The restaurant is lovely and we sat outside under the trees. The food was incredible and everyone enjoyed was ordered. My only negative feedback is the price. Very expensive. So, splurge and enjoy your evening!
JerryA
The quality Malik puts in to everything he cooks makes it worth what he charges. He has created a special place by making the dining experience special in every aspect. It is hard to find any fault to the whole experience.
DiningFriends
A friend took me as a very special "thank you." It was a Thursday night. The outside tables were fairly full, the inside had 2 tables filled. Our waitress, Lisa, was excellent. Very helpful with answering questions and arranged special modifications to one dish for us. We had the seafood sausage appetizer which was very unusual and we would recommend. She had the lemon risotto with salmon - very good, but the lemon risotto wasn't very lemony - it had more of a strong cheese taste. Very good, but I would change the description. I had the filet which turned out medium vs. medium rare. The "poached" aspect meant it was served in a broth which was oversalted. Since this was a gift dinner, I didn't want to complain so I didn't mention it. I probably would not recommend that dish. The cucumber salad was fine but not great. The chocolate cheesecake was the most inspiring thing we ate. Overall, a good experience, but, given the prices I probably wouldn't return. It just didn't "wow" me the way some people have talked about it.
BarbB
Truly a remarkable evening on the patio. Simply extraordinary food from the fresh cucumber salad to the duck breast wrapped in prosciutto and the wrapped in a thin flaky crust.. insanely wonderful. Highly recommend. Dinner is pricey but considering the high level of this kitchen as well as the staff.. totally in line.
The food and service was very good. We selected the outside seating on the back deck. It was very comfortable. The food was well presented and we all enjoyed our selections. We will be back again.
Aims
This is a little gem of a restaurant tucked away in an unassuming location off HWY1 in Aptos. Greeted with a lovely glass of bubbly rose' and seated with a great kitchen view and sweet live piano in the background, we enjoyed a delicious multi course meal of a quality that is hard to find in Santa Cruz. Wine list was simple, but perfectly paired. Foodies, this place is for you! Expensive, yes, but the quality delivers.
Deborahr
We went here to celebrate my husbands birthday. It did not disappoint. Our server was extremely knowledgeable about wine and guided us perfectly. Our entrees were sublime. Malik was gracious and treated us to amazing beignets for dessert.
JBatthebeach
Disappointed given the reviews. Food was very “heavy” and salad choices limited to just one which had to be substituted with VERY large cucumbers in place of pears. Ambiance and noise levels were quite good with live piano music in the background.
Beth
The ambiance was amazing from the second we entered the restaurant! We were promptly greeted by the host and offered a complimentary glass of sparkling wine, and taken to our table which was ready right away. The host was very knowledgeable about the menu and specials of the night. Our food came out in a timely manner and everything was delicious and so fresh tasting! Would highly recommend and definitely will be back.
Pogoboy1
The Bruschetta was the best ever as was the Odonata Pinot and the Cacio e Peppe. The short rib ravioli did not meet my husband's standard and was comped without it being requested. The service, ambiance and piano music were fabulous. We will return and encourage all of you to go there.
Oh Wow! The food was excellent. The goat cheese bruschetta was the best I've ever had. The Duck Wellington was perfectly done and so unique. I could rave about everything. Blew my expectations away.
MelodyS
This was my second visit. The first visit was excellent. Food was superb and the servers were friendly, helpful, professional. Now, then, this trip was unfortunate. While my salmon was great, my dining companion was served completely rare lamb when she was specific about how it should be cooked. The brulee just wasn't firm...which is highly unusual. The truffles weren't creamy. The bus boy was fine; however, our server was pleasant but for the most part, unavailable as she found new best friends in other diners.
Melodi Schonken
My husband and I had dinner with a friend at this amazing restaurant. The attention to detail, both in the food presentation and feel of the restaurant, was impressive. We were greeted by the host and immediately offered a complimentary glass of champagne. The waitress was friendly and had wonderful insight into dish preparation and recommendations when we asked. The environment was high quality and relaxing. The meal was well paced. We felt relaxed and well taken care of. A talented pianist created a beautiful backdrop to this special night of culinary enjoyment and conversation. It was delightful. Five stars.I would highly recommend this special place. We came from out of town, but will definitely return in the near future.
Rob Sandie
This was an experience that was entrepreneurial and novel. The pear salad was unlike anything I’ve ever tasted with just the full head just sitting on the table, incredibly well dressed and delicious. The fish sausage was not a gimmick but an incredible tasting sausage that had fish inside of it. That sounds silly but I was just expecting a gimmick dish. It was not!The chocolate cheesecake was by far the perfect dessert I’ve spent years looking for.I left inspired and excited to tackle my own personal challenges in life.The price point is high but you get way more than what you pay for here.Can’t wait to come back as I know this chef will be pushing the limits. Kudos and well done.
JaneP
Food lived up to the high quality we had heard about. Service was attentive, but gave us our space and our server worked with our pace, which was slow. We were a party of three and shared the sweetbreads for an appetizer, had the chicken, the cacio de peppe, and the crawfish pasta. All were delicious. We shared the desert offerings and once again, we were nice disappointed. Highly recommended.
The restaurant is lovely and we sat outside under the trees. The food was incredible and everyone enjoyed was ordered. My only negative feedback is the price. Very expensive. So, splurge and enjoy your evening!
The quality Malik puts in to everything he cooks makes it worth what he charges. He has created a special place by making the dining experience special in every aspect. It is hard to find any fault to the whole experience.
A friend took me as a very special "thank you." It was a Thursday night. The outside tables were fairly full, the inside had 2 tables filled. Our waitress, Lisa, was excellent. Very helpful with answering questions and arranged special modifications to one dish for us. We had the seafood sausage appetizer which was very unusual and we would recommend. She had the lemon risotto with salmon - very good, but the lemon risotto wasn't very lemony - it had more of a strong cheese taste. Very good, but I would change the description. I had the filet which turned out medium vs. medium rare. The "poached" aspect meant it was served in a broth which was oversalted. Since this was a gift dinner, I didn't want to complain so I didn't mention it. I probably would not recommend that dish. The cucumber salad was fine but not great. The chocolate cheesecake was the most inspiring thing we ate. Overall, a good experience, but, given the prices I probably wouldn't return. It just didn't "wow" me the way some people have talked about it.
Truly a remarkable evening on the patio. Simply extraordinary food from the fresh cucumber salad to the duck breast wrapped in prosciutto and the wrapped in a thin flaky crust.. insanely wonderful. Highly recommend. Dinner is pricey but considering the high level of this kitchen as well as the staff.. totally in line.
The food and service was very good. We selected the outside seating on the back deck. It was very comfortable. The food was well presented and we all enjoyed our selections. We will be back again.
This is a little gem of a restaurant tucked away in an unassuming location off HWY1 in Aptos. Greeted with a lovely glass of bubbly rose' and seated with a great kitchen view and sweet live piano in the background, we enjoyed a delicious multi course meal of a quality that is hard to find in Santa Cruz. Wine list was simple, but perfectly paired. Foodies, this place is for you! Expensive, yes, but the quality delivers.
We went here to celebrate my husbands birthday. It did not disappoint. Our server was extremely knowledgeable about wine and guided us perfectly. Our entrees were sublime. Malik was gracious and treated us to amazing beignets for dessert.
Disappointed given the reviews. Food was very “heavy” and salad choices limited to just one which had to be substituted with VERY large cucumbers in place of pears. Ambiance and noise levels were quite good with live piano music in the background.
The ambiance was amazing from the second we entered the restaurant! We were promptly greeted by the host and offered a complimentary glass of sparkling wine, and taken to our table which was ready right away. The host was very knowledgeable about the menu and specials of the night. Our food came out in a timely manner and everything was delicious and so fresh tasting! Would highly recommend and definitely will be back.
The Bruschetta was the best ever as was the Odonata Pinot and the Cacio e Peppe. The short rib ravioli did not meet my husband's standard and was comped without it being requested. The service, ambiance and piano music were fabulous. We will return and encourage all of you to go there.
Restaurantji Recommends
Oh Wow! The food was excellent. The goat cheese bruschetta was the best I've ever had. The Duck Wellington was perfectly done and so unique. I could rave about everything. Blew my expectations away.
This was my second visit. The first visit was excellent. Food was superb and the servers were friendly, helpful, professional. Now, then, this trip was unfortunate. While my salmon was great, my dining companion was served completely rare lamb when she was specific about how it should be cooked. The brulee just wasn't firm...which is highly unusual. The truffles weren't creamy. The bus boy was fine; however, our server was pleasant but for the most part, unavailable as she found new best friends in other diners.
My husband and I had dinner with a friend at this amazing restaurant. The attention to detail, both in the food presentation and feel of the restaurant, was impressive. We were greeted by the host and immediately offered a complimentary glass of champagne. The waitress was friendly and had wonderful insight into dish preparation and recommendations when we asked. The environment was high quality and relaxing. The meal was well paced. We felt relaxed and well taken care of. A talented pianist created a beautiful backdrop to this special night of culinary enjoyment and conversation. It was delightful. Five stars.I would highly recommend this special place. We came from out of town, but will definitely return in the near future.
This was an experience that was entrepreneurial and novel. The pear salad was unlike anything I’ve ever tasted with just the full head just sitting on the table, incredibly well dressed and delicious. The fish sausage was not a gimmick but an incredible tasting sausage that had fish inside of it. That sounds silly but I was just expecting a gimmick dish. It was not!The chocolate cheesecake was by far the perfect dessert I’ve spent years looking for.I left inspired and excited to tackle my own personal challenges in life.The price point is high but you get way more than what you pay for here.Can’t wait to come back as I know this chef will be pushing the limits. Kudos and well done.
Food lived up to the high quality we had heard about. Service was attentive, but gave us our space and our server worked with our pace, which was slow. We were a party of three and shared the sweetbreads for an appetizer, had the chicken, the cacio de peppe, and the crawfish pasta. All were delicious. We shared the desert offerings and once again, we were nice disappointed. Highly recommended.
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