South Fork Grille El Dorado Hills — Restaurant in California

The SF Grille has been open now for a few months and we finally decided give it a try.  I have a lot of specific details to share that may not apply or appeal to everyone.  First, the low 3-star review is only because my wife and I were very disappointed with both of our entrees, but just about everything else was good to great.  Been in the EDH for 25 years and our all time favorite resturants were Masque (before they lost their chef) and the original Cafe Campenelle (before the owner downsized and moved next to the theaters).  We have had generally good experiences at both Sienna and Land Ocean (same owners) over the years and had high hopes.  This is the best location in Town Center, but the space has been plagued by prior failures.  Bistro 33 was decent, but never quite lived up to the original 33rd Street Bisstro in downtown Sac.  The Osterio Moto was a disaster.

I was very impressed with the make-over and vibe of the new resturant.  For me, a great resturant experience is a perfect blend of ambiance and great food, and I feel they nailed it on the ambiance.  The new orientation and appearance of the hostess station (huge improvement) when you walk in actually gives you the impression of a fine dining establishment.  We went on  a Friday night and the resturant was bustling and noisy, just like it should be (too many reviews griped about noise level).  If you're looking for a quiet romantic dining experience, the noise factor will be an issue at prime times and that should be expected.  I have nothing but good comments about all of the staff.  Everyone was professional and very attentive.  The bar drinks were OK.  Suprised that the expansive bar did not carry Bombay Saphire Gin.  Was offered a gin brand we had never even heard of as a "comparable" substitute, but it was not the same.  Being a huge fan of the skillet cornbread at the old Banderas resturant in Fair Oaks, I was excited to try their very similar version.  It did not disappoint, and for me, was the food highlight of the evening.  Only disappointment was that we shared one skillet among the four people at our table and I found myself wanting more than my 1/4 share.  Wish I had just ordered another skillet for myself as my entree.  My ceaser salad was above par, but the dressing on my wife's dinner salad was way too acidic.  Our guest friends had been to the restaurant once before and knew to order the Brandy Drunken Steak, which they both appeared to enjoy.  My wife's salmon was way overcooked, bland, and with too little sauce.  She rated it as two stars.  Had we not been dining with invited guests (did not want to make a scene in front of them), she would have sent it back.  I like the Spice Crusted Ahi at their Land Ocean resturant, so I went with the Hawaiian Spiced Ahi Tuna on the menu.  The best part of the dish was that the ahi was was cooked perfectly -  well seared on the outside and rare on the inside.  However, the tuna was lacking spice and flavor, and the redish colored sauce on the plate did not help.  The macadamia nut, curry rice was rather bland and also did not really help with the flavor profile.  Would personally rate as a three-star miss compared to the LO version.  Dessert was awesome.  Both couples ordered the huge slice of Coffee Ice Cream Pie and the plates were cleaned.  Overall, the dining experience was good and we will return for more cornbread and to try some...

The first time in, although we do dine at the other restaurants they own. Very excited to be celebrating some holiday cheer with friends. First impression, gal at the door (younger) with long dark hair- she was delightful. Friendly and nice. Great first impression. I sat at the bar waiting for my friends to arrive. BAR STAFF was wonderful. Adrian was so friendly and nice. Happy and smiling, that always starts the dinner off right. We were seated promptly and our server came over promptly. The place was fairly busy about the time we sat down (approx 5:30P). Our server Amber came over and she seemed VERY STRESSED. Written all over her face. I wanted her to know, we are not a stressful table, we are a great group of people. I told her that and she seemed VERY uninterested in my support for her. Our drinks and food were wonderful and they were definitely hopping by 6P. (on a weekday, good for them) Amber did come over a few times, but I must say, she did not make any type of impression on us. I do not remember one smile from her the whole time we were there. (smiles are free!) It just seemed she was "doing her job" but not very happy about it. Maybe just a bad night for her, but service can make or break your experience. I tipped our server as I would a great server, as I enjoy having someone take care of me while out. I do know what a hard job it is. I hope the management will see this review and maybe have a conversation...

First visit here with my wife, daughter, and her friend. We gave it a few weeks before trying so that they could iron out the kinks in a new restaurant. Seems like they need a few more weeks. The beer selection is minimal, the wine selection so-so, but they seem to have a good cocktail selection. The cornbread appetizer was good, although it had a strange taste on the bottom from the pan it was in. We all ordered entrees, and everyone seemed to like theirs. I ordered the roast chicken gnocchi and was very disappointed. On the first try, the plate was missing the gnocchi but instead had some small and some large croutons on the dish. After telling the Waiter, the Manager came to the table to apologize and said he would take care of it. I assumed I would get a new dish but instead, he brought out a dish of what could only be described as deep-fried potato flower cakes. I asked the Waiter for clarification and about 5-10 minutes later the same Manager came out and proceeded to tell me how this was a learning moment for the kitchen but he assured me that the gnocchi was excellent in the past and he would take care of it. By taking care of it he rightly so did not charge me for the dish. I felt he could have at least comped my beer as I walked out without having a meal. What a terrible experience and I do not plan to give it another shot as the manager gave me the vibe that I was an annoyance more than anything and he didn't need...