Hello Everybody. I am Bob and this is my first post. I just came back from Lana's at the Hyatt Hills in Clark. Four of us ate, including my son and daughter, and I would like to give a report. The atmosphere is country club nice--a rather large room in beige-tones. The maitre-d' is welcoming and friendly. The room was about 2/3rds full and we were given a choice of tables (and picked one in front of the kitchen door--oh well). The menu is large, but there are no specials. The wine list has quite a few selections, and the by the glass pour is generous. You get a small carafe that works out to a glass and a half or so. I like that. The house Pinot Grigio was fruity and un-oaked, as it should be. A pre-dinner mini-appetizer of smoked salmon with Japanese veggies was offered over and above the menu selection. It was delicious even as we had already ordered two appetizers to share for the table: Smoked salmon with Japanese veggies and a Mediteranean Antipasto of Prosciutto, Soprasato (or how you spell), Mortadella, two cheeses, two kinds of olives, roasted peppers, and nice lightly cured anchovies. For main courses we had, respectively, rib steak with pommes frites, seared salmon (I know; redundant twice over!); linguine with white clam sauce, and some kind of pasta Bolognese. We shared a bottle of Carneros Creek Pinot Noir that was fairly priced and very full bodied--with a real Burgundian robe. We also got a mini carafe of the house Oregon Pinot Noir (which was OK, but not nearly up to the Carneros Creek). Two deserts, were ordered, both the warm chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and rose hips were devoured, along with coffee and espresso among the four of us. It was a good evening. Strong points: The atmosphere was very nice and the food quality was mainly good. My salmon (the dinner plate) was a little more cooked than I had ordered, but it was very flavorful. The port-wine reduction worked very well with the Pinot Noir. The rib steak was full of flavor and appropriately marbelized (don't tell your cardiologist, or your mad cow witch doctor!). The two pasta dishes were consumed without complaint; I was given one clam to eat and it was succulent. Weak points: There is a long wait between courses. If you don't mind sipping wine and conversing, it is not a problem. It would be less a problem if you did not have your children with you (as we did), or if it were a byo place and you did not have to pay for the extra wine, BUT, all in all it was not such a problem. The other week points are minor and correctable. The butter was ROCK hard, and there were no salt shakers on the table. With the rib steak and pommes frites a LITTLE salt would have been welcome (at least for me; at least the option should be there) Overall rating: I will go back. I think it is a nice, medium up-scale place with decent food and good atmosphere. I would like to hear from other people.
