Oak + Violet — Restaurant in Menlo Park

Oak + Violet in Menlo Park has a lot of potential, but my recent solo dining experience fell a bit short. The atmosphere is fantastic - beautiful indoor and outdoor seating with live jazz music creates a truly relaxing and cozy vibe. The outdoor area can get chilly around sunset, but they thoughtfully offer heated lamps to keep diners comfortable.

The staff was undeniably friendly. The host was very accommodating, especially since I was dining solo on a night with mostly larger tables. I offered to sit at the bar to make it easy, but the host told me that he could definitely honor my preference if I wanted to sit outside and that it wouldn't be a problem at all. I really appreciated that. Unfortunately, communication with my server could have been much better.

After a long day, I was craving gnocchi and saw it listed on their menu. Here's where things went awry:

Menu Miscommunication: The gnocchi dish was described as "Pan Seared Gnocchi | Arugula, Pesto, Cherry Tomato, Mushrooms, Ricotta Salata." The comma between "arugula" and "pesto" made it seem like they were separate ingredients. I requested the gnocchi without arugula, which the server initially confirmed was possible.

Missed Communication: What wasn't clear on the menu, and unfortunately not communicated by the server, was that the pesto sauce itself contained arugula. This resulted in my gnocchi arriving plain, with no sauce at all. Only after it was already cooked and served did the server explain the situation. I did try the gnocchi but I dont want to review it

By the time the miscommunication was addressed, my appetite had waned. While the server apologized and offered solutions, I opted to skip the meal altogether and leave.

Overall, Oak + Violet gets 3 stars from me. The ambiance is lovely, the staff is friendly, and the live music adds a special touch. However, the menu could be clearer, and communication between staff and customers needs improvement. If they address these areas, they could be a great option for a relaxing and...

The waiters and chefs were understaffed and massively over worked. Apparently you had the bartender waiting tables because of a staffing shortage. Only 2 chefs were in the kitchen for the entire restaurant. It’s extremely irresponsible for an establishment to overwork their staff in this manner. Capacity should be held at what the staff can and should be expected to handle. Two people ordered the gnocchi at our table. They received two entirely different plates. One was a plate full of bacon and literally about 2 cups of sauce and the other was much more gnocchi and an appropriate amount of sauce. This is what happens when an establishment is more concerned about financial gain over the actual standard of the restaurant. At the very beginning I asked to turn on the propane heater. I was told no because it was too dangerous. A man came and proceeded to leave the propane running long enough to send a literal plume of fire across our table mere inches from my actual face. Yes, those heaters are dangerous and had I been allowed to start it myself instead of someone who didn’t know what they were doing , we would have been much much safer. You got a problem with the restaurant. You need to fix that. Server was amazing tho. He...

Not bad for a hotel restaurant, Oak + Violet has a nice outdoor patio and they also had live music on a weekday evening. Some dishes were better than others, overall the service was not bad but our dinner took quite a while.

I came here with a large group of coworkers and we ended up getting seated at a tall table (which wouldn't have been my preference since I'm petite, so my feet dangled a bit).

I really enjoyed the salad with burrata cheese and fresh tomatoes. The brussels sprouts and shishito peppers were about average. We also shared the charcuterie board - the jam was the most interesting part with something surprising about the flavor. I wish the salmon entree had a little more spice to it, the fish was cooked well but a little bland. The New York cheesecake slice with mango was a nice finish to the meal with a super...