COCO500

[eje]

My wife and I had a very nice meal at COCO500 last night.

Service was friendly and prompt.

Started with a couple cocktails. I ordered a negroni, which was perfectly executed, and my wife had an original cocktail called something like Persephone's knees. It was gin, pomegranate, and lemon. Could have used a touch more lemon and came off as a bit perfume-ey. Really the only slightly off note of the night.

To start we had their Brandade appetizer with fennel crackers. Delicious. We also had "The Wedge" which is a wedge of iceberg lettuce with a Point Reyes Blue Cheese Dressing, pickled onions, and bacon. Also delicious.

For mains, we had the catch of the day, roasted steelhead served with roasted vegetables, and the stuffed pork loin. The pork loin is stuffed with figs, gorgonzola, and walnuts served on a bed of tradivo and drizzled with aged balsamic. I was afraid it might be too sweet; but, the bitter greens nicely complemented the figs and balsamic. We have an ongoing competition, as to who orders the best mains. We called this one a draw. These courses were nicely complemented with a bottle of Joseph Swann Pinot Noir Cuvee de Trois.

For dessert we had coconut tapioca, coconut cookie, with a scoop of thai basil gelato. We do love tapioca, so this was an easy choice. But, that gelato was out of this world. Really going to have to figure out how to make that.

The restaurant provided a very comfortable and comforting environment, along with some pretty tasty food. We'll definitely be back.

[hzrt8w]

My wife and I had a very nice meal at COCO500 last night.

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I wish they would provide some food pictures on their website to entice the would-be customers instead of the z z z z z text.

[jfdulac]

My brother and his wife had a nice meal at Coco500, too. Unfortunately, it was marred by their experience with the GM afterwards, when the restaurant refused to give them the balance of their gift certificate. It wasn't necessarily a minor amount, either.

I'd given them the gift certificate at Christmas in 2006. He's been busy with work and also getting his MBA, and she's been working on a graduate degree, as well, so it took them a while to get to the restaurant. Finally dined there in December of 2007. "Really great food and service," he says. But at the end of the meal, they're told they have to forfeit the remaining balance of about $50.

The GM - Clay Reynolds - was adamant about this. My brother says the guy argued with him and my sister-in-law for 10 minutes ("getting defensive, raising his voice, and lecturing us about the restaurant's bookkeeping processes - 'we have assets and liabilities...' no s--t, dude. so do I") before he finally gave in. Though in this case, giving in did not mean issuing a new certificate for the balance, but crossing out the old one and then angrily hand-writing the new denomination on it.

Nice show.

Putting aside Coco500's legal obligations, whatever they might be - why wouldn't they just issue a new certificate and not argue about it? At what hotel and restaurant management school do they teach this sort of thing? (And why is that school still open?)

Obviously, if he had the balance on a new certificate, my brother would return -- and he'd clearly wind up spending more money on top of that. And maybe he goes back after that if he has two good meals there.

Instead, they lose customers (no way in hell I'll ever return, even if I do like Loretta Keller's cooking).

Not sure what kind of business plan that is, but it's not a particularly good one.

[dvs]

thats BS!! and illegal! methinks you should give loretta keller a call...

[jfdulac]

thats BS!! and illegal! methinks you should give loretta keller a call...

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My brother is drafting a letter to her as we speak...