Spasso Ristorante & Wine Bar

Nice restaurant, good ambiance, good food, HOWEVER, when it’s cold outside I want to walk into a WARM inviting restaurant, not a cold one. It was literally more comfortable outside under their warmers than inside. Therefore three stars, not four.

Did take out from Spasso’s tonight, after a fairly long layoff from eating here, and it wasn’t an experience that made me second guess the time away. There were several factors that added up to this meh review. In order of my discovery…
1. Terrible take out packaging. Four pasta dishes in boxes, stacked. By the time I got home (about 6 minutes later) the stack had collapsed on itself. The bag was a mess from three of the boxes being crushed and the top one having spilled all over because it was tilting at 45 degrees from the foundation falling apart. The two boxes on top were significantly heavier than the two on the bottom.
2. Where’s the rest of the dishes? Appetizer-​sized servings of the gnocchi and the ravioli. No wonder the boxes collapsed, as they were under 25% full.
3. Lukewarm food. I think I know why the gnocchi and the ravioli were on the bottom. Given that they were tepid, they were likely completed first by the kitchen and then placed into the bag. Note that when I arrived, the food wasn’t quite ready, so it’s not like the food sat there waiting for me. At least, not all of it.
4. Mediocre food. Gummy gnocchi and grainy ravioli didn’t do anything to make me think that quality was making up for the lack of quantity. Some of this is likely related to the temperature issues, but that’s still on them. To be fair, the seafood pasta was a very good dish, and the spaghetti bolognese was good.
So overall, meh.

I had a great meal last Friday evening with a friend who lives in San Carlos. The goat cheese bruschetta was great. The chicken penne was basic but delicious. Nice choice of wines as well… perfect atmosphere for a meal like this…

After having turkey the last 3 nights we decided to go out and try a new place. We went to Spasso and were very pleased. The restaurant was very clean, and I like that they are open for the day rather than closing for a bit after lunch.
Everything we had was delicious. My son had the salmon with spinach and potatoes which he quickly devoured. My husband had the eggplant parmesan, which is his favorite dish, and he absolutely loved it. I had the filet with garlic mash and veggies. For dessert we shared the lava cake and the chocolate mousse which I especially enjoyed as it had hazelnut crunches.
If I had to improve 1 thing it would be the slow water and bread refills, but I would definitely go back again and highly recommend this place for dinner.

I just ate here for lunch and brought a party of 6. The food was good off the entrée menu. I ordered from the hot sandwich menu. I was disappointed as I ordered the tritip sandwich with their onion rings; and a cup of soup. I specifically ordered this as I was soooo looking forward to onion rings. I should always keep my expectations low so they will be exceeded. I got the sandwich and soup and was told the onion rings were in the sandwich. You must be joking:-) Given I was with a party of others, I didn’t want to make an issue but onion rings were NOT in the sandwich. I was disappointed but will return I am sure, just not tomorrow.

Fine Italian restaurant in San Carlos. Good service, very interesting menu. Had some pasta. I think the noodles were fresh made as were all the other ingredients. Would go back for sure.

I went here a few nights ago with a few of my co-​workers and I am so glad I did! Just wonderful :) I had the Pomegranate Martini and so many delicious appetizers (seriously, like almost ever appetizer on the list). My favorite thing I had the whole evening though, hands down, was the fish special of the day — Scallops with a lemon risotto. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone!

MMM, Spasso =). Decided to have a small birthday celebration here on Saturday night. The place was already full at 6:30 and by the time we left, the was a crowd waiting.
I had the Mushroom Ravioli which was really tasty. My friend had their special — 16 oz. rib eye with asparagus & potatoes… he really loved his steak!
I wish they had more «healthy» vegetarian options. Shoot, I wish they had VEGAN options (dare to dream). I’d visit often if they did!
Bread was pretty good, the balsamic that they brought out with the bread was FANTASTIC! I couldn’t get enough of it on the bread lol.
Server was very friendly, attentive with the water refills. The place packs people in a bit tight & you do bump into other’s chairs but if you don’t mind the noise & close quarters, you should visit!

Great food, great atmosphere and attentive waiters. A
I like the skirt steak satay and the spasso’s Bolognese. Great home made meat sauce, simple but traditional. Will definitely come again.

Great food and good selection of wine. We came here to celebrate a birthday dinner and we all loved our food. It is also very intimate and cute inside of the restaurant as well. Our server was very helpful and attentive, he had good knowledge of the food and what wine to suggest. I had the chicken wrapped in pancetta which was delicious. The veal was also really good and very tender. Every entrée at the table looked good and I can’t wait to come back here and eat again!

Walked in on a Saturday, waitress greeted us and said it’d be like 10 – 15 min. No problem! Mgr offered to take drink order and apologized for the wait, very attentive while we waited. Beautiful décor, loud inside but it was fine for us. Brittany was our waitress, friendly and attentive.
Food was delish!
Our order; polenta cubes with blue cheese & balsamic reduction, YUM! Arugula salad & warm cabbage salad (heaven, haven’t had anything like this) but blue cheese, bacon, what more to say?! Chicken w/​pancetta nice portion however it was a bit on the salty side otherwise delish mushroom reduc. Husband had spaghetti with meat sauce, very tasty! Very satisfied and will return, note that there were families here with kids so that’s a plus for us too.

Oh crap, I ate too much again, but I couldn’t say no to carbs. After accidentally eating THREE pieces of the warm crusty complimentary bread (oops!), I scarfed down some bruschetta and portobello on polenta, which were delicious. In fact, they were so good that I was tempted to try the gnocchi with duck ragout as well. Unfortunately, this dish was far too sweet and the gnocchi was too dense. I’ll be back for the veal cannelloni.

I felt like this was a pretty average restaurant that ended up costing 650 $ for nine individuals. We ordered a variety of appetizers which were all very good, while all of the entrees were average.
Personally I ordered the clams and mussels, the chicken breast and the bread pudding. I felt like the clams and mussels were the best part of the meal, which is odd considering they are just cooked in a pretty tasty broth and served with bread. My wife ordered the veal which was okay, nothing special.
I do have to admit the bread pudding was very good, but the lava cake my wife ordered was very «meh.»
Service was excellent and the restaurant was very comfortable, I was just expecting more from the food especially at ~$ 50 per person.

Delicious food, great service and a lovely atmosphere. My wife and I went the day after Valentines, missing the craziness, but loved being treated so special anyway. We split delicious calamari and then I had the fettuccine with seafood. We wrapped up with a yummy bread pudding. We’re expecting a little one in 6 weeks, so no margaritas. The bar looked stocked, though!
Can’t wait to go back…

I came here last night with my lovely husband after I slaved away in the hot kitchen baking 3 different cakes including the Hungarian dobos tort featured on the Great British Baking show. I made it with Victorian Sponge and tried to spread it out as thinly ask I could on baking sheets. Lesson learned, do not fold the parchment paper to mark the size of the sheet of cake, it will only curl up and destroy your design.
He was not so hungry Bc he’d been snacking so he didn’t want to go to Gusto, currently ranked at 4.5 stars with 91 reviews, until he had the appetite to enjoy it. So we walked down Laurel Street. Cuisinette was also closed for the evening.
Here we arrived. It was crowded. A good sign. Unilocal gave it 4 stars, not a bad sign, although it means less and less the intended meaning and more of an indicator of banality. Especially around here.
I got the calamari. It came with fried veg like green beans and artichokes. Was it a way to make the dish cheaper? Or a genuine attempt to do something different? The breading was light although the oil was not hot enough. The beans and artichokes were seasoned but the calamari was not. In the end it was not enough calamari, and too much dipping sauce, too complicated, too much incongruous stuff. Although tasted decent the next day at 5 am.
My entrée was the filet mignon. I applaud the size and manner of cooking. It was blue, just the way I love it. The red wine reduction sauce tasted like jam. Very very bad. Disgusting. Asparagus was delightful, charred. The mashed potatoes were a little too loose, and the garlic tasted raw. It would have been better with a caramelized garlic flavor.
My husband lamb was unspeakable and he had to send it back. It looked like muck on the plate, nothing was good, not even his asparagus.
This is the 2 time we’ve walked in off the street onto a restaurant in San Carlos and had a terrible food experience. Notwithstanding Unilocal and it reviews. Choose wiser, my son.

I thoroughly enjoyed the random visit here… especially if you like seafood…
Saw another review about the pepper pasta with seafood (shrimp, scallops — sold right there).
Pasta was fresh and loved all the combined flavor
Definitely be back, even if I have to travel from San Jose!

Walked in at 7pm and was lucky enough to be seated in one minute! Others weren’t so lucky!
Favorites: the fresh bread and dip that comes free to your table, the skirt steak and calamari (on the appetizer) and the risotto!
French Lemon Drop was delicious! The service was terricid in too
Least favorite: the deep fried beans… why do you need to deep fry beans? They would be better plain!
It’s a little bit too loud for a nice quiet dinner out. We felt like we had to speak up or shout to hear each other.

My moms was in town and loves small plates. We live near by and settled on this place. There wasn’t a wait and we were seated quickly.
I’d say their appetizers are varied, but could also use a bit more imagination. The sampler platter was good, but nothing on it was outstanding. The salads are plentiful and are definitely worth it for both flavor and bang for your buck. They seem to be a bit more inventive. We didn’t try any of their pastas, but I would be willing to go back and try some.
The atmosphere is family oriented, but could be a nice place for a date. There is outdoor seating and a full bar.

I stopped in here for lunch with our party of six during the San Carlos Art and Wine Festival and had an outstanding lunch. As usual, we received impeccable and friendly service from staff. The atmosphere is always an airy, comfortable feel with their lofty ceilings and Italian villa-​like feel.
I usually get the warm napa cabbage salad when I come here, but I folded the other day for one of their «carbalicious» dishes. As usual I sampled everyone else’s dish, and they had a bite of mine. However, my Gnocchi Duck Ragout had the winning consensus! It was worth the reckless abandonment with carbs that day: Braised duck ragout, mushroom, cipolline onions, fresh tomatoes, spinach in a marsala wine reduction It was a «parte italiana» in my mouth!
The French Dip was delicious too. I was lucky to finish a nice portion of this decadent, juicy prime rib sandwich dipped in their tasty ajus sauce. The lamb pita was good too with herb crusted lamb sirloin cooked to perfection with feta cheese, spinach, bell peppers and basil aioli. –not my favorite combo of ingredients for a lamb pita but still delivers the propensity for woofing it down. They had a special of Sea Bass which I also had to do a little «quality control» on. Success! Chunky, buttery morsels of fish flaked right off and was a joy to consume.
And there you have it, they deserve a full star rating! There’s never a hitch in my experience here, and every new dish I try is consistently satisfying. Spasso’s is one of my favorites!

Came by for dinner the night and the experience was decent. Made a reservation a week prior via OpenTable and was able to secure a table at my desired time slot.
Started off with the Crab Cakes which were good. I’ve had better! :)
Moved on to the Skirt Steak which was flavorful and tender. Towards the end, noticed that the meat was slightly mushy… maybe it wasn’t super fresh? The side of Broccoli & Mashed Potatoes were decent. The Onion Rings were bland however…
The Tiramisu was the highlight of the meal as it was very fresh, moist, and not too sweet.
Service was decent throughout the meal as well.
…the seats at our table were tiny… however.