Shepherd & Sims — Restaurant in Los Gatos

We were celebrating Father’s Day and enjoying our meal when we discovered a long black hair baked into the crust of an empanada. It was shocking and extremely unpleasant. Our server handled it well, she apologized sincerely, informed the chef, and took the item off the bill. We appreciated her professionalism.

What was disappointing, however, was that the manager never came over to speak with us, despite being informed. The hair wasn’t just on the surface, it was cooked into the food, which raises serious concerns about kitchen hygiene. We didn’t make a scene or ask for anything beyond basic acknowledgment, but we were clearly shaken.

As we were leaving, I approached the manager, Anna, to express our concern. Her response was dismissive and borderline accusatory, stating it was a black hair (all of us have black hair) and we noticed the hair too late as we were finishing up our meal, implying that we may have put it there ourselves. I wish we had X-ray vision to inspect our food beforehand. To be questioned like that after spending over $300 on a special meal was incredibly insulting.

When we called later to get the manager’s name, Anna backtracked and denied implying anything with an attitude.

This was not just about a hair in the food, it was about how poorly the situation was handled by management. We won’t be returning. If I could give zero...

Great first impression, the quality of food is definitely in line with expectations. Service was accommodating and friendly.

More suggestions and observations than criticisms:

1. The second round of drinks (Negroni and Martini) were either stirred too long, or the bartender used ice that was sitting in the Well all night. They have a barback, but it falls on the bartender to communicate with the barback or simply refill the Well with fresh ice themselves. If they expected orders to slow down after the first rush, half a container of fresh ice would suffice.
2. Also, drinks sat in the service Well for at least five minutes as multiple people (manager and other servers walked past or continued their closing sidework). The bartender working the Well should communicate with someone to run drinks that sit in the Well for a lengthy amount of time, but failed to do so. Considering bartenders are tipped out from servers, it is their responsibility to facilitate the flow of drinks to the dining room. It is unfair to the servers and gusts when a bartender becomes complacent knowing they are tipped out regardless.
3. I prefer to see Servers doing their closing sidework (e.g. making roll-ups and polishing silverware) in the back of the house and away from the guests.

Overall, a strong first impression at a top...

We celebrated my husband’s birthday at this restaurant, and while the atmosphere was great, we encountered a significant issue. We ordered a customized cake but didn’t plan to cut it at the restaurant since we live nearby. However, with two toddlers, you never know if they might want some cake. Before cutting it, I asked the waitress about their policy, as there’s a “$4 per person if you bring your own dessert” fee. She assured me there would be no charge if they didn’t cut it for us.

After having the cake, the waitress informed us she was mistaken and that there would be a $4 per person charge (we were 5 adults, 2 four-year-olds, and 1 infant). I felt this was unfair as I made my decision based on her initial information. When I asked to speak with the manager, a short-haired girl, she was argumentative and implied it was my fault. She mentioned twice, “This is how we make money.”

We were offered a reduced fee of $2 per person, but the principle of the matter remained. Mistakes happen, but businesses should take responsibility for them, not pass the burden onto customers. Additionally, they charged a cake-cutting fee for my 10-month-old infant, who does not eat cake.

Overall, this experience left me very upset, and I don’t feel they value their...