I took a much needed "mental health day" and enjoyed a day of rest and relaxation. This also included lunch at a relatively new restaurant called Mendoberri.
The space that Mendoberri occupies is in a nice little housing, business, shopping area that has a fun vibe to it. The area is more than a strip mall, but not a huge shopping complex. We arrived and entered the restaurant to a sign that clearly stated that lunch was counter service while dinner is a seated experience. I appreciated the clear instructions. I hate going to restaurants and not knowing what you should do - wait to be seated, seat yourself, etc.
The counter had a refrigerated case that highlighted their offerings as well as sides that could go with salads or sandwiches. Behind the counter was a wood burning stove which I was ready to crawl inside due to the bitter cold temps outside! The hubby was ready to order immediately and ordered the grilled ham and cheese sandwich. I panicked and went with a salad I saw in the case - the Beetie Salad. We both ordered water. We took our number and had our choice of a number of empty tables. (We did arrive early, so I am not commenting on a lack of a lunch crowd.)
We chose a spot not far from a fireplace, but unfortunately not close enough to take advantage of it. Quite frankly the tables were awkwardly arranged as only one table could take full advantage of the fireplace. I would have angled the tables differently so more than one table could have some warmth.
The space itself is very large - it appears to be several store fronts all in one, so I suppose if they find their business isn't doing as well as they would like they could sell off sections. The seating is in an L-shaped format with a private dining room in the back. There is a large bar area after the lunch counter and staging area. The restrooms are around the side of the bar but awkwardly laid out in that if someone opens the door people walking by can see more than they would likely care to see. The ceilings are very tall. The interior is a light/ lime green color that is pretty soothing and relaxing. The art work was fine, nothing too remarkable.
Onto the food...
It seemed that we had to wait an inordinate amount of time for our relatively simple lunches. They arrived after awhile and we had to ask for glasses of water. Not clear instructions there if we were to get it ourselves or if it would be brought to us with our meal. Anyway, the food arrived and the hubby was by far the winner! Of course his meal was hot - a bonus on a frigid day. The ham and cheese was nicely grilled and served with a side salad of mixed greens with a nice dressing. The only odd thing about the salad was the addition of one rather large sun-dried tomato chunk.
My salad was ok. It was a spinach salad with "slow roasted Chioggia beets", goat cheese and a shallot-balsamic vinaigrette. Nothing remarkable about the salad. Occasionally I got a very salty taste which seemed an odd pairing with the beets and cheese. A crunch factor was definitely missing in this salad. While beets, goat cheese, and candied walnuts can be "overdone" on menus, there is a purpose for those walnuts! I missed the crunch. Additionally for $7.50 a slice of bread with the salad would have been nice.
The experience was fine. I wouldn't rush back, but if in the area I would give it a second chance. It reminded me a bit of the Pairings restaurant. If Mendoberri's doesn't make it, I think Pairings could take it over and do well.
The highlight of the visit was an after lunch trip over to The Olive Grove Olive Oil Company. This store is across the "street" from Mendoberri. If you like olive oil and balsamic vinegar, this is the store to visit! We walked into the store and were greeted by a friendly, knowledgeable employee who explained how the store worked. We basically went around and tasted different oils and vinegars and then created our own "sample box" of 4 different kinds. (I also picked up some nice olive oil based bath products.) Mendoberri may get another chance mainly because we'll be back at The Olive Grove at some point in the near future.
Happy Eating!
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