kevin_standlee

Today is Cheryl's birthday, and as we both share a love of good food, I took her out to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, CreoLa in San Carlos. It's not a place we can afford to go very often, but we've never had a bad experience there. Just about everything on their menu is attractive to one or both of us. After tonight, I think I've finally reached the point where I won't feel guilty about ordering something I've had before, as I've now worked my way through most of the things I find really attractive on their menu.

This restaurant is not that large -- maybe 50 seats or so -- and has a very cozy atmosphere. The owner/chef brought our meals out to us, and he even recognized us from the last time we were there about a year ago. That surprised me.

If you're the kind of person who plonks themselves down and says, "I want lots of cheap food, and I want it right now!" then stay away from here. The portions are not oversized, and a four-course dinner will cost about $50, but the quality is excellent.

The place was packed on this Friday evening; they called us earlier today to ask if we could come a little later than our reservation. If you're going (and I recommend it if you're in the area), reservations are recommended.

This is the restaurant I recommended to

jbriggs and co. at Westercon. It's a little bit of a drive from San Mateo, but I recall them saying they thought it was worth the trip. I certainly thought so. This is a place I like so much that I wish I had to money to invite lots of friends and book the place out for an evening. That's one of those "If I win the lottery" dreams.

On the BASFA review scale, I give this place "worth full price plus the drive from Fremont and the bridge toll to boot." From the hush puppies with crawfish starter, through soup/salad, main courses (I had the Shrimp Clemenceau) and ending with chicory coffee and beignets, this was an experience I only wish I could afford (both the price and the effect on my blood sugar) more often.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

And thank you again for recommending it to me,

galtine1,

jcbemis and

fla_sunshine. We had a wonderful meal and intend to return someday.

And I posted this before reading what was behind the Lj-cut (^:

I remember that meal - a lovely time was had by all

4 courses of good cajun food for $50 sounds like a bargain to me. Pity about the airfare!

Belated Happy Birthday to Cheryl!

I am perhaps overly influenced by people whose first and only criteria for a meal is "how much will it cost" and for whom quality doesn't seem to be a consideration. People who think Denny's is overpriced. Not that I eat at what I consider pricey restaurants regularly -- I can't afford it! -- but I do like to splurge from time to time. I find that obsessing over the prices spoils the taste of my food, so I try not to worry about it.

Well, the cost isn't doesn't bother me; I consider Creola to be at the middle/lowish end of what we'd have for dinner out. We eat out 3-5 times a week minimum; I'm just very selective, and I would never pay for bad service when there are so many other places that will provide better service and food.

Have you seen my review on Yelp about it? We live so close they had to inform us about trying to get a liquor license, and yet we never eat there because of the absolutely wretched service. The chef called me once to tell me he was in a dysfunctional parent/child relationship with a crazy woman who says she was the mistress of Einstein and had J. Edgar Hoover's love child, and that's why service is sometimes a problem.

I am *totally* not kidding.

And as for the quality, I've eaten in New Orleans at amazing places. I have high standards. Creola is very "eh" to me -- but I suppose if you've never had other, it would seem okay. Otherwise, my recommendation for excellent New Orleans style on this coast would be Sazerac in Seattle, and for Southern, Screen Door in Portland.

YMMV [Contrary to what some people may believe, that does not stand for "You Make Me Vomit"!]
There are several businesses that I won't go near for very real and important reasons, but close acquaintances swear by those same businesses. I bet I can squeeze a blog essay out of this issue.

I've eaten there once, and I thought it was OK, but not outstanding. And then there's the cost.

Now I'll tell you where I eat around here when the creole hunger strikes: Poor House Bistro (in San Jose, right by the main train station). It's fast, it's inexpensive, and it has a good selection of po'boys and some of the other cajun/creole cafeteria food (though not the deep roux dishes). They're the only place I know that makes jambalaya by the same recipe as Mother's in NOLA, which is the perfect jambalaya. "Same recipe as perfection" is plenty close enough for me.

I just found that Creola really skimped on their roux, and I can't abide that. Every time we've had any roux based dishes there, was dark, but still had an undercooked taste, which tells me that they rushed the roux and cooked at too high a temperature, losing all the nuances. I think if someone is not familar with a truly good roux, they wouldn't notice the differece so dramatically, which may be why people like Creola. I'd rather a place not serve deep roux dishes than take shortcuts.

Other things I've been unimpressed with: wasabi on anything, and refridgerator taste on pie on two separate occasions. All of that is aside from the craptacular service, which has bordered on the comical every time we've been there. IF other people have had a good experience, that just tells me that there is preferential treatment of customers, and that *really* makes me avoid a place.

I agree that the service has not been especially quick, but I've always chalked that up to the restaurant being so packed out every time I've gone there. And also I expect dessert to take a while, because it takes a few minutes to make the beignets (and that's why I wouldn't have encountered the refrigerator taste you mentioned). And I'll have to admit to not having had huge experience of real cajun cooking -- I've only been to New Orleans a couple of times, and did not get the opportunity to eat my way across town that I would have enjoyed.

I'm certainly not disputing your experience. If a place treated me like that, I wouldn't come back, either.

I'm very glad you and Cheryl enjoyed it (and my best to her on her birthday).

Burp

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject