Mikey Doesn't Like It

Bauer Kind of Hates The Sea by Alexander’s Steakhouse; Unterman Adores Bar Tartine; Hirsch Discovers Bro Meals

The Sea's dining room.
The Sea’s dining room. Photo: Courtesy of The Sea

Michael Bauer is put off from the start by The Sea by Alexander’s Steakhouse, that mouthful of a new restaurant that took over the former Trader Vic’s in Palo Alto. He describes its corporate feel, and an entrance , and a pretentious waiter who clearly didn’t know who he was dealing with. “Practically without a hello, the waiter launched into an interpretive monologue of the menu, describing the format as if it would otherwise be unfamiliar — Hot Appetizers, Cold Appetizers, the Land and the Sea Entrées. Then he went through a soliloquy of the house specialities, the most expensive items.” Oh, brother. Needless to say he’s very put off by the prices, with main dishes ranging from $32 to $62, and none of the preparations justify them. He writes, ominously, before launching into some sad dish descriptions, “The house-made bread, in fact, was the highlight of the three meals.” The verdict: One and a half stars, with one star for food. [Chron]

Patricia Unterman pays a couple of visits to Bar Tartine, both at dinner and lunch, and raves about chef Nick Balla’s food. She loves, especially, the chopped salad; the “slightly smoky” grilled tripe “drenched in a velvety, mahogany, paprika sauce with an intense, meaty flavor”; and Balla’s modern take on goulash. And she also says that the lunchtime sandwiches “astound with the inventiveness of their composition.” [Unterman on Food]

And over at the Examiner, Jesse Hirsch stumbles upon a new homecooked-meal delivery service geared toward brogrammers called Bro Meals. The business was started by Myriah Zaytoun, whose brother happens to be a cook at Maverick, and she started it via personal-services marketplace Zaarly. You can opt to order a week’s worth of meals at once ($143), and Hirsch says that the menu is “rib-sticking classics all the way” and they’re all “solid” versions without any special flair. But he’s especially a fan of the chicken pot pie with chive-flecked biscuits on top. [Examiner]

Bauer Kind of Hates The Sea by Alexander’s Steakhouse; Unterman Adores Bar