I tried this place when they first opened and I wasn't impressed with their food, which was a shame because I loved the way the restaurant is set up and the overall decor. It felt intimate and upscaled, but still had a local vibe. I didn't plan to come back, but I'm glad I did as my second visit was a much better experience.
My first visit, I got to try their happy hour (from 5-6 PM) oysters, which was $1 each. Oysters were great and tasted fresh, so I thought this was a good deal. They didn't have many drink selections for happy hour. One white wine, one red wine, and a couple beers. I had the red wine (a pinot noir) for $5 and one of the beers for $4. I also tried their hamachi crudo (no longer on menu per my second visit) and disliked this dish immensely, as it was very fishy. The crackers and whatever dressing they put on it didn't add anything to the dish. I've never had hamachi that was that fishy, so I'm glad they took it off their menu. Last, I tried their slow cooked short rib, which was tender but very bland. They asked for a feedback, so we told them that the short rib was bland and they got us another one, but it was pretty much the same taste wise. Service was awesome though, as they readily tried to fix it. Anyway, from my first visit, I thought the food was not that great for the price (entrees are around $18 - $25).
I went for my second visit last weekend by chance, as the original place my friend and I wanted to try didn't have its liquor license yet. Being it's the weekend, we needed our drinks on, so we went here instead. We shared the Mediterranean octopus, braised pork belly, and curry chicken. The octopus was made like a calamari, so even though the flavor of the sauce was good, I still much prefer my octopus to be simply prepared, either raw or just grilled. That way I can taste the octopus. The way it was made here, I had a hard time differentiating it with a squid. The pork belly was a melt in your mouth, cooked perfectly, very flavorful dish. It came with a cauliflower puree. I though this was a great dish, so I'd definitely recommend it. The curry chicken had a little bit of a heat to it, so since I enjoy it as well since I like spicy food.
For cocktails, I tried the louisville sweet peach (bourbon with peach liqueur) and my friend tried the la flama blanca (shochu based with lemon and thai chili syrup). I think they could've been stronger, but they both tasted good, so I'm looking forward to trying out more of their cocktails. We had the chocolate tres leches for dessert. It's like a denser sponge cake, onto which they poured some condensed milk. I liked it, as it's not too sweet. Nothing amazing though.
My second visit was a much improved experience, so I'd give this place a 3.5 stars. Service was great both times. Definitely a great option for a date night!