Does a restaurant define the space it's in, or does the space define the restaurant? That's a tough question for hotel restaurants. And, of course, a number of elements other than the food affect whether an establishment flourishes or flounders. Consider the "Tiburon Grill," located in the Tiburon Lodge. Although still in its infancy, if someone doesn't give this eatery some direction, it will not be around to struggle through puberty.
The Tiburon Grill replaced Three Degrees, which didn't even make it three years. Following the recent trend, it is more laid-back and less expensive, but still food-centric. In spite of the casual, "clubby" atmosphere and two outdoor seating areas, one never loses the sense of being in a hotel.
But the place was hopping when we walked in around 6:30 on a weekday evening. Told there would be a 20-minute wait, we ordered wine at the bar and perused the menu; within minutes, a table was ready. We wanted to put the wine on our dinner tab, but the bartender insisted it would be "easier" to settle the bar bill with him; later, our waiter showed his annoyance when we told him we'd had to pay at the bar.
In keeping with the pared-down, less fussy atmosphere, the menu is straightforward and, for the most part, features familiar, "American" dishes--a half-chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and gravy ($16.50), beef pot pie ($16.50), baby back ribs ($16.50)--with a few exceptions. Some offerings listed as starters struck us as odd--or rather, as side dishes, not starters--like creamed spinach and garlic mashed potatoes (both $6.50). The creamy potatoes, served with the grilled pork chop ($17.50)--underseasoned, but accompanied by just-right sauteed spinach and apple compote, were tasty, but I still can't imagine starting a meal with a plateful.
Overall, the food is good--we weren't bowled over, but we appreciated the quality of the ingredients and the (mostly) careful preparation. We were also impressed by the presentation of each dish. Both the iceberg lettuce wedge salad ($10.50) and the butter lettuce salad ($9.50), with pears and blue cheese, were quite good, but too large for a first course. We really liked the Vietnamese ahi banh mi sandwich ($13.50)--grilled ahi with cabbage, lettuce, daikon and jalapeno on a (too hard) French roll, served with thin, crunchy, tasty taro chips. Unfortunately, our entrees arrived while we were still working on our salads. The lack of pacing changed, and at some point we fell into a black hole--no waitstaff in sight. Our empty water glasses remained unfilled--and we'd had to ask more than once to get the water in the first place. Eventually we were offered dessert--a tough choice. We chose the warm molten chocolate cake ($7.50)--which is served with peanut butter cup ice cream, and is quite good, though it took so long to arrive that we almost didn't wait for it.
The dining areas and bar, so crowded when we arrived, began emptying shortly after 7pm. It slowed down to the point that we were the only diners in our section. And that's due to the very generous Happy Hour. Not only are drinks a bargain from 4-7pm and all day Sunday, most of the menu items--except entrees, grilled dishes and a few other plates--are half-price.
Obviously, Happy Hour is a huge draw--it's a great bargain. But if the Tiburon Grill is going to survive--and thrive--management needs to focus beyond the kitchen doors.
