Mentone

First thing you notice when you walk in is the smell. It's like marinara spilled on the floor and they never cleaned it up, it also smells a little bit like throw up. Seated at a corner table and didn't get service for a long time while we watched the waitress attend to other tables around us. I've also read from other reviewers that service is a hit or miss so we definitely got the miss this time around.
Pizza was pretty good, it had a fluffy crust so the dough was pretty chewy. Not the best pizza we've had but it's solid. Totally would have expected a little more food quality and better service from a Michelin starred chef owned restaurant but maybe he doesn't pay much attention to them so they run it however they want.

Came back post-covid to try the full menu and eat inside. The menu isn't big, but it has a good variety of choices. Also some specials which were great.

My wife started with the special soup, a chilled spring pea soup, which was herbaceous, bright and floral, studded with crisp croutons. I started with the beef tartare, which had incredible mouth-feel. But was way over-seasoned. Both too salty and too much vinaigrette in particular the vinegar. It was quite bracing and a little hard to finish, which was unfortunate because it was beautiful meat.

I then had the polenta with grits which was perfect. Very cozy dish, well seasoned and balanced tomato ragu with slivers of perfectly cooked tripe, with I think little chunks of pancetta as well. My wife had the gnocchi with peas and morels which was light and bright.

Service was attentive. Nice they had sparkling water on tap and the frozen peach fizz cocktail was really well liked by my wife.

Stopped by for dinner the other night. Parking is tight but can park on street pretty easily.

Inside is clean and spacious. Ordered quite a bit to get a variety of the menu. Service was prompt so if you are here to hang out make sure to space out your orders.

Tried the frozen spritz which I liked. The stracciatella was good and decent portion. The coppa charcuterie was also fresh but it had pieces of salt on an already cured piece of meat which made it a little too much for me. The margarita pizza was well cooked. No flop on the bottom and was crispy which seems to be rare for wood oven pizzas these days. I will say the sauce is a little weak and also sort of sweet (at least it wasn't overly salty).

Cacio e Pepe was also very salty. I love salt but it was a lot I felt. Noodles are cooked well, but again the dish is just a little too salty. The pesto ravioli is fantastic and would get again. But both of these dishes being around $30 (Apr '24) was a little much in my opinion.

Deserts were all great. The lemon one was v refreshing. The butterscotch was really good, and the affogato with hazelnut gelato was also delicious.

Overall I would come again for pizza and some deserts. Pastas are a little pricey, and especially for a family style menu (so it says) I don't think it was enough portion per plate

Excellent food, mostly Italian but they had a couple of things that seem vaguely French (Boudin Blanc?). Decor is eclectic, someone likes Italy, France and The Rolling Stones.

We shared a Caesar salad, which was a bit heavy on the radicchio but was still very tasty, then ordered pizze, one each Margherita and Funghi. Both were very good but the Margherita was the best. Excellent pizza crust and sauce. Just the right chew on the crust, and a fresh red sauce on the Margherita, cooked in the oven, not before! So rare and very authentic.

The desserts were absolutely divine. We had the fiori di latte (it's a vanilla gelato with lemon curd and pistachio) and the affogato which is an espresso poured over the vanilla gelato. Really surprised at how delicious these were.

Only negative was the extremely loud music that had no theme at all, some background music would have been so much better, suggest mid century Italian, some Louis Prima wouldn't go amiss. Think Big Night soundtrack, fabulous!

Stopped by Mentone for the first time yesterday for an early dinner, and loved it! One of the best restaurants in the area.

The Caesar salad was one of the best I've ever had-- wish I could get the dressing recipe!:) The croutons in the salad were also spectacular and perfectly crunchy. We had the Margherita pizza which was sooo fresh and light-- simple, but delicious. We also tried the beef ravioli which was amazing. The portion size is small, as some have mentioned, but it was perfect as part of our shared dishes. I love getting a bunch of small things to share, so this was perfect for that.

The restaurant is beautifully decorated and not pretentious at all, which I love. It's a vibrant and cozy spot. Also, the service was impeccable. We didn't have to wait long for anything-- the food came out quickly and the servers constantly checked in to make sure we were enjoying our meal and had everything we needed.

I didn't have any drinks this time around but I was eyeing the cocktail menu for next time!

Mentone does the following really, really, really, really well:

* CAESAR SALAD. It is hands-down the BEST caesar salad I've ever had and ever will have. You won't want to share it even though it's meant for sharing.

* PESTO GENOVESE. Chef Kinch went to Genoa and now so can you when you eat this pesto. Be transported.

* SOPPRESSATA. It's made with fairy dust. Literally.

This place is just a gem.

One of our favorite spots for food. Upscale vibe, rotating seasonal menu, great drinks, and near perfect service. If you don't have a reservation, get there well before 5 to get a spot in line before they open

** 4.5 stars overall **

Food and drink taste: 5 stars
Everything we ordered tasted great.

Customer service: 4 stars
We had reservations and had to wait about 10-15 minute to be seated. The server took our order and checked on us during our meal. Service was overall very good, but not excellent -- it's hard to explain why. I think I expected, or just hoped for, more friendliness.

Portions: 3 stars
The pasta dish seemed like a child-size portion. It was a tad disappointing given the price. See photo. It had good flavors and textures, but the ratio of meat to pasta was imbalanced and the total quantity was small.

Ambiance: 4.5 stars
The atmosphere was more casual than I expected, with customers wearing anything from dresses to hoodies. (I wore a long dress and felt out of place!) The decor was bright and delightfully eclectic. It was fun to look around.

If I return, I plan to try a pizza dish since the chef is known for his pizzas.

All the food was really well done.

Tomatoes confit with Stracciatella where delicious - sweet and salty. The focaccia was spot on too - very fluffy but still a bit moist and flavorful.

Polenta Fioretto was very rich and creamy and the spring onion oil gave a really nice, yet subtle extra oomph too it.

Soppressata Pizza was good - not too spicy - just enough. Yummy meat. Good crust (only complaint here is that it's not sourdough crust, but you can hardly get that anywhere, and I suppose that's not how they do it in Italy anyways?).

Casual atmosphere - but still very nice. Little things like the waiters having matching shirts. Fancy Ice cubes in the cocktails.

If your kids are picky eaters might not be super good for them - cheese pizza and focaccia probably would have been the only things my daughter would have eaten had she been there (she was not). But having said that there were plenty of kids in the restaurant so definitely family friendly if you want.

The food here is awesome. My favorite appetizer is the stracciatella and focaccia. The pastas and pizzas are all great. Something about the aged pizza dough they have is amazing. The servers have always been professional and kind, even when you don't have a reservation, or if you have a big group.

We have had our last two anniversary dinners here, two birthdays, and a couple date nights, and not once have we been disappointed.

I dined at Mentones last night and ordered the fish soup. WARNING, Do not order this soup. It tasted only of old fish and salt. Fishy, fishy, fishy, terrible! It was so bad I had to send it back. I won't be going back.