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| - Recently redeemed a Groupon during our first--and, unfortunately, probably last--trip to Sausalido.
Let me just get this out of the way first...
Something that was impossible to ignore during our dinner and now as I'm writing this review was a very audible disagreement that occurred between the kitchen and the front of the house. It lasted nearly 5 minutes and changed the tone of our experience. Sausalido's dining room is about the size of my living room, and there's no substantial separation of the dining room and the kitchen, not even a door. We heard everything; how could we not? When the hostess/waitress returned to our table with our salads she was visibly shaken, and we couldn't help but feel bad, but, I'm sorry, we shouldn't have to be troubled with those kinds of emotions during our dinner. It was unfortunate and uncomfortable, to say the least.
Another thing that was odd was that one of the cooks, at least twice during our time at the restaurant, walked through the dining room and out the front door to sit at one of the chairs outside. No doubt this bustling section of Liberty Avenue makes for some good people-watching, but I'm not sure it's professional for staff to draw attention to themselves by walking the length of the dining room and using the front door during service.
Now about those salads. They were really fantastic! I loved the addition of beets at no charge, the fresh mixed greens, and the wonderful house-made salad dressings. Loved that the entrees come with salads, in addition to some a-little-too-mayo-y-tasting white bean dip that's served with a few slices of rather plain, spongey bread.
Our entrees were flavorful and nicely executed and plated, while the condiments on the baked smoked gouda appetizer seemed out of place but were tasty nevertheless.
Aforementioned heated argument aside, service was nice and very efficient. I did notice one slight insincerity though, which involved the daily risotto. Early on the waitress described the creole chicken and bleu cheese risotto as soooo good, but then, a little later when we ordered, admitted that she hadn't tasted the risotto after I asked if the dish was spicy.
Lastly, Sausalido's corkage fee is a mere $2 per person, and they sell no alcoholic beverages. During dinner we regretted not bringing a bottle.
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