Enrique and I found ourselves in Walnut Creek after attending our nephew's party in Livermore. Thanks to Enrique's evo 4G, we found our way in WC and ended up at Vesu for our date night. In a nutshell, here is our dining experience:
Vesu is SWANKY.
It is loungey with dark wooden tables, dramatically dimmed lights and a contemporary bar. It seems like Vesu is the place to see and be seen in Walnut Creek. The women were decked out in shiny little black dresses.
And check out the modern communal bathroom:
Our table at Vesu was DISAPPOINTING.
Vesu is beautiful and spacious. It was packed on the night we were there. In Vesu's attempt to fill each nook and cranny with $$$ dropping patrons, we were seated right next to a wall despite our Opentable VIP reservation. I understand that real estate in the Bay Area is premium but here is my note for Vesu's owners: "Do you enjoy being seated right next to a wall when you go to dinner?" A poor seating is a prelude to a poor dining experience. Period.
The dishes at Vesu were LACKING IN FLAVORS.
1. Hampshire pork chop with creamy potatoes, broccolini and coriander chimichurri ($21). Enrique had to drown his pork chop with the sauce because according to him, it was bland and had no flavors. He made me taste the mashed potato and he was right, it was weirdly sweet!
2. Halibut ceviche black pepper water cracker, avocado, cilantro ($8).
I lacked the complex spices of a good ceviche. I tasted nothing but the lime. It did not have enough salt.
3. Heirloom squash "scallops" plantain mofongo, cilantro-lime sofrito ($9). This small plate dish did not have any "rhyme or reason." The slice of green squash was perched on top of a flavorless fried plantain chip sitting on sofrito that lasted like the Hawaiian poi. It was like a culinary experiment whose flavors did not come together. I am very sorry to say that this dish was terrible!
4. Except for the Crab cakes ($14) which were actually delicious. Crusty on the outside and creamy on the inside.
5. Salad with the Crab cakes were overly salted with plenty of salt grains with every bite.
6. Hot Lips ($10) Tequila, ginger, lime, cilantro, fresno chili. This drink was not chilled enough. It is okay.
SUMMARY:
Vesu is swanky. The service was friendly. I applaud the chef's attempt to create fusion dishes with Latin influences that are innovative . The presentation of each dish was pleasing to the eyes but the dishes did not come together. The combination of flavors lacked harmony just like an orchestra whose conductor is tone deaf.
Sadly, I really did have better somewhere else........
Tab: $86 including Diet Coke, tax and 20% tip.
FOODIE GIRL'S OVERALL RATING: 2
Food: 1.5
Decor/Ambiance: 4
Service: 4
Key:
0 Star: Never again!!! These people should not be in business.
1 Star: Chalk it to bad experience. Live and learn.
2 Stars: Very disappointing but there it has some good things to offer.
3 Stars: It is okay but do not expect much. I will still return.
4 Stars: I like it! I will be singing your praises!
5 Stars: I will be dreaming of you at night!
6 Stars: Perfection (or close to!)
My wife and I have had a several instances over the years where the restaurants would change the tip amount on our cc charge and add $1 or so. We only find out about this when we check our statements. Is this a widespread practice? Is it legal? How does one fight this?Sushi Naples
ReplyDeleteHi Clyde, You know we haven't really checked. We just always double the tip here which is 9.75% in the Bay Area and add a little bit more. We should really check from now on. I don't believe it is legal for business to add to what is originally authorized by the client.
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