About two years ago, I decided to visit all of the three star Michelin restaurants in California. Last night, my journey came to an end with a final meal at Quince.
Ambiance: Quince was just remodeled; it took almost a year to compete. I thought it turned out well. The decor leans minimalist (and modern) in the dining area, aside from a few pieces of art. The lighting is soft which helps creates a sense of atmosphere (while making it hard for me to take decent pictures of the food, lol). Many table have sofa-style seating on one side; as such, couples were snuggling into one another rather than eating across from one another. I felt like the space was lovely but it didn’t want to distract diners from focusing on the food by trying to do too much.
Food: I thought the food was fantastic. (A truly groundbreaking critique, I know.) The highlights were the pasta courses. I’m not a fan of “caviar for the sake of caviar,” but the buttery saltiness really added to the flavors of the beetroot spaghetti course. Likewise, the porcini mushroom agnolottini had a wonderful umami that was well-balanced with just a few drops of an exquisitely aged balsamic. The seafood courses were all good. My favorite had to be the spiny lobster. The sauce was so sumptuously warm and rich.
The only course I didn’t particularly enjoy was the squab. It was the only course in which I could have chosen something else, so I wish I would have went with the Japanese sawara instead. The extremely tart huckleberries overpowered my palate and didn’t work well with the squab. I was instructed to eat the leg like a “lollipop” using my hands. That was better than the rest of the plate. It was simple bite that was packed with flavor.
The desserts were good but not mind blowing. I appreciated how they paired a brighter citrus course next to a dense chocolate course to keep things from feeling too heavy. I didn’t do a beverage pairing, but I did have a cocktail. It was unique and delicious, and it didn’t skimp on the booze.
Service: So this area was a mixed bag. Everyone was friendly and tried hard to make the experience nice. Lindsay Tusk was very active in the dining area chatting with guests and assisting with service. We had short conversation about Cefalù when she served the Sicilian chocolate dessert since I had just visited over the summer and she almost bought a house there. Michael Tusk also popped out a few times to serve a bigger party and to stop by a few tables.
The big downfall with service related to pacing of the meal. Things went great for the first few course, but then we had to wait over thirty minutes between the spiny lobster and beetroot pasta courses. A few tables near us were served two courses during that period. There wasn’t a lot of interaction with staff during that gap.
After the beetroot pasta, we had another extended wait. However, two separate servers came to apologize that time. One brought out a complementary nonalcoholic beverage to make up for the wait. The other server chatted with us about traveling to go to fine dining establishments. He gifted us a copy of a Relais & Châteaux dining guide to help inspire our future adventures. He also alluded to the fact that Quince had lost some of their best staff due to COVID and being shut down to remodel as a way to explain the hiccups with service.
Overall, I thought Quince was great and I’d go back again in the future. I’d pass on the squab though. It’s been fun visiting all the three star places in California. I’m sure I’ll go back to a few of my favorites in the future.
by CalMaple