KIN Windsor — Restaurant in Windsor

I wanted to like this place and we were looking forward to dinner. I ordered risotto with roasted corn, sumner squash and was talked into getting some salmon on top. I got a plate of lifeless rice, no Parmesan in it, completely overcooked and dried under the heating lamps. There were large pieces of summer squash, onions and eggplant on top. Not a risotto. When I told the waitress this was not a risotto and reluctantly sent it back (none of the vegetables were even seasoned), she gaslit me. “You read the menu wrong. We use seasonal vegetables. You looked at an old menu online.” I told her nope, not a risotto, it wasn’t the right rice, it wasn’t creamy, it had no Parmesan, etc etc and she kept gaslighting me. Eventually the waitress who took our order came over as I politely sent the meal back and agrees, it wasn’t the risotto. She had grabbed the wrong meal. She put risotto in the system but didn’t serve me risotto. I had a small order of Mac and cheese that lacked even basic salt or prepper and was also flavorless. The two waitresses talked under their breath how to ease the ego of the chef, who evidentially was angry I sent back the fake risotto. Long story short, they later bring out a massive risotto. That too was completely flavorless. The corn was clearly from a can. It neither had the char or rough cut you get from a roster corn kernel. Each kernel was complete (roasted corn cut off the cob isn’t a full, intact kernel) and was bright yellow. No smokiness, also flavorless. I would rather have smaller portions that taste amazing than a major blob that tastes of nothing. I didn’t want to send it back twice so I just asked for the food to be boxed and leave. The waitress, incredibly, said why should I box it if you aren’t going to eat it? Well, you are charging for it and I will try to add spices at home, so yes, box it up. If I want to give it to my dog, I paid for it. Geez. No discount for the bad food. I had to ask four times for water and only got it well after the food was boxed as I waited for my fiancé to finish his glass of wine. I left an 18% tip after all that gaslighting and that’s $130 that was watered. Don’t make the same mistake. This is a skip for sure. I posted the pic of the meal the waitress told me was risotto and intimated I didn’t know what a risotto was…...

I usually just leave bad experiences alone instead of writing a review, but this one is different. I really wanted to love KIN as it was recommended to us by a local. The menu looked great, and the reviews were solid, but our experience was terrible.

For starters, we were seated in a back corner and didn't see a waiter for over 10 minutes after being seated, no water, no drink order, nothing. I walked back to the front to find the host but she was absent as well.

Once the waiter showed up, we ordered the brussel sprouts appetizer (which were dry, needed some balsamic or something, but still had good flavor) and they came out quick fortunately. My wife and I both ordered separate pizzas, and the crust dough on both was raw in the center. I would've told our waiter, but she was nowhere to be found again for 10-15 minutes and we were hungry so we ate around it--what we could eat was delicious! Finally, after finishing we just wanted to pay the check and leave, but our waiter ignored the table for, you guessed it--15 more minutes at least. I had to stand and step to a more visible area of the restaurant to get any sort of attention despite other staff being nearby as well.

I really hate to leave this sort of review...but something needs to change at KIN before I'd ever go back. Thankfully we're tourists, so I guess they don't need to worry about us again. Hopefully it doesn't happen to...

This is a good enough, just a little bit better than ordinary, typical northern California American restaurant. The prices are modest enough. The menu covers all the typical territory you'd expect:. a bunch of familiar salads:. beets, Caeser, house (to which you can add chicken, shrimp, or salmon); a couple of pastas & the ubiquitous Mac & cheese; a handful of pizzas (a few with mystery "white sauce," and one horrifying Mac & cheese & bacon pizza! ?? The menu also has a few burgers, a few sandwiches (one promising sounding pear and brie sandwich); a respectable lobster risotto; and the predictable fish tacos, steak, pork chop, salmon, & chicken. The wine list is OK. They carry some good local beers, and plenty of cocktails to choose from.

The staff is competent. Collin recently served a table of 9 little old ladies with separate checks. He got every order & check correct, he was patient, cooperative, professional. And so cute. The cavernous dining rooms are a little off-putting, but the outside seating area is quite pleasant in a warm evening, or a nice sunny day. It's a big bar crowd, but it's also popular with families with kids. KIN won't win any awards for fine dining or most creative food, but it works. The portions are generous. Usually no wait time to be seated.

Also try KINSMOKE in Healdsburg. A relative restaurant, with amazing and...