STACKS Campbell — Restaurant in Campbell

Ok, I know it seems kind of harsh giving Stacks a 2 star review but unfortunately that’s where I ended up. THE GOOD THE BAD AND “well not really ugly” Let’s start with the service: the service was very good. Our waitress was very attentive, made no mistakes, had a beautiful smile “under her mask C; “ and actually engaged in small talk. 5 stars for her for sure.

Amount of food given: LOTS, you will not leave hungry, trust me on that one. Again 5 stars

Outside dining experience: we had a nice table for 2 and our own space heater, couldn’t ask for more 5 stars.

Coffee: just a good ole cup of coffee, nothing special 2.5 Stars “ solid C “

Food: I ordered my go to dish “one for f their specialty items” the Chicken Fried Steak; comes with 2 eggs, hash browns and a side; I opted for fruit. The presentation looked good, the eggs were cooked to perfection and the fruit was good. unfortunately the chicken fried steak and hash browns were lacking flavor. All that is, except the chicken fried steak “toppings” which had fresh cut green onions on top and overpowered my taste buds, I scraped them off and again the flavors fell completely flat even after adding black pepper; not even the ketchup helped, so I finally came to the conclusion that this is just going to be a substandard meal. I seriously contemplated giving them 3 stars because the service was outstanding but unfortunately the food just fell flat like...

Known for signature dishes featuring genuine crab (not artificial), such as crab crépes, crab melt sammy and another (I can’t remember since I still haven’t graduated from the crab crépes yet - even though the mere thought of the crab melt commands respect from wait-persons who have experienced it first-hand.

I have loved this place since my beloved wife/ex-wife Janet Lynn Greeley (maiden name) and I were together (may she rest in peace), and her brother Jim was general manager. Having a totally different crew now, but equally (and even more) lovely, Stacks somehow remains a favorite of locals and beyond. Maybe it’s the highest level of quality, ambiance and service - maybe it’s its uniqueness, maybe it’s its crab dishes, or maybe it’s my new favorite waitress, Veronica (she’s the icing on my cake, all that and a bag of canola-free chips!).

Speaking of canola oil, I’m fairly certain there’s not a drop of canola in the entire restaurant, ever.(It is a great idea to exclude canola - originally a wartime industrial oil - from food.)

Stacks has not changed the things that have worked. They haven’t lost touch or forgotten the elements of it’s success.

They have at least three locations (Campbell, Menlo Park and Redwood City). I’ve only visited the one, but am certain the others are as worthy.

Did I...

First time back since the world crashed. Had the 2 egg special with bacon (four pieces), potatoes, and toasted English muffin. My meal was lukewarm like it had been setting for awhile after being cooked. First it was my fault for not being specific, but the bacon didn't appear to be done (I forgot to ask for crisp) and the muffin was less than toasted, with a bit of butter in the middle of both halves. The bacon came back with two pieces crisp and two pieces rubbery/chewy; and it tasted like shoe leather, not salty/meaty bacon taste. Their potatoes are good but would be better if they were hot or even warm. My over easy eggs were done perfectly. There was a lot food on my plate. I left the bacon, all but one bite of the muffin, and half the potatoes. The server asked if I wanted a to-go box, I just said no since I'm traveling and I didn't think I could make it better after the fact.

Went back with friends (against my better judgment). An entirely different experience. The server was very accommodating on making some modifications to provide what I asked for - "something like a sausage egg McMuffin". Stacks gets a 10 for what I received. Turned out to be two English muffins with their link sausage with fruit and potatoes. Everything was piping...