Chez Tj - Mountain View

I had my reservations about the food in Chez TJ. Mountain view is better known for a fabulous Burrito and eclectic Asian cuisine than the home of every fine restaurant. But after our meal there this week I cannot understand why our reservations were so easy to make - with the atmospheric heights where Christopher Kostow works in the kitchen, Chez TJ should be booked solid for weeks. I'll keep the restaurant in the wrong neighborhood. In the restaurant you have the choice of the 12-course chefs Tasting Menu, for $110, or choose 4 courses from the “Menu Gastronomique” for $80 (fois is a $12 supplement). Since there are only 14 articles on the menu Gastronomique, it makes little sense NOT to order the Tasting menu, although this route has unfortunately missed us on the trio of the sucking pig. It looked fantastic. In his place, though, we had a butter poached lobster (that was not on the menu gastronomique) that made more than for them. My favorite dish of the night was the Fois Gras prepared two ways. The first was a standard seafood with a kind of strawberry compartment. The Fois had a perfect outside tie to balance the obesity. The second was a fois gras cream brulee with a caramelized strawberry top. I loved the way the aromas of cream roe progress in your mouth. The taste of the Fois is faded in as well as the initial cream, followed by the sweetness of the strawberry. It was the perfect Ratatouille fireworks combination. The mentioned butter lobster had (what else) a truffle foam delicately layered over the bowl. That was a GREAT use of foam! It was a good, well prepared dish. There were only two downs for dinner: first the “chocolate covered banana”. The Turron ice cream that accompanied the banana was great. The banana centre was also delicious. But the chocolate itself – it was basically a chocolate ravioli with pure banana inside. We expected a harder chocolate bowl and were instead overfilled with a limp, Pasta type of texture. Serious texture injury. Secondly, as Michael Bauer remarked, the service was not nearly as accurate as the service should be in a restaurant of this caliber. A male waiter knew what he did – friendly, safe with the menu, and attentive. However, the rest of the waiting staff regularly served men in front of women and placed the plates at the wrong angle (which the male server immediately corrected). It is not that the rest of the staff was incompetent or rude, but simply not trained. Overall, however, I will return regularly to Chez TJ.

We were celebrating ? a birthday, and Chez TJ was fabulous. The food was delicious and perfectly prepared. The service was impeccable, and the ambiance was very romantic. A perfect evening!

If you 've never been to a Michelin starred restaurant before, you are in for a treat! We had the tasting menu and I ordered the Grand wine pairing to accompany it. The menu consisted of 8 courses, 2 of which were desserts. Each course was an exquisitely crafted piece of art with a medley of contrasting, yet complementary flavors. In addition to the food, Michelin starred restaurants are well known for their exceptional service, and Chez TJ is no exception. There were a plethora of staff that all worked together to ensure a seamless, exceptional dining experience. The sommelier (Ted) did an excellent job finding a variety of unique and sometimes unusual flavors that nicely complimented each dish! The cost is equally as impressive as the food and service but that is to be expected at this level of culinary excellence. If you 're used to eating at Michelin starred restaurants every month then the cost won 't phase you. Otherwise it 's an infrequent treat that will leave you with fond memories to last a lifetime and, in my opinion, is well worth the occasional cost. I 'm rooting for their 2nd star!

Our experience took ~3 hours and it was an evening well spent! Every dish was a sight to behold. My husband and I each had our favorites among the seafood and meat courses. I won 't say which ones, so as to leave it a surprise; but suffice it to say they were all scrumptious. The wine pairing was spot on. Ted the sommelier was kind enough to create a modified wine pairing to accommodate my allergies. We sat outside where the ambience suits the experience a serene garden setting, string lights, hushed tones and well spaced tables. Service was exactly as it should be for such an experience friendly, attentive but not obtrusive. This is not a 'cheap date ' : . But find an evening, get dressed up and treat yourselves you wont ' regret it !

Food had some interesting flavors, but the seasoning was wildly inconsistent. Had components that were too salty, some too bland (first time I've had sauces that take flavor away from the meat), some excessively sour. Even the palate cleanser was unpalatably sweet. Disappointing consider how nice the ingredients were. Service was well intentioned but awkward and had an inconsistent vibe (felt like every server was employed by a different restaurant). The desserts were solid so props to the pastry chef. (Though the coconut cookies at the end were also inedibly sweet)