Grubsnitch

Last week, a friend rented out the whole back room for his birthday - PERFECT for a group of 20-30 people. An intimate space, great lighting. I went in expecting to have a great time, but came away impressed with the dining experience.  The service was fabulous, and the wines that the manager helped our host pick out were stellar (the whole list is South American)...I loved the red we had, a malbec blend.  All in all, a great meal, and a wonderful place to have a party.  

I'm surprised by the experiences mentioned here...this place is becoming one of my favorite spots in the Slope, at least provided you don't try to walk in on a Friday or Saturday night when it's packed.  The menu is adventurous and was different on the three occasions I've been there. My favorite entree so far has been the duck with mole...rosy seared breast, mole poblano with shreds of duck meat in it, served with mustard greens and a sweet potato gratin.  Make sure you order extra tortillas to soak up whatever is left on your plate (they don't have bread there).  They also have a lot of seafood dishes, including the a risotto-like dish that was written up in Time Out.  Desserts were fabulous.  I found the service a little bit earnest, but very knowledgable...the host took us through a tasting of four different reds to find the one we liked.  I find the the music a little bit odd and out of place (reggae seems to be the theme), but they turned it down at our request.  Overall, the place is fabulous, and I'm soon going back to try their tasting menu at the bar.

This place is adorable--fireplace, beautiful tables inlaid with assorted designs, stonework, tiles, open kitchen--but the pleasure ends there.  I was disappointed with every bite.  The host gave off an unbearable slimeball vibe and provided lousy service to boot.  The menu was delicious in concept but not in my mouth.  The salad had fresh, subtle flavors and a pleasant citrus dressing, but desperately needed a pinch (or more) of salt--it was sweet enough to be dessert.  I only took one bite of the plantain; it just wasn't good.  My entree, a layered "casserole" had perfectly browned melted cheese on top, a layer of mixed wild mushrooms in the middle, and citrus-tossed veggies (mostly squash) at the bottom.  Once I added salt (it had none, and this citrus base was also far too sweet), it tasted nice--until I bit into a sliver of raw garlic.  Not just a little undercooked for my tastes, truly almost raw, with that immediate unpleasant edge that you can't get out of your mouth.  I fished around in the veggies and pulled out several other garlic slivers (not easily identified chunks, but well-hidden, apparently meant to be there).  I kept eating, but nervously, and with the unpleasant taste lingering.  We skipped dessert because the three options all sounded overly sweet--and since my salad and entree and the plaintain were already so sweet, I didn't want to be over-sugared.  I would give this place a never again except that I so want it to be okay that I might give it another chance for brunch some day.  It's pretty, and the food is organic/local--I want it to be delicious.

This place sure is cute, huh?  It looks like the kind of tucked away gem we all dream of finding.  And who knows, maybe someday they'll live up to that vision to which they so clearly aspire.  I couldn't have been more charmed by the setting, or the seasonal, local, organic menu.  Kudos to Palo Santo for taking an ethical, enlightened approach to food.  Unfortunately, my praise must end here.  The waiter/maitre'd did not make a good impression at all.  He came off as smug, awkward, even "smarmy," to quote my companion.  He also poured me a roughly two ounce glass of wine - not what I expect for $11  (a waitress poured my second glass and it was normal, maybe generous).  We requested bread and were denied.  We ordered a roasted plantain, which was somehow dry, chewy, and mealy.  No flavor, or at least none you'd particularly want.  Nice that they broke away from the standard oily mess, but, typical for this place, the execution fell far short.  The raw scallops were a nice idea, and maybe it just didn't hit the right note for me.  They were fresh.  My companion's salad was just boring (though certainly fresh).  I ate the lamb entree.  It was served in a coconut - odd, but hey, why not?  The trouble was not the coconut, but the severely overcooked, bone-dry lamb, not the least bit offset by a fairly pleasant sauce and the bit of tender coconut left in the shell.  We considered dessert (mostly for completing our Grubsnitch reviews!) but we knew the bill was getting high and, frankly, we didn't feel like prolonging the experience.  I would almost give Palo Santo a "Never Again," and it's certainly hard for me to imagine returning unless it starts getting great buzz.  That said, I think the basic concept is right.  And maybe we misordered.  And certainly we would have done better with the waitress.  But this was definitely a disappointment.