Paul “Paulinho” Cardoso
+5
From the moment we stepped into La Calenda, it was evident that the evening would be special. Nestled at the back of the restaurant, our group was treated to an intimate dining setting. The ambiance was just the beginning. The attentive staff greeted us with warmth, ensuring we were comfortable and taken care of.
The menu was thoughtfully curated, offering a delightful array of dishes that teased our palates. The chefs at La Calenda are artisans in their own right, and this became evident with each dish that arrived at our table. Every ingredient spoke of freshness, and each bite was a testament to the culinary excellence this place holds.
While the prices are a notch higher than your typical taquerias, the exceptional quality of both food and drinks makes every penny worth it. Speaking of drinks, the bar did not disappoint. The cocktails were handcrafted, with the bartender emphasizing fresh ingredients in each mix.
Being no strangers to Thomas Keller's renowned culinary ventures, our expectations were high. La Calenda not only met but surpassed them. We left with our hearts full, and taste buds satisfied, making a silent promise to ourselves: We will be returning soon.
Only one dish stood out. The meat taco. The corn was nice as well, though it's be pretty hard to mess that up. The rest were just ok. Probably wouldn't return though. Perhaps I was expecting more, but Bouchon was booked out
The food was INCREDIBLE!!!! But 1 thing was off. Thomas Keller needs to take the rice off the menu. It had no flavor. Everything else was delicious. No, I'm worried if he sees this. I won't be let into the French Laundry 🤣
Had to take ol Rink Fatliner there on the other side of the hill, a Hobbled Slumperhickle to keep those long horned cows out of his hooch garden, and decided to try the La Calenda Restaurant. I've heard nothing but great things about the food, so let's give her a shot. It was 5 stars all the way, and worthy of a drive to Yountville. ☆☆☆☆☆
La Calenda offers authentic Mexican cuisine with a delightful menu and attentive service. The flavors are rich and the dishes are well-presented. Highly recommended for a satisfying dining experience.
This place was great. The servers were very attentive and the food was delicious. I liked the indoor fall decorations and atmosphere. It felt cozy.
Spontaneously stopped here to grab a bite and it did not disappoint! Super great atmosphere, nicely decorated, attentive and kind staff and refreshing and delicious food! I had the Tomato Salad and really enjoyed how flavorful they made a “basic” dish! I’m excited to go back and try more items.
Although it’s raining, some people were still eating outside. Their atmosphere is quite casual and fun. Chips are little thicker than I expected (and cost extra) but it was good and guacamole is fresh. Entree steak is also cooked very well with potatoes. Chicken is soft and tender. Elote has a little strong flavor from the cheese and mayo, would be better if there was less. Server was attentive and my cup is always filled up with water. The reason I removed 1 star is they forgot to give us some things we ordered. We are a big group so we also didn’t check well. After we got the check, one of us remember we didn’t get some food(kids menu is supposed to include churros). They also didn’t give us the extra rice we ordered or the elote until we asked again. I wish they served the food more meticulously.
Food was great! I ordered the enchilada mole. It is not your standard mole, and I was warned this from our fantastic waiter. He offered to bring me a taste, but this just made me want it more! :) The sauce tasted strongly of coco and spices, and gave a slow burn in the back of my mouth. Chips and guac were also excellent. Absolutely fantastic food, but I will order something new next time to explore their delicious menu.
Loved the terrace, the food was a mix of authentic Mexican and Californian/Mexican. My favorites were the aguachile, tacos the carnitas and habanero sauce. The service was very good, super friendly and I loved that they were trainning a bunch of younger people. The esquites were made w sweet corn, not my favorite but my husband liked them, and the chicken was very good but the flavor for me was more Asian than Mexican. I would recommend this place for larger groups.
Thomas Keller is the king of Yountville. Looking forward to his attempt at Latino cuisine.
We were greeted and seated promptly, even though the place was full (we had no reservations. We ordered a few specialty cocktails that were brought to the table by the same gentleman that seated us (not our server). The house Margarita and Paloma were well constructed.
We enjoyed all the dishes we had, which included:
- Pork Enchiladas with balanced salsa verde
- Tacos Platter
- Mole Coloradito
- Elote
- Tres Leches
There wasn't anything left on our plates. Dishwashers would be proud.
Our only complaint was the value. We obviously saw the prices prior to ordering and know the location. But we also know the cost to prepare a taco.
Chef Keller doesn't need any additional accolades from me, but please keep up the good work. Extra kudos to the manager who was everywhere.
Really nice restaurant. The service was great, food was traditional, the atmosphere was excellent, and the drinks were refreshing. Was a hit for Father’s Day. I recommend the queso fundido and the corn for starters.
The food was exceptional. Everything was fresh. The tomatilla sauce was wonderful. The chips were crispy and the tortilla were to die for. They have indoor and outdoor seating.
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Had a wonderful dinner here a few nights back. We were at one of their outdoor tables in their patio area.
Started with the Aguachile -- loved the mildly acidic and spicy liquid. The subtle scent of sesame lifted this dish to another level.
We also had a fantastic Caesar salad -- cause we needed some vegetables! Very very well made salad. every leaf of romaine was well coated and the tasty.
Next we had 4 tacos! I didn't want the tacos to all come at once and get cold and our server (I think his name was Donald?) very graciously offered to enter the orders in as we progressed.
Taco 1: The softshell crab special, served on a flour tortilla. What's not to like, softshell crab was fried -- light and crispy and lifted by sliced radish.
Taco 2: The fish tacos - gorgeously flaky fried fish paired with bright radishes and cool lettuce. I liked the sauce but thought they were a little too liberal with the application.
Taco 3: The carnitas. This was my least favorite of the 4. The meat was moist, tender and rich, and the condiments were great. It was just a little too rich -- perhaps after the spicy creamy sauces from tacos 1+2 this was a little too much.
Taco 4: Al pastor. Loved this. What's not to love with Al Pastor -- tasty marinated meat, acidic yet sweet pineapple. I would have liked the pineapple to be a bit more charred and perhaps cut smaller so I can have a little with each bite, but loved this.
Halfway though taco 4 -- our first server clocked out and handed over to another colleague Leydi who also took really good care of us.
We finished light with the grilled hoja santa-marinated fish of the day. a Whole fish split and grilled to perfection, topped with a mountain of greens. The fish was light, flaky and sweet, and the garden greens really refreshes with each bite.
Fun dinner!
I can't say enough good things about this restaurant! The service was above and beyond! John made us feel like we were the only people in the restaurant, which is a pretty impressive thing to say considering Chef Keller was dining next to us! John was so fantastic we had to get a photo with him! The food was top notch: the fish tacos were complex, spicy, and full of flavour, and the steak was divine! Highly recommended!
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