Madera

Beautiful upscale restaurant located inside the Rosewood hotel. Them menu is prepared daily with a variety of choices, the wine list is vast, with endless possibilities… The service is excellent, our waiter was knowledgeable, gave perfect recommendations on food and wine. I ate the Alaskan halibut, I found it to be very tasty and the flavors were perfect! It was just what I expected from a Michelin star restaurant. The ambience is very relaxed, the restaurant has a very cool dining room, also a beautiful terrace with spectacular views. I recommend this place for business meetings or a special date night.

Service very bad! Food not good enough! Very disappointed. We waited for almost 15 mins to have our glass of water, then when we having our starter, the main already came, they didn’t took our plate when we finished our starter and even we don’t drink wine, the wine list still sit on the table. After we finished our main, we wait over 30 mins, still no one add water or clean the plates! After we complained still no one take care our bill and no one come to ask do you need a coffee or tea after the meal!

My husband and I stopped by for a drink since we were in the area before we headed to dinner with some friends in the city. I would give the setting and the beverage choices 4 stars, but our service was only a 2 at best.
We enjoyed the bar area, with wide open doors open onto the terrace and west-​facing hills. I understand ambience, but having a «fire» burning in the lounge on a 90 degree afternoon seems plain old silly. It took a little longer than expected to take our order, then way longer than it should have to receive our drinks. I DO like that for their wines by the glass, besides an excellent selection, the server brings an open bottle and pours a taste before you confirm your choice. I wish more places did this. At the time the drinks were brought, our server asked if we would like any bar snacks (free), and we replied we would, along with some water. We watched her go by many times (we were sitting at a table between the bar and the door to the terrace, so were in main flow) without receiving either. I had to finally catch her after watching her serve snacks to others who had arrived well after us and remind her.
I do not mind paying more for a quality product, but for these prices I expect far better, more attentive and reliable service.

Tough to boil down to one rating… On a food scale, it’s 4 stars — very good, albeit not too creative. On a value scale, it’s 2 stars — way overpriced, but if you are worried about that, don’t go to dinner on Sand Hill Road in Palo Alto! On a location scale, it’s 5 stars — stunning views of the California hills. On a service scale, 5 stars — it’s also a $ 700/​night hotel. On an ambiance scale, 5 stars — I love the lighting and modern California design. Although the food is not very creative, the dessert was gorgeous — a work of art and it tasted good too :) Finally, I think the «pickup scene» comments, albeit probably true, belie the atmosphere I have seen. I’ve been there a dozen times and almost all times it’s pretty laid back and cool. Not crowded. Nice crowd.

After an extra long week at work, I decided to try out Madera nearby. Duck was executed well – I like the contrast of the crispy skin and extra tender meat. It was a refreshing take on a typically rich meal – very Californian vs. French (which I usually like more). The meal surpassed my expectations based on the Unilocal reviews! I also got an amouse bouche of a strawberry soda shot.
I had the strawberry mousse and rhubarb cake for dessert, which was very inventive, and had multiple components and textures.
Most of all, the service was wonderful. They are friendly and warm, attentive but not stuffy. My check came with two cookies and cream macarons.
Perhaps it is not quite on par with Plumed Horse, but it is perhaps one of the best in the South Bay. I actually like the service here more than Manresa and Chez TJ. The food was on par with Chez TJ. Manresa was slightly better food wise, but not price adjusted.

We came here for Sunday brunch for a belated Mother’s Day celebration.
No doubt, the setting is impressive. It’s an immaculately kept hotel with a beautiful view of the hills off Highway 280. The setting gets an «A» but nothing else merited high marks.
Despite the fact that I made a reservation over a week in advance and requested a table outside or by the window, we were told that none were available and seated in a dark corner. What a disappointment. It was difficult to understand the hostess’ reasoning when I could see plenty of empty tables by the window. When you went outside to «check on our table», were you confirming that you accidentally gave it away? It was not a good start after much anticipation for this restaurant.
Service gets a «B». Our waiter was friendly but clearly overwhelmed. The management needs to get their act together. (On a side note, there were 3 crayons, a fork, and a piece of bread on the floor by my seat. It was pretty obvious but never picked up. Dismal attention to detail.)
Lastly, the food gets a «C». Not great or memorable. For the price, it was subpar. It’s hard to believe this place had a Michelin star at one time.
They gave a complimentary dessert to my Mom in honor of Mother’s Day. I appreciated the gesture but it’s not enough to make me return. The desserts we ordered were beautifully presented but not remarkable in flavor.
Pass on the restaurant and just come for drinks on the terrace. That’s my advice!

I would say their decors and atmosphere is awesome. And their service was excellent too. But their food was just ok. I could find something better with that price. It was very salty but everybody’s preference could be different so I won’t complain much. But taste wise, it was just whatever. It looked good when it came but eh.

Mother’s Day Brunch Review
For mother’s day, it was HARD to wrestle up a reservation anywhere. I was thrilled to be able to get a 1pm reservation for 3 plus dog in the Patio (I go everywhere with Flopsie the Corgi). Well, of course there’s a catch to this. Mother’s Day Brunch is $ 90 a person without beverages. Here’s the menu…
FIRST COURSE
Choice of:
Artichoke Soup: Artichoke Persillade, Fried Capers, Crostini
Baby Red Romaine Salad: Egg emulsion, Lemon, White Anchovy Chips, Parmesan
Ahi Crudo: Green Strawberries, Favas, Japanese Cucumber, Trout Roe
SECOND COURSE
Choice of:
Wild King Salmon: Rhubarb, Fennel, Purslane, Panisse
Grass Fed Veal Chop: Morels, Carrots, Peas, Ramps
Potato Gnocchi: Smoked Crème Fraiche, Asparagus, Snap Peas, Sorrel
DESSERT
Choice of:
Cherry Compote: Black Tea Custard, Almond Sponge, Morello Coulis
Violet Meringues: Milk Chocolate Sorbet, Lemon Purée, Aerated Jivara
My mother in law ordered the Artichoke Soup, Veal Chop, and Violet Meringues.
My father in law ordered Ahi Crudo, Veal Chop, Cherry Compote.
I ordered the Artichoke Soup, Salmon (with a request of cooking everything extra soft for my newly acquired adult braces), and also the Cherry Compote.
I’d say the food was mediocre at best. Madera was generous with the Morels (fancy delicious mushrooms). Despite the waiter telling us the Veal will be prepared at Medium Rare THREE TIMES (continue reading for my thoughts on the service), the meat did not come out with medium rare — it was more medium to medium well. I don’t think any of us will come back for the items we ordered.
The Service was REALLY BAD. We were seated quickly (and also outside as requested). The staff brought us a basket of bread really quickly but that’s the only quick part about this entire meal. We waited for about 20 minutes (after I flagged down another server to find our server) until our server came by. He took our drinks order and disappeared for another good 20 minutes. So the 3 of us (and dog) sat unattended with bread and no water. When he finally brought us our beverages drinks, the server introduced us to the menu, told us the Veal would be prepared medium rare, and asked about food allergies. I used this opportunity to requested for water for the table and the dog. The server was gone again for another 15 minutes. When he returned, he did not come back with water. He repeated the specials, told us the Veal would be prepared medium rare, and asked about food allergies again. We had to stop him to tell him that we are ready to order and remind him we need water (especially my «hot» dog). The food came quite quickly yet still no water. I asked a different server for water and we FINALLY got some water but they forgot to bring a bowl for my dog. At that point, I went and got the bowl I brought (yes, I BYOBowl for Flopsie) and just poured out my water from my glass for the dog. Oh, my water glass was never refilled. I just gave up. Maybe because I wasn’t ordering bottled water.
So here’s how they lost stars from my review.
YOU FORGOT TO GIVE MY DOG WATER! (minus 1 star),
You have a Michelin Star but serve mediocre food yet still charge star prices (minus 1 star),
Poor service (minus 1 star).
Disappointed.

Best ever, Schmitz Family lamb, favorite dinner here ever, love the creativity. I like it when a restaurant evolves.

This is a gem of a restaurant hidden in the hills of Menlo park. The ambiance reminded me of the Pebble Beach type restaurants minus the golf course.
The food was superbly done and beautifully presented. The staff was unbelievable and our server Luis Soto was the best, professional, attentive, to the smallest of details I was very impressed with the service and also the rest of the staff. The décor is soothing with a great view of the mountains and SLAC in the distance. GREAT restaurant!!!

Posh and quaint lounge!!! servings are healthy and very fresh!!! Dress accordingly for its an upscale establishment!!! our food came a little later than expected but fresh and I Enjoyed the whole experience!!!

Had a breakfast meeting here on a weekend morning.
Upon entry, was greeted and seated quickly. Hostess asked my surname and servers used it throughout breakfast. Nice!
Serene views of the area from our table. Server brought good quality coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice.
I had the Smoke Salmon Eggs Benedict w/​Spinach and found it Very Good. Service was attentive and noticed when I was finished and removed my plate promptly.
Enjoyed my cappuccino, as well.
Would definitely return.

After a productive visit to SLAC,
Charred octopus for starter — awesome
Sonoma duck for main course — awesome
Scenery and views of the San Andreas Hills/​fault — awesome
And, got introduced to the Singaporean Minister!
Good lunch I would say :)

Came here with some coworkers on a Thursday night. When the weather is nice it’s really nice to sit outside and watch the sunset. The view is spectacular!
To be honest, I came here to see what the hype was about and to enjoy some drinks. I can’t really comment too much on the food since we just had flatbreads and other small apps. The things we ordered were ok, nothing spectacular. I’m sure people don’t come here for the food either.
They have a fully stocked bar and some yummy wines. I’m a sucker for sweet wines and I really liked their riesling (by the glass). The prices are… definitely up there.
It’s a place where people come to unwind after work, some are dressed in club dresses while others come dressed in business attire. Either way, the atmosphere is alive and buzzing. It’s a cool spot to chill and drink with friends, just know you’ll be spending some $$$.
There’s always plenty of parking on the times I’ve visited so no problems there!

I came here for a birthday. On average, we had a very positive experience.
For starters, the service is on-​point. They accepted my OpenTable request to sit us near the window for the view — it wasn’t the clearest night, so this didn’t really pay off, but I was pleased that they had reserved the table for us. The servers were spot-​on: they were not too hoity-​toity (would not have been surprised if this was the case given the location and ambience) and they were not too chatty. They were great with refilling our wine and water and checked in just the right amount of times to see if things were OK.
Now for the food:
The homemade bread was fantastic. My favorite was the bread with sides on the crust and the cream cheese/​chive filling. The butter was also perfectly spreadable. I had restrain myself from eating all of the bread and spoiling my appetite!
We ordered the pumpkin ravioli appetizer. This was delicious — the ravioli was perfectly made and it came with hazelnuts and butternut squash on the side. It was a perfect complement. My only gripe was that it was a little overpriced — which is not surprising because I am more frequently than not disappointed with ravioli appetizers and entrees because they never give you enough ravioli!
As for the entrees — we got the veal and the beef. I typically go with fish entrees, but for some reason, something possessed me to get the veal on this day. This was a mistake. Veal is more mild in flavor than other meats, but this one was so mild that it was almost flavorless and watery. I had to drench it in the sauce to make it edible. The brussel sprouts and parsnips on the side were also a little bit undercooked and had a pretty heavy crunch on them. The beef on the other hand, was delicious. This was the most expensive entrée on the menu, but it was totally worth it. Tender, flavorful, and perfectly balanced with roasted vegetables on the side.
The REAL standout in this meal was the DESSERTS. If this was based on desserts only, I would give ⁵⁄₅ stars easy!
My boyfriend got the Peanut Butter Black Sesame Parfait — I had a bite and thought it was pretty delicious, but I am not the biggest fan of brownies (at least in comparison to other dessert options). He thought this was tasty but was a little thrown off by the combination of flavors. Particularly, he is not used to the black sesame flavor and likes his brownies and peanut butter in their pure forms, so he was not as into his dessert as I was into mine.
I got the Strawberry Fields (recommended by the waitress!), and it is one of the best, most unique desserts I have ever had. I am typically more into the fruity desserts than the cakey desserts, so this could have been a factor, but it just had so many different elements and textures that worked so perfectly together!
I would come back to this restaurant for desserts alone!

The premier spot for a Sand Hill power lunch.
Food is actually pretty good– the octopus appetizer is one of the best octopus experiences I’ve had for chopped, cooked octopus (as opposed to my usual preference as sashimi!), and the scallops are excellent. It’s also a bit uneven tho– the mushroom pasta with white truffle special of the day was underwhelming (tasted better as leftovers, at least), and the beet salad was clearly a showy thing with barely any food actually involved.
Desserts were excellent, with a delicate caramel apple (cake? tart?) and a box of bon bons.
Service is also excellent, at least in the private rooms.
That said, I’m not sure I’d come here on my own. It clearly aims at a business budget for high-​end deal-​making meals, and I can clearly imagine that individuals are going to get left out.

Specifically for the cuban sandwich. Pork was so fatty it was inedible. They have a great one across the street at Restaurant 3000. Can’t charge these prices and whiff on the food. Still the place to seen and be seen.

This review is only for the bar lounge. We were a group of 12 celebrating a birthday.
Nice quiet ambiance and attentive servers. The Christmas tree was very pretty and the live jazz music was okay. The craft cocktails weren’t incredibly exquisite but decent for lounging. The biggest issue was the cost. It felt too overpriced for the location and ambiance. For the same cocktail you can go to a high restaurant in the city and it will be less cost or for the price you’ll get something with more exotic flavors.

Want to find a Forture 500 husband? Haha JK. We came here for a nice dinner and there were definitely well dressed guys everywhere!
There’s a restaurant area and a bar/​patio area and we started at the bar. I got a champagne mojito and it was delicious! We sat in the patio and got a super nice view.
We went inside for dinner when our reservations were ready and I got the duck which also came with brussel sprouts, chestnuts and mushrooms. The duck was cooked really well and had lots of flavor and the veggies were delicious. The bread they give you at the beginning of the meal is really good as well. The service is really good here too.
We went back outside to get dessert and got the beignets and some chocolate cookies which were both really good.
Overall, it was good food, dessert, service, and atmosphere. It’s a bit too upscale and pricey for my taste or a normal basis but it was definitely a nice treat for the night.

Madera is definitely worth the visit for a special occasion. Situated on Sand Hill’s «VC» hill, the restaurant is located in one of the most iconic hotels, Rosewood, in Silicon Valley. Supposedly, the bar is an experience worth checking out. I did not have the chance to check it out this time, but look forward to coming back.
I’m not sure why Madera received 3.5 stars, probably due to the usual Unilocal complaints around things other than the food. Service here was attentive, but not overbearing. I usually dislike places where my dining conversations are interrupted by questions of how the food is or whether I need something else. The gesture is appreciated, but sometimes too much at some Michelin star restaurants. Madera is a bit larger, louder compared to other restaurants of similar caliber, making it a restaurant that serves the dual purpose of setting a romantic atmosphere, and meeting between professionals looking for a fine dining experience. That being said, that means you won’t be checked on quite as often as other places. However, the service is still attentive and personal. When you call ahead for a reservation, they will ask whether you are visiting for a special occasion. Since I informed them that it was my fiancé’s birthday, they provided a separately printed menu with «Happy Birthday Alex» as the heading. Since we usually ask for a copy of dinner menus for a special occasions, we especially appreciated the personal touch to the menu.
Overall, everything on the menu was seasoned perfectly, which surprisingly hard to find at most restaurants, even the expensive ones. Each dish we had was perfectly salted, the desserts were also not that sweet, bordering more along the lines of «european» sweet than disgustingly American-​level of sweetness. Light, not heavy.
For appetizers, we shared the seared foie gras and garden beet, ricotta salad. The foie gras were seasoned well, and portioned well so that I felt satisfied but not gluttonous. The beets were cooked well, with the star being the fresh ricotta cheese made in house. Ricotta was the perfect texture (none of that market stuff), flavorful like goat cheese. If you’ve never had fresh, homemade ricotta, this is definitely a worthy treat. Shavings of burgundy truffles provided a hint of umami to each bite of beet and ricotta.
As for entrees, we ordered the veal loin (cooked medium rare) with sweet bread and short rib/​rib eye. The portions are small, but as expected. The veal was absolutely beautiful: cooked very well, accompanied by a beautiful sunchoke/​brussel sprout salad. The earthy sunchoke played very well with the slightly gamier flavor of the veal. The rib eye was small, and overcooked for my preference. We went with medium rare, but perhaps rare would be the better choice in the future since the cut was small and can easily be overcooked. In spite of the rib eye, the short was wonderful: beautifully marbled, juicy and succulent. We thoroughly enjoyed it. The earthy mushroom, a little tart, added a bit of acid that cut through the richness of the meat.
For dessert, Alex received a fall cupcake, moist and moderately sweet, for his birthday dessert. Between the biegnets and strawberry field, we went with strawberry field for dessert because it was light following a plentiful dinner. Strawberry Field was AMAZING. It’s hard to fully appreciate it just be describing it, so you’ll have to enjoy it in person. In short, the description of Strawberry Fields on the menu: Frais du bois, Elderflower Tapioca, Wasabi Mouse, Wild Strawberry Sorbet, Pickled Green Strawberry
Looking forward to coming back!

Happy hour on that outdoor patio is awesome. It gets super crowded on Thursday nights which makes it super fun ;). Linda served us drinks last night and is friendly and super cool.

Madera, beautifully located in the Rosewood Hotel. This hidden gem has spectacular views and a lovely lounge that can be suited for many occassions, whether romantic or professional. The outdoor lounge area consists of high tables facing the gorgeous view of the hotel and surrounding area as well as a chic, modern fun bar setting. Madera is definitely a wonderful place for business meetings, happy hour or sweet dates. The dishes were nicely presented and the ambiance is incredible. The Manhattans have been the best I have yet to try and the benigets are also fun for dessert. I will definitely return for the dining as well as the lounge. Thank you Madera for a fantastic experience.

My fiancée took me here for my birthday last night, and it was overall a really pleasant experience!
It is interesting to find yourself in a Michelin star restaurant (which one may associate the stigmas of low lighting, quietly whispering patrons, piano music, etc.) with so much energy and conversation — definitely more of a laid back, loungey vibe than most upscale American-​style restaurants. They seemed to have everyone there, from the Atherton wife-​bots taking selfies, to out of place children braiding one another’s hair at the dinner table (I CANT) to business men downing bottles to older single dudes reading their iPads while sipping champagne. Ahh, Silicon Valley.
Libations-​wise, we were greeted at the table by Rachael, the sommelier, with a nice dry prosecco (happy birthday to ME), and lots of helpful information choosing a pinot noir from Oregon to pair with dinner. Very generous pours, and very attentive service. Wines by the glass were ~$ 20 each, so it was nice to have the individualized attention in their selection, pouring, etc.
I had my heart set on the foie gras crème brûlée (something I’d had a version of in Napa at Bottega), but unfortunately they were out :(The waiter suggested I try their cured salmon appetizer instead, which was also very unique and pretty delicious (lemon verbena crème fraîche «dots» and various types of caviar atop a really great cut of cured salmon). My manfriend got the squid spaghetti, indicating that it was good. The biggest pro I’d say for their starters was the plating/​presentation.
Main course wise, I went with the papparadelle with root vegetable and mushroom Bolognese and truffles, and the sir went with the veal. We are both avid chefs at home, so when we go out, we like to try things that we wouldn’t expend the time or energy to make — thus the more left-​of-​center choices/​presentations. Overall, everything was really lovely (not life changing transcendental good, but really pleasant and unique).
For dessert, we ordered the beignets with honey and quince jam (soo good, eating leftovers for breakfast with my coffee this morning), and they brought me out a sweet birthday cupcake, along with two glasses of really delicious, really cold, spanish desert wine. We finished everything off with chocolate espresso wafers (with a really neat blue sea salt on top).
We went into the experience expecting to spend about $ 150 per person, but were VERY surprised to see that the restaurant had comped ALL our drinks. We brought this to the waiters attention, but they indicated that it was not a mistake. I’m not sure if it’s because it was our first time, or because it was my birthday and they were trying to establish future patronage, but it was a VERY kind gesture, and really put a silver lining on the attentive service we experienced here.
Overall, very nice for special occasions and for people who enjoy unique pairings and presentations of food that they wouldn’t necessarily create on their own. That, plus a 91 page wine list and a great lively atmosphere (if you can stand the really obnoxious stereotypical tech crowd that also happens to frequent the hotel as well), are definitely reasons to single this restaurant out for a lovely, unique special occasion.

What a great spot for a romantic dinner. Though it was a touch too warm to be outside, the view was still quite lovely. Interesting history to this place. Though very classy and elegant, you can feel the skeletons rattling around the corridors :)
California Coast King Salmon, Cipollini Onion, Nasturtium, Young Corn, Pickled Green Strawberry
Alaskan Halibut, Young Beets, Savoy Cabbage, Bacon, Whey
A nice bottle of Pinot Noir topped off the meal. They were great about making our meal gluten-​free and even had gluten-​free bread to offer as well.

Caught a few meals here while staying at the hotel.
Breakfast – just about what you would expect: limited, but well-​prepared and plated options that cater to high-​end tastes and fatter wallets. Nothing is mind-​blowing, but the service is attentive and friendly. The seating area can accommodate leisure travelers looking for some relaxation and business travelers needing tables.
Dinner and drinks – They have separate bar and dining room menus, but they tend to allow bar-​seated patrons to order from both, upon request. The drinks show a bit of creativity, but do not compare favorably with some other high-​end bars. No mixed drinks available. («We don’t have room for a blender,» they tell me.) Food was good, but the lamb portion ran on the small side. Desserts were great and capped off the night well.
There’s not much in the immediate area, and, if staying here, it makes sense to give Madera a chance.
Recommend. Will return when in the area.

Situated in the hills along Highway 280, this Michelin star restaurant located inside a hotel establishment perched on the hillsides of Menlo Park is graced with a gorgeous view, a beautiful open kitchen, and excellent service.
It was jumpin’ when I ate here. There was some conference within the hotel and the restaurant was loud and packed. As such our orders took much longer than it should have. The appetizer came out quickly and it was tasty albeit quiet pricey for the portion size. $ 21 for squid ink spaghetti but it was very tiny. Really, it is meant for one person and a tiny person at that!
The wait for the entrees was long but again, there was a gorgeous view to keep my mind off of the long wait. The server was kind and gracious and gave prompt notice of the large party that had just ordered which had caused a backlog in the kitchen and in particular, a backlog of the lamb dish. Evidently, the restaurant had to cut up more lamb. There was a running joke within our party that Mary had run away with the little lamb and we were never going to get our food. But alas, we did get our food and it was delicious.
I had the sablefish which was decadent and subtle with each bite. It delivered flavor while staying understated. I devoured it. Honestly, as good as it was, the portion size was small. If you’re going to eat here, you must order a first course and a second course, otherwise you will be very hungry. And yes, even after 2 courses, you will need dessert, bread, and wine to fill you up.
I was able to taste the lamb as well as the tenderloin that my companions had ordered. Both were good. The pinot was excellent. Although I don’t remember the details of it, the wine list at Madera was impressive. They had bottles of wine into the thousands of dollars. Too rich for my blood but I did notice they had the 2007 Shafer Hillside Select for $ 730 per bottle. Good to know. I have that in my wine collection and will need to drink it before an earthquake shatters all that goodness into the ground. But I digress…
For dessert, we had both Strawberry Fields and Red Velvet. We were trying to choose between the two and the server offered us both gratis for being so patient with the extremely long wait for our entrees. That was a touch of class on her part and shows me why this place deserves a Michelin star. I expect nothing less from a restaurant with high standards than to compensate their patrons when service is not up to its usual standards. We appreciated that.
The service is excellent and the hotel/​restaurant restroom was quite Ritzy. What I mean by that is that they had hand towels to dry your hands. As one other patron said, it’s kind of wasteful and not really good for the environment but it reminded me of the Ritz Carlton where every wash room had cloth hand towels. It was a nice touch but let’s save the environment folks and get electric hand dryers, okay?
Overall, I like Madera but I find that their prices are quite high. Eating here will definitely hit your pocketbook hard… well, at least for me. I work for slave wages and therefore cannot afford Madera on a regular basis. However, I think the restaurant was a worthwhile despite the hole it created in my bank account. Ha ha ha…

Pulled into a parking place with a crushed Starbuck’s cup on the pavement and a beer bottle in the bushes nearby. Seemed sloppy for 12:15p on a weekday. Met business colleagues in the bar and warned everybody to chill and prepare for ice age slow service. Sadly, I was spot on. Anytime customers need to wait and then beg for service, well, it’s not good. Especially a place where drinks are $ 21. A guy nearby actually waved both his arms in an attempt to place an order. While hilarious, it was just plain sad. It wasn’t busy.

Mama, Mama you know I love you
Mama, Mama you’re the queen of my heart
Your love is like tears from the stars
Mama I just want you to know lovin’ you is like food to my soul
Yes it is, yes it is, oh, yes it is, yes it is, yes it is oh
We took our Mommio here for her special day. She loved the food, the ambiance, but not the service. They’re lacking a little on attentiveness. Overall, a great place to dine and to people watch. Cheers!

Everything they say about Thursday nights at Madera is true. I’m not sure what the scene is like on other nights, but the Thursday I happened to stop by it was ALL about the Cougars!
No doubt its a really interesting scene that made for incredible people watching. Definitely reminded me of LA with all the fake boobs, young ladies with older men, and plethora of mostly good looking 40 – 50 something divorcees. Can I just take a minute to say #LifeGoals?! Some of these ladies of a certain age were looking good!
A few things to note:
— Drink and food prices are a little steep. House wine set me back $ 12 per glass and my friend’s trio of sliders was $ 18. (minus 2 stars)
— Parking can be challenging
— Dress to impress
— Thursdays can be incredibly crowded and loud
— Did I mention the people watching?!

There was a hair in the beignets. And no, bringing us two desserts that you «took care of» doesn’t fix the fact that there was a HAIR in a dish you served.
We came to Madera with my sister to celebrate International Women’s Day, and the night started off nicely. The bread was delicious, the cocktail that I got was good. My sister got Asian Pear — a vodka-​based cocktail, which she described as a bit too sweet, like eating a candy.
The food:
Yellowfin Tuna Crudo — the fish itself was good once we removed dry crumbles of the artichoke and olive off of it (seriously, the artichokes didn’t look or taste like artichokes, think finely chopped almonds, that’s what they looked like)
Poached Wild Mexican Prawns — Pretty good, even thought I didn’t get to try the sauce… Because it had garlic… FYI, cocktail sauce is made with HORSERADISH, not garlic…
Salt Baked Celery Root — we couldn’t identify the contents of this dish, but we didn’t finish that. Wasn’t very good
Atlantic Cod — the cod itself tasted like… well, imagine buying pre-​packaged frozen cod, and then leaving it out to thaw. Yeah, that’s what you get. The crab cake, and the sauce it came with were very good though
Massachusetts Black Sea Bass — favorite dish of the evening. Loved how it was prepared, especially loved the citrusy sauce
Beignets — the first bite was amazing, fluffy on the inside, crunchy on the outside, BUT there was a freaking hair in it… what the…
Huckleberry Buttermilk Tart — got that instead on the beignets, the tart was good, but so are the tarts that Whole Foods sells. At that point I was probably just still upset about the hair in the beignets
Service…
The waiter is a typical dude bro, but the rest were pretty nice
Honestly, I should give this one star (to match their Michelin one), but the Sea Bass sauce was too good.
In general, not impressed. This doesn’t really deserve a Michelin Star

J’ai été franchement déçu par ce restaurant apparemment doté d’une étoile Michelin, et dont les ambitions se mesurent dès l’entrée bordée de Ferrari et autres bolides en vogue parmi les nouveaux riches de la Silicon Valley.
Ça a commencé dès la réservation, avec l’exigence de choisir un menu à l’avance pour les groupes de plus de 8 personnes. Mes collègues américains me disent qu’il est très rare de voir ça pour un nombre de personnes aussi bas. Heureusement qu’on a eu des désistements et qu’au final on était juste 8.
Il faut admettre que le cadre est plutôt agréable, décor sombre à l’américaine, avec beaucoup d’esbrouffe (grande cheminée, cuisine ouverte…), pas sobre mais pas de mauvais goût.
Mais ça se gâte dès l’arrivée des premiers plats. L’amuse-bouche était bizarre (un mélange de Sprite et de bain moussant), ma salade en entrée était quelconque et sa sauce sans goût, au contraire de mes tagliatelles tellement salées qu’elles en étaient limite immangeables. Le mieux était finalement le dessert (une sorte de mélange de différents desserts à la pomme à l’intérieur d’une verrine), sympathique à défaut d’être raffiné.
Le service était super brouillon, avec des assiettes qui arrivaient avant de repartir lorsque le serveur constatait qu’il s’était trompé de table, des plats qui né correspondaient pas à ce qui avait été commandé, des viandes qui né tenaient pas compte de la cuisson demandée… Du grand n’importe quoi.
Et lorsqu’on paie 150 dollars par personne tout compris, on est en droit de s’attendre à beaucoup mieux !

Poached wild mexican prawns: So fresh, large, and is delicious with their housemade cocktail sauce!
Roasted sunchoke soup: served with crème fraîche and chive. They serve it with a bowl with a bit of crème fraîche and chive and then pour the soup in. I suggest mixing the crème fraîche in because I didn’t do that and then parts of the soup were very sour due to the crème fraîche…
Schmitz Ranch Lamb: served with black truffle. This is served with a small cut of shoulder, sausage, and shank. I personally liked the shoulder the best. The black truffle is not overwhelming and complements the lamb nicely!
Sonoma Liberty Duck: I really liked the duck. I’m not sure if it’s just because I like duck or if it’s because it was prepared well… probably the latter. It was so juicy, the skin was crispy, and it wasn’t overly salty!
Chocolate Ornament: This is such a nice seasonal dessert. It looks like an ornament, but made of chocolate, and the waiter tells you to break the ornament with your spoon. Once you break the ornament, you can see the whipped peppermint inside of the ornament. The chocolate shell of the ornament is a good slight bitterness to counter the sweetness of the whipped peppermint. I wasn’t a huge fan of the peppermint bark inside it though.

FANCY SCHMANCY!!!
Boyfriend took me here for our Anniversary dinner date. The location is set somewhat near highway 280 which overlooks a grandiose view. We were seated outside to take full advantage of this wonderful, romantic view. Our server had provides us with their Menu (which changes weekly, I believe), and another Menu, specifically for their Wine.
Drinks:
My boyfriend stuck with a glass of water and I ordered a Strawberry Lemonade since my favorite wine (Vittorio Sattui– «V. Sattui) was not listed in their wine Menu.
Appetizers:
For appetizers I ordered the amuse Buche of pea soup. I had initially thought it would be peas in a soup base, so when it finally arrived to my table, I was blown away. It was basically a green base soup (mashed peas) with a hint of mint. The taste was nothing I’ve ever expected, totally different than your average pea soup, surely. Every spoon feed was refreshing, especially during the warm evening temperatures. It was exquisite, no lack of flavor whatsoever.
My boyfriend had ordered the Squid. which, I believe, he enjoyed. The squid looked whole (no parts cut off) — minature bitesize versions — an array of various dipping sauces on the side.
Main course:
For our main course, we were both feeling fishy, so he ordered the salmon, and I, the halibut. Both tasted amazing. The waiter asks you exactly how you want the salmon prepared, as it may vary from person to person. I wanted mine cooked, but at the same time, a bit rare… much like a medium rare for steak.
Dessert:
It was duly noted that all desserts on the menu were prepared by the famous, Mellisa Root, Executive Pastry Chef for Rosewood Hill Madera Restaurant. Our waiter mentioned that she specialized in creating her own dessert concoctions and even participated on national dessert competitions for fun when she had spare time. Talk about dedication and passion for her work! I couldn’t say «no».
I totally forgot the exact name of the dessert we ordered but it was something along the lines of a sorbet with a hint of spice. (view my photo below) It may sound weird but it tasted amazing! A bliss of flavors would overcome your taste buds — you would have never thought spice in a strawberry sorbet had tasted so good in your life! Mellisa did an AMAZINGGGG job with our desert!
I would say that the food is average (somewhat, overpriced… though I would like to try a different menu, maybe I’ll get a better experience) but the dessert is something you cannot miss! Had we ordered dessert first, then maybe we would be been more satisfied.

Lunch here was a bit pricey (3-​stars), but views were great and best of all? dessert was unique and delicious (5-​stars)
** Food **
— Bread: 2 kinds. 1’s just a sliced hearth-​baked bread, the other is similar to a plain focaccia.
— Tuna tartare: didn’t find the fish particularly fresh, or well cut unfortunately. Marinated decently with cilantro and soy, but I still got a few tendons.
— Heirloom tomato salad: fresh and tasty tomatoes with creamy bufala mozzarella and a light balsamic. Highly recommended!
— Grilled shrimp: added this to my salad… but some of it wasn’t cooked all the way through, then I also saw the brown poop line on some… and some of them tasted a little bleach
— Dessert #1: costa rica — tamarine gelato, chocolate cake with a peanut brittle-​like bottom. Liked the textures, wasn’t a fan of the sour gelato though :(chocolate cake was a bit too dry for me
— Dessert #2: royal pavlova — sponge cake with tapioca (so I thought, but in retrospect perhaps it was stewed mulberries) — nonetheless, this was the saving grace of the entire meal! Super good, creamy, sponge cake was still a bit sweet for me but I’d compare it to a parfait of sorts with its plethora of ingredients and textures
Pros: dog friendly, good views, dessert
Cons: slow service, pricey for decent at best food
** Net Net **
Would come back for the views, a glass of wine and some dessert, but not for a full meal.