Left Bank Restaurant Review, Menlo Park
Posted by Food Nut
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Left Bank 635 Santa Cruz Ave Menlo Park, CA 94025 (650) 473-6543 650-345-0770 (Fax) |
Left Bank is a Brasserie style French restaurant. They have 3 locations in the San Francisco Bay Area and got started in 1994. They serve seafood from the CleanFish Alliance of sustainable seafood products.
Decor, Vibe – Patio seating outside, separate bar area, nice French style decor inside with a big exposed kitchen and large French posters. Families, couples, several big parties were dining.
Menu Pictures (Click to zoom into any picture)
Their specials and prix fix change every day.
Picks:
Onion Soup Gratinee ($7.25) was a good rendition of the classic, with refined onion and cheese flavor. It was not too salty or too cheesy. Portion size was on the smaller side.
Moules Florentine ($12.50) had tons of fresh steamed mussels, white wine, and a little touch of spinach. The bread was a little on the burned side, though it made for nice dipping.
Brasserie Steak Frites ($19.95) natural grass fed beef skirt steak, delicious pommes frites, fresh carrots was very good. The steak had excellent flavor but was not the most tender. It was cooked to a perfect medium rare.
Their Egg Noodles are home made and delicious.
Prix Fixe By Passot ($26.50) Daily changing 3 course prix fixe special is of great value. Too vinegary, garden variety, Green Salad started the trio.
A good sized juicy chicken breast cooked well and served with mash potatoes was the entree.
Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp was an excellent dessert. Hot out of the oven, not too sweet, just the right size.
Saumon ($5.50 for kids) A good sized grilled salmon fillet with fresh vegetables was a steal at this price. It was cooked just right.
Sauteed asparagus ($4.25) were several extra big spears of grilled fresh aspargus. Nice and healthy.
Profiteroles ($6.25) three cream puffs, French vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce was brought to us as a complimentary birthday dessert. A nice touch, and a really nice dessert with really smooth ice cream..
OK:
Macaroni and Cheese ($5) Elbow pasta with cheddar cheese and sauce Béchamel was pretty standard fare.
Pans:
None
Left Bank had decent service and good pacing of dishes. The server checked back often, the bus boys came through often, water was never low. Having read many negative reviews of this place, we worried a bit. Granted, Left Bank is a regional ‘chain’ and not very intimate and homey, the food and service was very good, making it a good experience. We only had one salad miss the target. You could drive up to Bouchon or fly to France to do better. The San Mateo and Pleasant Hill locations closed in 2008.
Also at:
507 Magnolia Avenue
Larkspur, CA 94939
(415) 927-3331
635 Santa Cruz Ave
Menlo Park CA 94025
(650) 473-6543
377 Santana Row Suite 1100
San Jose, CA 95128
(408) 984-3500
Overall Rating: 
(Very Good)
Come Back? 
| Food Rating: | (Very Good) |
| Service Rating: | (Very Good) |
| Atmosphere Rating: | (Good) |
| Value Rating: | (Good) |
Guide: 0 = poor, 1 = Fair/Average, 2 = Good, 2.5 = Very Good, 3 = Excellent , 4 = Extraordinary
| Alcohol: | Full Bar |
| Attire: | Casual |
| Hours: | Mon - Th 1130am - 10pm, Fri 1130am - 11pm, Sat 11am - 11pm, Sun 11am - 10pm |
| Parking: | Free Lot |
| Reservations: | Yes |
| Prices: | $9.75 - $26.50 (Dinner) |
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One Response to “Left Bank Restaurant Review, Menlo Park”
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July 15th, 2009 at 10:08 am
Hi!
I wanted to see if you could correct a factual error in your article. The San Mateo and Pleasant Hill locations closed in 2009 not 2008. Please let me know if you can make that change for accuracy purposes.
Much appreciated,
Katya