a local vineyard. Came here for lunch as well. More limited lunch menu but still some good choices. Tried a pasta dish and fish and chips. Good, attentive service. If in the Cambria area, I’d recommend you give this place a try.

Our innkeeper suggested this place to us and called in reservations for us on a Monday night. We’d been told the place had been a house turned restaurant and it appeared that way when we entered. Our hostess/​server was about to seat us inside; we asked if we could sit on the patio. It had been a warm day and the inside rooms were stuffy and had an unusual smell. No AC was on; I doubt they had one. The table on the patio was set quickly and we were led outside. It’s a modest little patio with a few tables. After a few minutes of sitting, I noticed ants crawling over the table. They were coming up the wooden post next to our table. We pulled our table away and that solved that but ants? The perimeter should be sprayed with environmentally safe pesticide so guests don’t have to deal with insects!
Our server, a nice gal, took our drink orders. I had an ice water and hubby had a soda (they bring out a can of Coke and pour it in a glass for you — 3 bucks for a can of Coke…). Hubby ordered the Chicken Piccata and I had the Chipotle Shrimp fettuccine. Both dishes were excellent. The fettuccine was creamy and the shrimp were fully cooked but not overly so. The chicken piccata was very flavorful, moist, not rubbery. The prices are a bit high for this place; I would not call it a fine dining establishment, nor is it very romantic, but the food is fresh and tastes good.
If you like little old houses that have been turned into restaurants, you may like this one. I’d recommend going there on a cooler evening, that should help with the stuffy interior, or sit on the patio.