Mentone — Restaurant in California

I had a very memorable experience at Mentone. I decided to ensue a fine dining date with my fiance to which we agreed on a local craze restaurant owned by a popular Michelin chef who owns a separate restaurant called Manresa which is world renowned and currently holds a 1 Michelin star in the Michelin guide. That being said my expectations for this restaurant were set high.

Upon entry you are met with a beautiful restaurant with the most extravagant Italian decorations inspired by the decorative art-styles of Italy.

Upon seating we were greeted by a number of various wait staff who poured ice cold water and read to us the specials. We then ordered drinks. I opted to try the martini, which I must say was absolutely delicious it was served with an olive and a high quality anchovy. The martini itself was smooth, not too strong, and very vibrant. Many different flavors all combined in this delicious cocktail and I was surprised beyond explanation. Arguably one of the best martinis I've had and this greatly benefits my appreciation for this resturant.

Moving on for appetizers we ordered what essentially was a chickpea pancake with parmesiano reggiano on top. The pancake itself was tender and flavorful. Paired with the rich sharp parmesiano reggiano the flavors exploded. This was by far one of the best starters I've had at any restaurant in santa cruz county.

For entrees i opted for the lamb ragu which was a pasta built out of hand crafted egg noodles in a delicious white sauce served with lamb and peas. Overall the dish was vibrant but was a bit bland. The noodles were tender and al dente, cooked to perfection. The sauce was nice, rich and light and paired well with the tender, but again bland lamb. Overall this dish wasn't the best I've had, it was good and paired well with most of the ingredients but slightly lacked in flavor. Still a delicious option though.

We also tried 2 different types of pizzas. The Banchetto di Carne (Italian for meat lovers or meat feast pizza) Which had a variety of different meats on top of rich robust marinara sauce on a soft airy dough wood-fired and served with parmesan. In my opinion all the meats paired well and I must say Mentone perfected their pizza dough. The 2nd pizza we tried was there margarita pizza which, though simple, was delicious, with all the flavorful elements and high quality ingredients combined this pizza excelled my expectations.

Overall my experience at Mentone was good, and I definitely recommend this restaurant to anybody looking for a fine dining experience to anybody in Santa Cruz. Is it worth driving 30 minutes for? Yes. Is it worth driving 3 hours for? Most likely not. But it is a great restaurant for what it is and I highly recommend it if your in the area and are looking for a top quality fine dining...

Visiting Mentone is about more than the sophisticated, Ligurian coast-inspired menu; it’s about enjoying an elevated dining experience unmatched in Santa Cruz County. The exterior is warm and welcoming, with a vibrant and friendly atmosphere just inside the doors. Upon entry, you are immediately greeted by the kind and professional hosts. We were promptly seated at a cozy booth, surrounded by what looked like carefully curated and unique art, enhancing the colorful, summertime-in-the-Riviera vibe. Our server was attentive and very knowledgeable, suggesting some culinary gems- the caesar salad with buttery croutons, perfectly cooked eggplant with calabrian chili pesto, and freshly made trenette pasta with their house bolognese to name a few. With our server’s guidance, we ordered a few appetizers, a pasta, an entree, and a pizza to share so we were able to try a bit of everything. It is rare when every item you order is remarkably good, and everything we ordered was fantastic. Each component of every dish was intentionally and thoughtfully selected to complement one another and had us savoring every last bite. Everything is made in house, and the care and craft is beautifully conveyed in the food. We finished our meal with some gelati and panettone. The fior di late gelato finished with the olive oil and sea salt will change your life. I was impressed by the creative seasonal bar offerings like the Fuyu, a delicious and well-balanced persimmon and Calpico cocktail that went exceptionally well with our appetizers. The bar program is one of the best in the county, featuring a wide selection of amari, unique wines from Italy, France, and local wineries, and a variety of different signature cocktails to suit any taste (I highly recommend any of the negroni riffs). The bar and food menu are a match made in heaven, perfectly capturing the fresh and vibrant characteristics of regional Ligurian cuisine.

It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to experience Chef Kinch’s exceptional creations and dine with the friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive...

Honestly I wanted to absolutely love Mentone but I was generally pretty disappointed. The TLDR is that the music was impossibly loud, the service pretty sloppy, and we received our entrees at drastically different times to the point where the others in my party had their food get cold waiting for mine to arrive.

I will say they were very kind to let us sit down since we arrive about 20 minutes before our scheduled reservation time. We were here to celebrate a birthday with a very small group which I had spoken with the staff about. Sadly nothing occurred, I would have hoped for some small token or recognition of the special celebration but there was nothing even after I reminded them. Also, be aware that the parking is nearly impossible, a tiny lot and the street area was over crowded as well.

I'll start with the good stuff. We began with the frozen spritz which was very good! The entree I had, the Tocco, was very delicious. Full of unctuous flavor, and perfectly cooked pasta. The pizza, Soppressata was also very tasty and generally enjoyable.

The stuff that wasn't great: our waiters were overly eager about pouring water and kept dripping all of the table as they kept topping off our waters which weren't even half empty. The music was incredibly loud and a strange blend of rock music that was grating to listen to. The Caesar salad had overly bitter radicchio that skewed the balance of the dish pretty dramatically. The gnocchi Genovese was almost entirely flavorless even though the gnocchi itself was made almost perfectly. The pesto was extremely plain and didn't stand up to the gnocchi in the dish. The biggest issue was the wait between the delivery of the entrees. The pizza came out first and five minutes later the gnocchi. Then I had to wait near twenty minutes for my Tocco which was obscene. The waitress who dropped it off just murmured a quick, sorry for the wait and scuttled off.

Overall there are definitely pros and cons. The pasta is immaculately made but major kinks in service and some...