Shenandoah At the Arbor — Restaurant in Los Alamitos

Below is the email I sent to Shenandoah's on July 2nd which remains unanswered to this date. Since that time, both my husband and younger son tested positive for COVID-19. I would like to share the experience we had on Saturday, June 20th, that make us hesitant to return to Shenandoah even when you reopen, after decades of enjoying your delicious food, excellent service and lovely environment.

As a treat to my husband, our daughter and I decided to take him to dinner for the first time in 3 months at a known and safe location close to home. I called and made a reservation well in advance and checked to see that precautions were made in accordance with the state reopening of restaurants. I was assured this was the case.

Upon arriving for our 7:30 reservation, I was surprised to see two parties waiting for their tables in the indoor and outdoor waiting areas not wearing masks, in spite of the June 18th state mask order. I could tell by their demeanors and words that they were happily defying the mask order and no one at the restaurant addressed it even though there were signs posted at all entrances. To be frank, we should have left at that moment but not wanting to disappoint my husband, we remained waiting outdoors away from the other unmasked patrons and were quickly seated. Once seated, of course, we enjoyed a delicious dinner with an attentive and pleasant server. However, while dining we noticed even more parties exiting and arriving without masks (of course, everyone taking them off to eat)- including the table next to us with extended family from across at least 3 households whose adolescents walked around the table close to ours playing. Additionally, several servers (not ours, however) had their masks on improperly, with their masks down below their noses. Our server brought my husband’s beer and opened it for him with her bare hands, which, in retrospect, we should have asked her to bring him another one that he could wipe down and open himself.

My point in telling you all of this is that last Saturday my husband began feeling ill and by Sunday was running a fever of 103. He is currently quarantined in our home, on his 5th day of fevers and a painful cough and will be tested tomorrow for COVID-19- which his doctor feels will certainly come out positive.

It is possible that he picked it up elsewhere, but, honestly, he has only left the house one other time in the fourteen days prior to becoming sick.

All of this to say that that, prior to this new closure, you jeopardized your loyal customers’ health due to either fear of enforcing the state mask rule (and other restaurant guidelines enacted by the state) or a disregard for your patrons for some other unknown reasons. As a resident of Los Alamitos and decade-old patron of Shenandoah, I find...

I don’t know what made me choose to come here, I think it might’ve been a picture of somebody else posting about free apple fritters. I do know that it was 100% worth it to come here tonight. My server’s name is Mary and she was absolutely wonderful and I asked multiple questions for some advice and ended up going with a perfect dinner. She help guide me towards getting the Texas trio appetizer, which consists of a single crab cake, two fried green tomatoes, and three shrimp with multiple sauces present. It was so good and what a great way to start my meal.

The free apple fritters and the rolls were perfect as well. They weren’t too heavy, they were nice and light and they complimented the food really well. It’s especially worth it to dip the rolls into the Texas Tree sauces, thanks Mary, you’re amazing.

I got the tortilla soup and it was well worth it, I’m not sure everything that went into it, but the flavor combination was really really good. It wasn’t too spicy, but it was seasoned perfectly. they had some homemade chips on top which really added a nice crunch and flavor as well.

The main course was the Cajun ribeye with garlic, mashed potatoes- it was cooked to a delicious medium rare, and the garlic mashed potatoes were to die for. It was at this point that I started to get mildly, if not insanely, full, but mom didn’t raise no quitter and even though I wanted to eat every bite of this food. I had to save room for crème brûlée so a Togo box was needed.

I finished off the meal with the a well sized portion of crème brûlée that was creamy with a nice crunchy sugar topping. Did I eat too much? Well of course I did, but was it absolutely amazing? You bet it was. The service was impeccable, I included a snapshot of the picture because I was just honestly curious what a high-end place like this would take. In regards to timing for Food and service I think they were right on the money. To have that much food, appetizer, soup, main course, and dessert and under an hour and be cooked so well I’m really impressed.

I also think my total bill of $74 was well worth it and for what I got appropriately priced. Everything was fresh, warm, plated beautifully and always had little garnishes to make visually along with tastefully pleasing.

I absolutely would come back here. Their menu had so many great options and it looks like they just do classic food really...

I am not sure why I kept overlooking Shenandoah when searching for a place to enjoy brunch.

Husband reminded me this past weekend and we finally we made it here just a little after they open at 11 am. Such a delight. There are indoor and outdoor seating. Weather was a bit breezy and cool this day, but we opted for outdoor patio seating that is so aesthetically pleasing. Big trees and a beautiful koi pond fill up the patio and make for a very peaceful dining. Love the shady trees. Perfect little secret garden dining around here!

First things first, we were served Shenandoah's famous hot apple fritters. So yummy, dusted in powdered sugar and served with a lightly honey-sweetened whipped butter. Pairs well with coffee.

To start we ordered some "stimulants":

artichoke hearts - Butter, Garlic, Wine, Scallions - yummy with fresh rolls. mmm

fried green tomatoes - Fried Green Tomatoes, Andouille, Tomato Coulis, Rémoulade - this was a meal in itself! It is very rich in taste and the tomatoes were excellent.

Rick's mushrooms - Butter, Garlic, Wine, Scallions

Tomatillo Chicken soup - so flavorful. Great with rolls.

All this was already a good amount of food, but we then split a crab cake melt - with sides of creole coleslaw and sweet potato fries. (super super tasty and rich. This meal is so filling. You will not need to eat for the rest of the day). I would have loved if there was a handful of arugula in the sandwich to balance out the richness.

It was a bit early for adult beverages, but all the rich foods required us to split a glass of wine. We chose an interesting red. They ran out of "Taken" so they served us an equivalent wine. Good one.

After all this we had no room for dessert. (and we also doggy bagged our leftovers. We will need to return and just order some dessert and coffee next time!

Service was nice and friendly. Food came out quickly too.

Parking: street parking + parking lot next to the patio...