OT Review: The Village Pub (Director's Cut)

As you should know by now, The Foodie is a BIG advocate of OpenTable. If I CAN use it to make a reservation, I do. It just makes things much simpler. A few months back they started sending out e-mails after you'd dined at an establishment asking you to rate the restaurant...which I promptly deleted. However, a few weeks ago it occurred to me that I probably SHOULD leave feedback. I mean, I AM an OpenTable VIP, have racked up hundreds of thousands of OpenTable points and eat out way more than any human should. I would like to think my A to Z list alone would give me some street cred, amirite? And I'll DEFINITELY leave more insightful/helpful comments than "corkage at $30 is outrageously high". Seriously...that was this schmucks ENTIRE review of The Village Pub. How was the service, Barry? THEY CHARGED ME $30 CORKAGE!!!!! Um, okay...but was the food any good? $30 – THAT'S TOO HIGH!!!! Yeah...that's useful. I'll bet the same noob spammed Yelp and Chowhound with similar posts. Made him feel better, I'm sure - “I'll get those bastards for charging me so much on corkage – MWAHAHAHAHA!!!”. But, I digress...

So now I AM posting reviews for some of the places I dine, but something else occurred to me: my Gentle Readers have NO idea that its me. For all they know, I'm the douche complaining about corkage fees. I'm just 1 of 72 seemingly random reviews, so I decided to re-post them here. But, of course, reviews on OpenTable are...simple, so I'm not entirely happy with that format. One to five stars isn't much of a range and the character limit make the posts more Twittery than my typically verbose blogs. I understand WHY OpenTable wants everything to be concise, but that doesn't mean I have to be happy with it :p So, as a result, you get the Director's Cut! The stuff I WANTED to say, but couldn't for lack of space/resources.

Now, I NEVER intended to have “reviews” as part of my blog – I wanted it to be more about my experiences, insights and snark but, honestly, if I can keep diners from having a gawdawful dining experience (or, conversely, point them in the direction of a fantabulous meal they wouldn't have otherwise experienced) then I'm okay with that...

REVIEW OF THE VILLAGE PUB AS POSTED ON OPENTABLE:

“Don't let the name fool you: Woodside m-i-g-h-t be a "Village", but there's nothing "Pub"-like about this Michelin Starred gem. I live in the East Bay, so it's a fairly long trek to get there, but it was DEFINITELY worth the drive. I dined on a SAT and while the place was packed, you'd never know it from the flawless tag-team service. Our server encouraged us to order from both the (more casual) Bar Menu as well as the Dining Menu which gives you more options. Highlights included a Heirloom Tomato Salad with Burrata and 12-year Old Balsamic (made tableside), Charcuterie featuring 9 types of cured meat and a fantastic Buttermilk Panna Cotta served over a Blueberry Cake with Warm Almond Soup. We're already planning our next trip back!”

Overall: 5 Stars.
Food: 5 Stars.
Ambiance: 4 Stars.
Service: 5 Stars.
Noise: 3 (Energetic).

THE DIRECTOR'S CUT/COMMENTARY:

Okay, the only other thing I r-e-a-l-l-y wanted to post (but ran out of space) was the noise. I have no idea why OT uses 1 to 5 for everything else but only 1 to 3 on noise, but “energetic” doesn't do justice to just how loud The Village Pub is. Even half full, it was hard to hear The Hottie and it only got worse as the place filled up. Now, I'm not suggesting that it's a bad thing, but I really wanted to point it out. It is a truly great restaurant worthy of it's Michelin Star, but if you're looking for an intimate experience or a romantic place, look elsewhere.

As noted, the tag-team service was spectacular (seriously, we had no less than ten different people dropping off dishes, taking away dishes, replacing utensils, re-filling the sparkling H2O, etc.) and The Hottie was duly impressed by Max their sommilier. Granted, it didn't hurt that her pour was ginourmaous – as least 1 ½ the amount you'd expect for wine by the glass. The kitchen, however, made the slickest move of the night. I ordered one more dish than The Hottie, so when they brought out my Shaved Foie Gras Torchon they presented The Hottie with the cutest little Caesar salad in the history of Caesar salads as a “gift from the chef”. It was 3-4 small pieces of romaine tied together with an anchovy and drizzled with parmesan, mini-croutons and dressing. Foodwise, it wasn't much more than a jumbo amuse bouche but for Style Points, it's off the charts. That sort of thoughtfulness can easily make the difference between a good meal and a great one.

Foodwise, I liked everything I ordered. Of the three things mentioned in the review you c-o-u-l-d skip the Tomato Salad and just go with the Torchon, but I have a fondness for the tomato/cheese/basil/balsamic combo. However, the best thing I ate that night I haven't even mentioned yet: The Braised Lamb Shoulder that was part of the Spring Lamb Trio. Of the three preperations, it was clearly the best. Deep, instense, melt-in-your-mouth meaty goodness. Think of a lamb version of braised short ribs on steroids. If my 'trio' had been three servings of that, I would have been a happy man.

The Hottie went 100% French on the night: Veal Sweetbreads with a Slow-Poached Egg, Charcuterie (which had 4 different accompaniments to go with the 9 types of meat), Three Preparations of Rabbit and the aforementioned glass of Côtes du Rhône. We fully intended to do the full cheese tasting as well but, sadly, ran out of room.

Finally, The Village Pub had all the little extras you'd expect from a Michelin Starred establishment: White Gazpacho as an amuse, Mini-Lemon Madelines with the check and they stored the “Doggie Bag” at the front desk and handed it to The Hottie as we left the building (while opening the door, of course). All in all, one of the best meals I've had in a while and I wasn't kidding, we ARE already planning a return trip. Just too many good things to try on the menu that we just didn't have a chance to get to.

EXPANDED ZAGAT-STYLE RATINGS:

FOOD: 26
DECOR: 21
SERVICE: 26
PRICE: VE