Telefèric Barcelona Los Gatos — Restaurant in Los Gatos

TELEFERIC not so terrific

TL; DR Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me. We won’t be back, nor should you.

——— Background ——— The first time we went to Teleferic was within the first few months they opened. Not great, but understandable, since they were fine tuning their menu.

Second time we went there it had improved.

Our third through seventh times they were pretty good, except for a visit my wife had about a year ago and had a bad experience with them taking 30 minutes for a server to come to their table just to get their first order.

——— Today ——— Today (a Monday) we experienced less than stellar service - similar in some ways to what my wife previously experienced, but actually worse.

We were seated at our reserved time, and within 5 minutes a manager took our drink order. About 10 minutes later (15 minutes after we were seated) a waitress took our food order and acknowledged that we hadn’t received our drinks.

About 15 minutes after that (25 minutes later), our drinks were delivered- a flight of sangria. Except the specific one we didn’t order (spicy sangria) was in our flight in place of a rose sangria. We queried the person delivering it, pointing out the small green chili on top. He insisted it was rose sangria. So, we accepted it - thinking it was odd, but we let it go.

Our first tapas — cauliflower — arrived about 15 minutes later (~30 minutes after ordering ). The portions seemed smaller than on previous visits. Our second tapas - masala meatballs- came 10 minutes later (~40 minutes after we ordered).

——— So, what’s the deal? ——— Shortly after, I managed to flag down both our waitress and the manager as they passed by and asked them to confirm the names of our remaining sangrias. They confirmed one was the Telefèric sangria and the other was the spicy sangria - so we pointed out we were supposed to have received a rose sangria. The waitress apologized, and offered to bring us the correct one, but we declined given how slow service had been and our need to leave soon. I also asked what was going on, since in the past they have been prompt with food, and their excuse was that 3 people had quit that day. It’s questionable whether that was true, but a simple fix would have been to reduce capacity if they lacked the bandwidth to serve guests properly.

——— Food quality ——— The cauliflower was good, albeit a meager amount. The meatballs were good, and we hadn’t tried them before. The sangrias were pretty good, though we didn’t get to taste the rose which we had wanted to try for the first time.

——— Meanwhile elsewhere ——— Next to us on either side we observed people ordering tapas and then more tapas and having them all brought before our first one was brought. Even their dessert was brought before we received our second tapas.

——— The ending ——— When they asked if we wanted anything else, including dessert, we declined, explaining we needed to leave soon to go pick up our daughter. The check came, and surprisingly they didn’t proactively remove the cost of the messed up sangria order - at which point we requested an adjustment - they removed 1/3 the price of the sangria flight of 3, which was appropriate, though at that point a somewhat meritless gesture given we had to ask and waste more time.

We had planned to order at least one or two more tapas, plus dessert, but with the slow service, this was impossible - as we had 1:15 of time allotted.

We...

Hello, my fellow gastronomy aficionados! I’m here to whisk you away on yet another culinary escapade, this time to the charming town of Los Gatos, CA. Our destination? Telefèric, a Spanish restaurant that's been creating quite the buzz. As a self-proclaimed gourmet foodie and wine enthusiast, my excitement was palpable as I approached this much-talked-about spot. I'm not going to lie to you if I tell you that this is my third time on Telefèric, Los Gatos and it won't be the last.

The first thing that struck me as I walk into Telefèric was the vibrant, welcoming atmosphere. The lively chatter of diners, the clinking of glasses, and the intoxicating aroma of Spanish cuisine set the stage for what I hoped would be an unforgettable evening.

I began my culinary journey with a classic - the Jamón Ibérico. The presentation was a work of art, with thin slices of this exquisite ham elegantly fanned out on the plate, accompanied by crisp breadsticks. The taste? Sublime. The ham melted on my tongue, a perfect balance of nuttiness and saltiness, leaving me craving more.

Next up was the Paella, a dish I always look forward to with anticipation. At Telefèric, it was served traditionally in a large, shallow pan, brimming with saffron-infused rice, a medley of seafood, and an assortment of meats. Each bite was a burst of flavor, the rice perfectly al dente, and the seafood fresh and succulent. It was, without a doubt, a paella that would make any Spaniard proud.

As a wine connoisseur, my attention naturally drifted to their wine selection. Telefèric’s wine list was a delightful surprise, showcasing a well-curated selection of Spanish wines. I opted for a glass of Rioja, which turned out to be an excellent choice. The wine's deep red hue and complex bouquet of dark fruits, vanilla, and oak were the perfect companions to my meal, enhancing each dish's flavors.

The highlight of the evening, however, was the Tapas. From the crispy, Ham & Crab croquettes to the tender, flavor-packed Pulpo a la Gallega, each tapa was a revelation. The croquetas were creamy on the inside and crunchy on the outside, while the octopus was cooked to perfection, its smokiness complemented by a dash of paprika.

As the evening progressed, the impeccable service at Telefèric only added to the experience. The staff were knowledgeable and passionate, offering insights into each dish and wine, which I, as a gourmet enthusiast, greatly appreciated.

But what truly set Telefèric apart was the attention to detail in every aspect - from the food's authenticity and presentation to the warm, inviting ambiance. It was a dining experience that transported me to the heart of Spain, without ever leaving Los Gatos.

As I concluded my meal with a delectable Crema Catalana, a Spanish version of crème brûlée, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction. Telefèric had not only met but exceeded my expectations. It was a reminder of why I embark on these culinary journeys - to explore, to savor, and to be inspired.

And so, with a content heart and a palate rich with the flavors of Spain, I bid farewell to Telefèric. To all my fellow food lovers and wine connoisseurs, I recommend adding Telefèric to your list of must-visit culinary destinations. It's a place where every dish tells a story, every sip of wine sings, and every moment is a celebration of the rich, vibrant spirit of...

We arrived around 6 PM. Restaurant was about half full when we arrived, though it was hopping by the time we left. It took quite a while for a waiter to finally show up. My wife was able to observe that a couple of waiters were in debate over who was responsible for our table. With that sorted out amongst themselves, our waiter finally arrived. Not knowing when the waiter might come back, rather than just start with cocktails (which were excellent), we told the waiter we were ready to order everything.

The good stuff: The crab croquettes were delicious. Crispy and warm, with some sashimi tuna slowly warming up on top. The Cali-Flower was good. Battered and deep fried with a sort of remoulade sauce. Not terribly unique, but well cooked. The water server - A shout out to the water server, they had their act together.

The other stuff: Special of the week: tempura blossom. These were zucchini blossoms stuffed with goat cheese, deep fried in tempura batter, and then topped with honey. 5 stars for creativity/ambition. Unfortunately, we got a soggy and rather limp tempura blossom. It should have been the first thing out of the kitchen to our table, but it arrived "after awhile", maybe it sat on the kitchen counter until someone realized it needed to be delivered. Another frustration was that we were told the special is one flower, so we ordered 2 (rather expensive at that point, but we had had similar order a month ago in Italy and loved it). When the plates arrived, each had 2 flowers. We did get comped for one of the plates. Appears there was confusion between the kitchen and management that caused this mix up. Fair enough on the comp, but don't serve soggy tempura. Seafood Paella (Paella Negra): The high points were the rice and octopus. Lots of good flavor in the rice, and the octopus pieces were perfectly tender. The low points were the rather frugal quantity of little bitty bay scallops (I think I counted 4), and similar on the baby clams. Overcooked, they just didn't have a lot of flavor. The lowest point of the evening was the shrimp on the Paella. It lacked any flavor and had a mealy consistency which was unpleasant. We couldn't finish them. I had to do a bit of research to figure out why this might happen. Appears that cooking them too long is the most likely answer, though excessive freezing and thawing may also contribute. The over cook would also explain the scallops and clams. The seafood just didn't scream fresh.

We visited on the advice of friends, who really enjoyed themselves. And from the reviews, the restaurant appears to be very well liked. All of which made the evening so...