Casual Italian- French restaurant, voted best of Mountain View, right on Castro with ample outdoor…read moreand indoor seating. Only 2 other parties there when we arrived around Sat 12pm. We sat next to window so nice for people watching but got bit hot with sun, even with shade down. Later a few families (seemed like regulars) came in. Lunch menu feels more Italian than French to me - various pastas, pizza, sandwiches, plus entrees. For party of 4, we ordered clam chowder the soup of day, seafood pasta dish, Chicken penne dish, pasta with bacon, and chicken breast entree. Bread with olive oil on the house. My dish Chicken breast was tender and juicy, downed with a lot of buttery sauce, so it was filling.

Brought my toddler and husband here to eat. They had high chairs for my toddler and even a coloring…read morebook and crayons. They even asked if we wanted to have the TV turned off when they noticed he was watching the tv. Very attentive. The food was great. It also came with complimentary bread that was warmed up and served with olive oil. My toddler enjoyed the free bread as well. We got the arancini, crab cakes , cordon blue , margarita pizza, mushroom truffle ravioli and steak frites. Our favorite dishes were the crab cakes , steak frites and the mushroom ravioli. The crab cakes were tasty and came with a lemon wedge and aoli, the steak frites came in a large portion. The meat was tender and came with a tasty sauce a mushrooms. My son enjoyed the fries that it came with , tasted like there was truffle oil in it. The ravioli was also good, nice and creamy. They also provided a free panna cotta for my husbands birthday. Overall, toddler friendly and expansive menu given that there are both Italian and French options.

La Bohème is exactly the kind of place you hope to find when you're craving a true French dining…read moreexperience. I was not disappointed. The ingredients were fresh, beautifully balanced, and honestly so good I considered ordering another round. The bread was solid too -- perfectly crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. We tried a range of dishes and everything delivered. The omelette stuffed with shrimp was generous and great value, the French onion soup, mussels, and entrecôte were all absolutely spot on, and the chocolate mousse to finish was delicious. Next time, I'm definitely coming back for the soufflé. Even the fruit bowl stood out -- you could tell it was freshly cut, with each fruit tasting crisp and distinct rather than blended together. It's those little details that really show care. The space itself is charming and cozy, with a lovely French ambiance. It's a medium-sized restaurant , with additional outdoor seating, and a decor that makes you want to linger. What really stood out, though, was the service. Absolutely top notch. You can tell the staff and chefs genuinely care about what they're doing -- and that makes all the difference. Honestly, I'm surprised it wasn't more packed -- it deserves to be. We'll absolutely be back to explore more

We went for an early Valentine's day dinner (the 13th instead of the 14th). We had a reservation…read moreand were seated immediately. The staff were warm and nice and I liked the ambiance of the restaurant. I ordered a coke to drink and my partner had a French beer. We proceeded to order the charcuterie and french onion soup for appetizers and the duck breast and french burger for entrees. The soup came and it was fine- it tasted like french onion soup. The charcuterie never came; I guess they forgot to put the order in or forgot to make it. It was awkward just sitting there starving while my husband ate his soup though. We figured maybe they were bringing it after he finished the soup so there'd be room on the table but nope. The burger looked nice and was cooked to the ordered temp of medium rare. Otherwise it was like any other burger anywhere else, not overly special. The fries were crisp and well salted. The duck was underwhelming. It's $38 for this plate of food and it came with totally flavorless and dry mashed potatoes, whose texture was akin to boxed potatoes. No butter or cream flavor to speak of. The vegetables were so disappointing. They had no seasoning whatsoever and were as soft as baby food- I am not exaggerating on that. I was surprised by how mushy the carrots were. For almost $40 I expect more exciting veg than broccoli, cauliflower and carrots all steamed to death. The duck was okay. There was a large tendon running through the middle of every piece and I could only eat half of it due to gristly fat. The port wine reduction that covered it totally masked the flavor of the duck. All I tasted was soy sauce. We let them know about the missing charcuterie to make sure it was not included on the bill. Other small things that detracted from the experience included them never clearing any dishes from the table (like the basket from the complimentary bread, appetizer plates or the huge wine glasses that neither of us needed) and not checking in on us to see how everything was going. The table was so cluttered it was hard to eat. It took a really long time to get the check and was so uncomfortable just sitting there obviously done with our food. For the prices charged I expected a higher level of service that was blatantly absent. Overall will not return. Over priced, slow, bland food.

Chez TJ is a bit hidden, as it is a cute little house on a busy street in downtown Mountain View,…read moreso it may blend in a bit. There is a parking lot across the street, as well as street parking surrounding the area, but parking may be hit or miss, depending on when you come by. Everyone was very friendly and accommodating - we were greeted warmly and treated with the best service during the whole evening. We were able to try their Pear Panna Cotta, Royal Kaluga Caviar, Fermented Gooseberry, Dill; Onagadai Tartlette, Creme Fraiche, Fingerlime, Horseradish; Brassica Veloute, Fenugreek Oil, Guanciale Powder Okinawa Sweet Potato, Perigord Black Truffle, Burrata Foam; Petite Baguette; Mushroom & Barley Tea; Squab, Cascabel Mole, Chanterelles, Winter Citrus Gel; Pain Levain, Navel Orange Ricotta; Australian Wagyu, Confit Beetroot, Smoked Parsnip, Sticky Cabbage; Strawberry Basil Mousse, Honeycomb, Strawberry Caviar, Basil Oil Palmier; Hazelnut Chouquette; and The Lime & The Coconut Ganache. My favorites were definitely the Onagadai Tartlette; Petite Baguette; and Squab, Cascabel Mole, Chanterelles, Winter Citrus Gel. Overall, everything was delicious and I was blown away for the experience.

Good laughs, good service, and a lot of different drinks & dishes to try…read more Came here for a company dinner recently, the host and wait staff were very nice and fast to act. We enjoyed the garden tour and trying the many drinks prior to dinner service. For the meal, we started light and wrapped up with a waygu dish. The desserts were good, but the staff miscounted and missed a portion, I ended up getting a replacement dish that didn't have 2 out of 3 of the original components. Overall, it was a fun experience and the patio seating made the ambience very enjoyable.

CHECK YOUR BILL!!. I recently dined at Elyse in San Jose and wanted to share a mixed experience…read more First, the positives -- the food was genuinely very good. The dishes were well-prepared, flavorful, and thoughtfully presented. The overall ambiance was also enjoyable, making it a nice spot for a dinner out. Unfortunately, the experience took a concerning turn at the end of the meal. Our bill came out to $86.42, and I handed my credit card to the waiter. Within seconds (thanks to my card alerts), I received a notification that $103.92 had been charged. When the waiter returned with the receipt, there was no mention of any discrepancy. After waiting a few minutes to see if it would be addressed, I brought it up myself. The waiter appeared flustered and then claimed he had accidentally charged me for someone else's food. That explanation didn't align with the itemized bill I was given, which made the situation feel questionable. He assured me that it would be corrected and that I should see the adjustment in a few days, which I'll be watching closely. Mistakes can happen, but the lack of transparency and the fact that it wasn't proactively disclosed is what left a bad impression. Being overcharged without explanation -- and having to catch it myself -- is not something I expect when dining out. I'd consider coming back for the food, but I'd definitely be more cautious when it comes to the bill.

Final Thoughts: 2.50/5…read more My girlies and I went here for a simple dinner and to try it out. Very Asian fusion, specifically French-Vietnamese. Seems fine-ish dining vibes with the dim lights and modern interior that they have. While the whole experience itself was quite nice, the food is not the best and perhaps should still be in the works. It leans so much on trying to be Asian fusion, but the execution isn't there yet for me. Will push the 3 star today given the overall experience we had. Food: Prime Rib Phở (NO MSG): 3.0/5 This was the entrée that we shared. They give around 3 to 5 pieces of meat, which isn't the most ideal thing to see. The meat is tender though, so that's a plus. Given the cut of it, I really wouldn't expect anything less of this though. Speaking of see though, the presentation lacks a lot for me. There wasn't too much color in the bowl. Really just broth, the noodles, and the meat placed on top. Essentially that's all it is, but there's no pop of anything to it. The flavor of the broth is quite good though. It's a lighter, but deep flavor. Will attribute this to some kind of bone meat that they used versus loading it with MSG. The noodles were overcooked and more on the soft side for me. Not much of a bite overall. Grilled Pork Spring Rolls: 1.5/5 This was really underwhelming for me. The grilled pork was nothing extravagant. Crispy eggroll wrapper roll inside was stale. Lacking in body and shape. Each of the rolls were really small and thin and lacking a lot of the filling. Usually I find that other places will overstuff it with vermicelli and vegetables because those are the more inexpensive ingredients in the roll. Here, the proportions were balanced in a sense, but lacking in size. Their sauce is what gets me. I can understand the experimentation, but I do prefer the typical sauce that is used. Perhaps doing a variation of this sauce may be better versus changing it to a completely different sauce. This sauce was a spicy kaffir lime leaf sauce and the tartness and sour flavor just overwhelmed the whole dish, so it became less appetizing for me. Belgian Fries: 3.5/5 These were honestly my favorite item here. Umm...I can't say they're anything extravagant. They were super crispy and the right size for me. Some potato without being too starchy on the inside. The sauce is a truffle aioli and that was truly the star of the show. Most of the rating will be regarding the dipping sauce. It was very rich and the flavors were very balanced. The combination of the truffle with the garlic flavor contributes really well to the dish. Honestly comparable to Cajun fries. Shrimp Mango Ceviche: 2.0/5 Fourth item was also not my favorite at all. The curing sauce was just so tart and sour that it took so much away from the dish itself. Aesthetic wise, was very underwhelming. In my opinion, this would have looked better served inside of a rounder bowl?? versus a shallow plate. The plate just makes it look half eaten given the serving size. The chips were just chips, so nothing extravagant. Balance of shrimp to vegetables appears appropriate though. --------- Quality: Fresh The food items did come out hot. The fries were crispy. They claim their pho broth takes hours to make and I can only take their word from that. Waiters and waitresses seem genuine, so I shall trust them on that. Food appears to be fresh, so no concerns here. Price: Quite steep; $$$ The prices here are quite steep. With what I was served, the prices seem to lean more on the expensive side. I can understand that some ingredients are more pretentious, but I really can't say I would pay this much for what was served. Range is around $8 to $16 for smaller dishes and $20 to $40 for the entrees. Service: Amazing; A+ The service that we were provided today was amazing. The waitress and waiters are very nice and super attentive. They checked on us a few times after all the foods came out and refilled our waters as needed. When we were deciding what foods to order, they were also really patient in going through some of the food choices with us. Ambiance: Fine dining vibes The space really isn't that big and there are really only a few tables inside. The space is big and the ceilings are high, which again, leads me to feel that this place has the fine dining vibes. Interior is quite dim lit and has this calming and warm vibe to it. Location/Parking: Downtown Area/Parking Downtown San Jose is probably all I need to say for people to understand what I mean. IFKYK kind of a deal. I can't say the location is in a bad place per se because it is around this line of other restaurants and stores. The parking is terrible though and perhaps you will find yourself paring at the parking structures for a more affordable cost or a closer one for a more expensive price. The parking lot I chose is free for the first 90 minutes and then they start charging. For one of the closest parking lots, my friend paid $20+ for her ticket.

Tasting Menu 5 presentation, flavors, texture were all very good…read moreService 5 Ambiance 5

Dined here recently in June 2026 with my teenage son. We've wanted to eat here for some time…read more We understand it's a little more old school and knew exactly what we were getting into. Service was professional and our server was quite nice. I love the dining room and artwork. The best things we had were an amuse bouche of smoked trout roe and miso panna cotta, first course crab soufflé, asparagus salad and the dessert black sesame pudding. These were all done very well. Everything else was just okay to me - tomato soup, beef filet and sea bass (fish itself was nice). I could go on and explain each in detail what I didn't care for, but I will keep it brief. I would likely not come back - however, I am definitely glad we came here and tried it out after all the years of wanting to dine here, it was an enjoyable experience.

So delicious I'm still thinking about this meal. The service was amazing. There's a huge menu with…read morelots of great options. This has been one of my favorite bites in South Bay. We ordered the sake oyako mesh with dashi to have the option for ochazuke, kurobuta katsu, tori karaage, and hojicha creme brulee. The rice clay pot dish had so much flavor and dimension. The katsu and karaage were both very crispy and fried to perfection. And the hojicha creme brûlée was the perfect sweetness. I would love to come back to try more of their dishes.

I've always heard of Gochi, but surprisingly have never been! So was super excited to try!…read more Amaebi carpaccio: Mmmmmmm ok I liked the idea of it, but turns out the plum vinaigrette reminded me of a holiday scented candle and I didn't love it.... Shrimp was fresh and non fishy tho. Kanpachi carpaccio: Really yummy sauce and good fish - just wish it was a little colder instead of room temp (but i think it was that temp bc it was lightly seared) Asari sakamushi: Clams were great and the sake broth was so clear and light and lovely Kisu Tempura: Wow ok so we really like kisu tempura at Sam's in San Mateo and don't see it v often so decided to get! It was HUGE in comparison!!!! I mean it was crisp and good but wow way bigger than we thought - 4 big pieces!!!! Sake Oyako Meshi + dashi: I love a claypot rice! the bottom was so crunchy and just the fact that they offer the dashi broth to add on is 10/10!!!! Love love love!!!!! Service was fast and it was relatively easy to order more things as we ate. We even ordered another claypot to go! Overall was a v nice place for a date night and now want to try the Cupertino location as well.

I celebrated my birthday here and had a truly wonderful dinner experience in the cocktail lounge…read more The à la carte menu offers a thoughtful blend of Asian fusion bites--each dish more impressive than the last. We were attended to by four staff members, and while that may sound like a lot, their service was seamless. Every movement felt intentional and unobtrusive, enhancing rather than interrupting the ambiance. The craftsmanship of the food--wow. This Michelin rating is absolutely well deserved. Each dish had such depth of flavor that we couldn't help but murmur "mmm" with every bite. The presentation was, of course, stunning, with flavors that matched the beauty on the plate. I can't wait to return and experience the dining room next. I highly recommend adding Protégé to your "Best of the Bay" list.

Protégé is a New American casual restaurant that offers both an a la carte and a tasting menu…read more We made reservations in advance, and we were excited to check this place out for dinner. Our party went for the a la carte option to order a variety of dishes to share, rather than to be restricted to options. We tried: +the Milk Bread - served with Stepladder Creamery cultured butter and Balinese sea salt +the 'Fish & Chips' - prepared with hamachi, Asian pear, red curry, and pickled jalapenos +Crab and Caviar - with dungeness crab, Protégé reserve caviar, and yuzu sabayon +and, the A5 Wagyu Tataki - with black sesame crackers, enoki mushrooms, and karashi For my entree, I tried the Flannery Beef Short Rib, which was served with sunchoke 'hash', charcoal-grilled king trumpet mushrooms, horseradish, and pimenton; I also tried one's Blackened Monkfish and the 'Peas and Carrots.' Everything was well-presented and aesthetically-pleasing, service was on point, and they checked upon our large party often. The restaurant itself is well-decorated, with nice photographs on the wall; request for the tufted seating, as it's more comfortable. +attentive staff +a la carte and tasting menu offered +reservations accepted

The food is good and ambiance is nice! I have been 6+ times for the food. However, unfortunately I…read morehave to take a few stars off for the service. Just overall, the people who work here are not very nice. Right at the start, the host/manager ignores you as you are awkwardly waiting to tell them you have a reservation. They just tap away on their iPads without looking up. I have had the same server multiple times, and every time I feel like my family is bothering her by just asking if she can take our order. I'm usually really patient with this kind of stuff when the restaurant is busy, but this happens when the restaurant is almost empty. For the price point, the service needs substantial improvement.

We had a wonderful dinner at Zola. There are many seating options at this restaurant. You can sit…read moreoutside, in the bar area (at the bar or small tables), and a couple of dining rooms. We were seated in the bar area at some tables. The bar is impressive. It's filled to the ceiling with different bottles. We felt like we had to try a cocktail to start. Our bartender was great and even went off menu for some of our drinks. The staff was very friendly and attentive. Once we were seated we got some appetizers to get us started. We ordered chickpea panisse, French onion soup, goat cheese mousse, and the apple salad. Everything was delicious. My favorite was the chickpea panisse. It looked like fried tofu, but it was so delicately soft in the center. The aioli that came with it was great too. My second favorite was the goat cheese mousse. It was beautifully presented and a good balance of flavors. For main dishes, we got a variety of things. We got salmon, hanger steak, flat iron steak, and poulet roti. Everything was delicious. I think the flat iron steak was preferred over the hanger, but both were good. I thought the chicken was delicious. It seemed braised with a lot of flavor. It was a generous portion with a large salad. It was very well done. We also got a couple of sides of macaroni and cheese. Those didn't disappoint. They came in hot iron skillets and were hearty and delicious. For dessert we got the mousse au chocolat. The mousse with ice cream was a great combination. The dessert was well balanced. We thoroughly enjoyed our evening. The staff was great, the food was delicious, and the vibe was fun.