Spago's on the Skids

Very sorry to hear that -- we were there about 2 weeks ago (our 4th time) and had a wholly different experience.  There were four of us, and each ordered a three-course meal, a total of about 8 separate dishes (since some of us duplicated).  Absolutely all the appetizers & entrees were executed perfectly, and the service was quite professional although I suppose maybe not quite so attentive as it could have been.

Two of us had a fabulous quail appetizer; I had the crispy sweetbreads, absolutely fabulous.  Another had a very nice, classical seared foie gras with a fig gastrique.  My rack of lamb with sweet & sour eggplant was spectacular, as was my wife's halibut.

I would say, though, that the desserts there are consistently disappointing -- too sweet, too doughy, not enough creativity or flavor to them.

Someone wrote:

> We went to Spago in Palo Alto last night and found, to our chagrin, that the
> place is on the skids. In the recent past you would have to make a
> reservation a week in advance to dine there on a Friday night. Not so
> yesterday; I made our reservation a few hours in advance and they didn't even
> ask for my phone number. When we arrived, I was surprised to find that the
> place was around 20% full. It's always been packed in the past!
>
> We had our favorite soup, the lobster bisque. The flavor was fine, but the
> soup was barely more than tepid, and my chunk of lobster meat (a claw) was
> cold. The other food was OK, but nothing like as good as it was when we went
> there shortly after the place opened.
>
> As for the service, it was appalling. The waiters gathered around in a clutch
> making jokes while our plates and wine glasses sat empty. I finally had to
> flag down one of the waiters so he could get _my_ waiter's attention,
> something I find extremely embarrassing. All of this for a mere $175. Never
> again!
>
> It looks as though Wolfgang Puck has given up. If this place is still open in
> a year, I'll be astonished.
>
> Nigel
>

For what it's worth, I was at Spago for lunch on 10/30, and the restaurant was full, the food pretty good, and the service snooty but attentive. (The waiter really wanted us to order something alcoholic and also tried to sell their charity prix fixe.) The dessert was outstanding (espresso pot de creme) and the decaf espresso the best I've had in Palo Alto.

--Elizabeth

  Someone wrote:
> We went to Spago in Palo Alto last night and found, to our chagrin, that the
> place is on the skids. In the recent past you would have to make a
> reservation a week in advance to dine there on a Friday night. Not so
> yesterday; I made our reservation a few hours in advance and they didn't even
> ask for my phone number. When we arrived, I was surprised to find that the
> place was around 20% full. It's always been packed in the past!
>
> We had our favorite soup, the lobster bisque. The flavor was fine, but the
> soup was barely more than tepid, and my chunk of lobster meat (a claw) was
> cold. The other food was OK, but nothing like as good as it was when we went
> there shortly after the place opened.
>
> As for the service, it was appalling. The waiters gathered around in a clutch
> making jokes while our plates and wine glasses sat empty. I finally had to
> flag down one of the waiters so he could get _my_ waiter's attention,
> something I find extremely embarrassing. All of this for a mere $175. Never
> again!
>
> It looks as though Wolfgang Puck has given up. If this place is still open in
> a year, I'll be astonished.
>
> Nigel
>
>