The Bywater — Restaurant in Los Gatos

Gumbo is the reason to come here along with the rosé. The Bywater in Los Gatos, CA, is a Michelin guide restaurant known for its New Orleans-inspired cuisine, but based on my recent visit, it didn't fully live up to its reputation, especially considering the steep price.

I dined on the patio, which, despite the pleasant outdoor setting, was marred by a persistent problem with flies. This distraction significantly impacted the overall dining experience, making it difficult to fully enjoy the meal.

The evening began with a glass of Gassac Rosé ($15), which was delightful, light, and crisp—an ideal start to the meal. The cup of gumbo ($11) that followed was rich and flavorful, packed with the deep, smoky notes you'd expect from a well-crafted gumbo. It had just the right balance of spice and heartiness, setting very high expectations for the rest of the meal.

The watermelon poke ($14) was a refreshing and innovative take on a traditional poke, with the sweetness of the watermelon contrasting beautifully with the savory elements. This dish was a standout, showcasing the kitchen's creativity and ability to balance flavors in a unique way.

Unfortunately, the meal took a downturn with the market fish ($38), which was the most expensive dish of the evening and the most disappointing. The fish itself lacked the crispy exterior that typically enhances texture, leaving it somewhat limp and underwhelming. The broth accompanying the fish was bland and unmemorable, failing to elevate the dish in any meaningful way. Additionally, the grits served alongside were unusually large-grained, which made for a less enjoyable texture than the creamy, smooth grits one might expect. This dish felt like a significant misstep, especially at its price point.

The meal concluded on a high note with the beignet ($12), which was light, fluffy, and perfectly sweet. It provided a comforting, satisfying end to the dinner and reminded me why The Bywater has earned its spot in the Michelin guide.

Service throughout the evening was attentive and professional, which helped to somewhat offset the issues with the food. However, the presence of flies on the patio was a major distraction that detracted from the overall experience.

The bathroom was nice except the faucet needs to be replaced or deep cleaned. Photos attached.

In summary, while The Bywater excels in certain areas—particularly with its innovative starters and excellent service—the inconsistency in execution, especially with the main course, and the environmental issue of flies on the patio make it hard to justify the high cost. At over $100 for a solo meal, I expected a flawless experience, but the reality fell short. For those considering dining here, I would recommend sticking to the appetizers and desserts, which seem to be the restaurant's strengths, and perhaps opting for indoor seating to avoid the...

The service was great, however, food on my recent visit was not living up to how I remembered it. Last time, I got the special--a whole fish fried served with a Vietnamese-inspired slaw. It was so absolutely delicious, and creative, and unique that I thought it captured a beautiful point about Nola and the influencing cultures in the region. I was curious about other specials, but the most recent night we went there were no specials. I've had the fried chicken, po boys, and gumbo from The Bywater. They're generally good, but a bit one note for me.

This night, I ordered fried chicken. The portion sizes dramatically changed. Previously, it was a generous portion with 3 large, whole parts. This time I got 1 medium drumstick and 1 breast tender (not to be confused with a whole breast). I paid $20 for a small cup of beans with bacon and 2 pieces of chicken. Why wasn't this entree $14-$16 for 2 pcs? It was more lunch-sized than dinner-sized. It was fabulously breaded and well-seasoned, but strangely, the drumstick was dry and the chicken tender moist! (I usually like dark meat because it tends to be moist compared to white meat.)

The Dave's Famous Fried Mortadella sandwich was a hot mess, in a bad way. The bun was some soft bread that fell apart because of all the juices. If the bread was toasted, it needed more toasting. As soon as you picked it up, the bread would fall apart in your hands. I thought each component would be fried and assembled together, but it seemed only one part was pan-fried and the rest of it tasted like a warmed cold cut sandwich. The sandwich came with nothing on the side, not even a pickle spear.

I'm not sure why the food was so terrible compared to the last two times. Thankfully, The Bywater continues to have good raw oysters that are cheaper than most places (1 dz =$34). The "mignonette sauce" was a disaster. Do they put bbq rub in a cup of vinegar? Are they trying to cajun-up the mignonette sauce like that? It just tasted like spicy, smokey vinegar that didn't enhance or complement the oysters. Whoever was shucking that night was 9 for 12 for getting shell shards in our oysters. The mignonette sauce was so awful and I was tired of finding shell bits that I didn't want to risk ordering another dozen.

If you want stiff drinks, every cocktail I've had here will knock you hard. They're not particularily subtle or complex even though the menu makes them seem that way. The gin fizz here is not the frothy version.

Maybe brunch is the way to go or--only dining when they have a blackboard special. I want to love this place and come back often, but there were too many things wrong. It might be a while until I give them a...

Digs: 4* | Food: 2* | Service: 4*

Based on the prices and David Kinch’s reputation, our party of four, who collectively have lived near Louisiana for decades, expected an inspired yet authentic, high-end New Orleans–style meal. What we got was…well, not that.

To be fair, the service, music, and decor were excellent, and so was the extensive cocktail selection. The food was another story.

It seems that lately in NorCal, it is trendy to try and stuff as much fat as possible into every dish. (Maybe all their food neuroses make people feel that fat’s the only way they can truly indulge themselves.) Anyway, that trend seems in full swing at The Bywater. Here are some examples. 1) There is, and should be, a difference between a biscuit and a pie crust. However, you won’t find it here. I’ve eaten my share of excellent, mouth-watering biscuits; this one wasn’t even a biscuit. 2) I love Benedicts. Ordered the only one available, bacon and avocado (even though the avocado gave it away as a Californization). First, the bacon, which rightfully should have been ham, was actually more like pork belly. There wasn’t much of it and—notice a theme?—it was, of course, mostly fat. 3) The dish was positively drowning in an almost cheese-like yellow sauce tasting nothing like Hollandaise. 4) The only redeeming feature of the dish was some spicy bits (pimiento?) in the avocado—MORE FAT—which shouldn’t have been there in the first place.

One mildly annoying service-related thing is that the Benedict came on two “biscuits,” and if our server had told me that beforehand, I wouldn’t have ordered a separate “biscuit” to try it out.

As for everyone else: one of our party begged me repeatedly for some of my Benedict, then had absolutely nothing to say about it afterward. Likewise his smoked trout omelette. Another at our table had the “hot link” po boy, which was full of pork sausage with zero (that’s ZEEE-RO) spice. The third had the only successful dish of the morning, the shrimp and avocado remoulade.

For dessert we got beignets and they were also (a) not special, (b) extra-fat. Beignets are typically not burned and crunchy on the edges…but this is apparently how one stuffs a beignet with extra fat.

To sum up, only one of us liked our food and no one said they would return. If you’re looking for a California artiste’s vaguely New Orleans-inspired, fat-filled fantasy, make a reservation here. If you’re looking for a stellar taste of New Orleans, save your money and...