Brunello Ristorante Cucina Italiano

Brunello’s is a wonderful quiet restaurant in a hidden area. The owner was so friendly; he came to our table on a regular basis to make sure we were doing fine. There is one Italian chef who makes such delicious unique tasting dishes. They give complimentary port for dessert. Just wonderful places to sit, relax, and chat! Recommend to those who love small family own restaurants.

Suffice it to say we will not be returning to Brunello. I’m not typically one to write reviews, but feel the owner needs the honest feedback in order to keep his restaurant in business.
First, the positive: atmosphere was quaint and nice. Owner/​manager was very cordial – we were treated well from the moment we arrived. The wine we had (house chianti and Sola) was good. He offered us a free taste of port for dessert. Nice touch.
Now for the negative: I ordered the pollenta with mushrooms antipasto, and though I’m not picky, I found it inedible. The pollenta itself had little flavor, was smothered in a sauce that was overwhelmed with sherry and grease, and topped with slimy mushrooms. My husband, who is even less picky, couldn’t eat it either. When the owner/​manager came to take my plate and I told him it was not to my liking, he said, «I don’t like that one either.» He made no offer to bring me something else and we were still charged for it. My husband’s antipasto was OK but nothing worth mentioning.
For dinner we ordered a ribeye steak and a grilled veal steak. I ordered medium and it came so well done I practically had to saw each bite. Not to mention the flavor was so bland, the potatoes dry, and the spinach soaked in a garlicky mess.
My husband’s ribeye was equally disappointing, and had a mushroom sauce on the side that was reminiscent of the pollenta sauce. Ick.
The wine we ordered was fine, but my chianti came with several bits of cork floating in it, and when my husband asked about his wine (the Sola), the owner said it was good but that he was «trying to get rid of it» so he could change the wine list. Classy.
The cherry on the sundae was that my husband and I both woke up at 3AM the next morning with horrible indigestion.
I’m not sure how, especially in this economy, a restaurant can survive at these prices with this low quality of food. I feel for the owner, as he was very nice, but I hope he makes some changes to improve his establishment soon.

You will find this quaint and lovely Ristorante in of all places on a side alley well off the beaten path. Today was a lunch experience and a wonderful one. It was not crowded, the services was nothing less than attentive, and the food excellent.
They served us a bowl of soup; a crème based red pepper, Zuppa del giorno with a swirl of purée spinaci. The soup was on the cool side, but that was okay as it somehow allowed the flavors to come through nicely.
The main course was three small chicken breasts floating in a red sauce and mushrooms, accompanied with fresh steamed mixed vegetables done al dente.
This meal pared nicely with a bottle of Woodside Vineyards, 2005 Cabernet
I know; for lunch? It was a special occasion — give me a break. I had not seen my friend in about two decades and we were catching up over a two hour lunch.
Reasonably prices, I will be back.

Food 3 star
Service 3 star
Décor 3.5 star
Price 2.5 star
Decent place

Funny, we had the same situation as Margaret C (
) below, went to spice hut, found it closed, went across the street. Our experience was not without regret. They got both our orders wrong and took forever. The gnocchi was bland. I’ll stick to the other italian restaurants in town.
The owner (i think she was the owner) was very nice, and the bread + oil/​spices combo was quite yummy, so that’s the two stars.

After discovering that Spice Hut went out of business, my friend and I decided to try Brunello. We were reading the menu when a diner came out of the restaurant and said, «It’s really good, you won’t regret it».
We did not regret it. I had delicious plate of pasta for about $ 13. Would definitely go back for an intimate and delicious dinner in Menlo Park!

+2 stars for really good caesar salad — lettuce was crisp, not too heavy on the dressing, a very generous portion even when split in two. Dinner is off to a great start.
+2 stars for very tasty, delicious lasagna served with a nice drizzle of pesto. Tummies are happy.
–2 stars for strange, chewy, weird-​flavored pork special… meat has bad texture, flavors are strange… a disappointment after a strong start.
+1 star for little glasses of port on the house to finish the meal. A little sweet liquor makes everything better.
Next time: stick to salads and pasta, and save room for dessert.

What is it with brightly lit restaurants in this town? Could have been significantly more romantic and elegant if they just dimmed them a little. The staff was nice, the food was ok. I’m not a huge fan of pasta and only came here in search of amazing buffalo mozzarella. They had none. Instead we had the Caprese, it was average. Texture similar to the ones at Trader Joe’s. I probably won’t go back because there are so many other restaurants in Menlo Park I still need to try. If I were craving Italian I’d come back because our waiter gave us a complimentary port wine at the end of our meal, was much appreciated.

All those folks that think this place is good must be on crack or something… my boyfriend and i ordered bruschetta, the caesar salad, eggplant parmesan, and lasagna.
1) the bruschetta: not enough olive oil, tomatoes were bland — the whole thing was relatively tasteless
2) the salad: soggy and soaked in caesar dressing, only came with croutons and a little bit of parmesan cheese
3) the lasagna: i ordered this because someone else said it was the best they ever had on Unilocal.After ordering it — something seemed kind of off. I started pulling apart the layers and found out that their lasagna basically consisted of 12 layers of noodles with one thin layer of ricotta cheese and some melted mozzarella on top. the menu said that there was beschamel in the sauce but it didn’t taste like it and it was way too dense.
4) my boyfriends eggplant parmesan tasted ok.
Overall, a mediocre meal, i’m really glad i had one of those
gift certificates because that meal was not worth the $ 40 + tip we would have spent. We will not be going back.
The service overall was decent.

I have never had Lasagna that good. The corn bread in mushroom sauce is heavenly and could be a meal all by itself. We had zero room for dessert but were constantly tempted by the waiter serving desserts to tables all around us. We’ve got to try some of that the next time.

My parents came out from Alabama and we went out every night for 10 days. Out of all the fine dining, Brunello’s was my father’s favorite restaurant! The Service was exceptional and the food was great. I love this place and we will see you very soon since my parents are coming back again in April!
Thanks for making us feel Special!
:)

as far as the food goes, this place gets five stars. seriously delicious.
but i’ve gone twice, and have had bad service both times. i mean, not «the service was lacking» bad, but i mean, really bad. sat for 15 minutes before even ordering wine (which, by the way, the wine list leaves something to be desired — another minus) and generally unattentive /​aloof staff.
a bummer because the food is sooo yummy.

Our lunch at Brunello was disappointing. Salads looked and tasted sad (it’s winter but that’s still not an excuse). My order of gnocchi came with globs of tasteless mozzarella and an oily tomato sauce; a colleague who had the lasagna wasn’t impressed.
The hostess/​owner is warm and friendly. Food presentation was very good and service was prompt. I really wanted to like this place but apart from location, it’s not even close to the old Buon Gusto.

I really like Brunello. Its promise is of a small, intimate Italian trattoria with good Italian food and good service, and on that promise it delivers.
I’ve been eating at Brunello every two months or so since December 2007, shortly after it opened, and am definitely a fan.
It does not serve California cuisine, or California variations on Italian food. Rather, it’s authentic and honest Italian food. You go there to enjoy your food, your wine, and the people you’re with.
While the specials of the day often tempt me with something new, my usual dish is the Ravioli della Mamma. Yum.
I’ve recommended Brunello to several friends, and they’ve given it a good grade as well. It’s a perfect place for a delicious Sunday night meal with family and friends. Parking in the lot next door is easy to find, and the charming hostess always makes us feel welcome.

I like this place! The hostess is friendly, professional, and wants you to come back. The space is small, as an intimate restaurant should be. Lots of regulars here. The food is a little pricey but good value. Service is very quick. Just off Camino Real in a short lane between Santa Cruz Ave and Oak Grove. Easy parking in the free Menlo lot close by.
Not for groups or children.

We went here Friday night (we always try to hit a new place every Friday) and we had a really great meal. Not every dish was spectacular, but the overall experience was great. The charming waiter everyone else mentioned was a big part of that, but he wasn’t exactly fawning all over us.
We had the rigatoni fantasia, which was cheesy and sausagy, and then I had a roasted pork entrée, and my fiancé had a chicken dish whose name I can’t recall.
I am deducting a point because, like others have said, if you’re going to name your restaurant after a wine, you need to bring it with the wine list, and they were OUT of both the sangiovese and the montepulciano by the glass. I had to resort to Ravenswood Zinfandel. Which hey, I love, but I really wanted an *Italian* red.
We did get a free dessert (chocolate tartufo — light, yummy, DEELISH!) and free small glasses of ruby port, and yeah, I’ll admit that this swayed me a bit. :)

Decent Italian for a reasonable price. Nothing special, nothing delicious, but OK all in all.

This is a small intimate restaurant with great service and laid back but grown-​up atmosphere. The server we normally get is from Verona and he is super professional and well make great suggestions for food and wine pairings.
I do miss the energy of Buon Gusto (a little more fire) but it is just a quibble. Brunello is relaxing and accommodating. The wine selection is good but not exceptional (could be the amount of storage space). The food has been consistently good.
I would recommend a reservation as it is a small restaurant. The shrimp and polenta dishes I would strongly recommend. The only sad news, I must convey, is the Brunellos on the wine menu are average. For the namesake, step up the game.
Enjoy

I’m so sad that Trattoria Buon Gusto is gone. What happened? First Palermo in Palo Alto, now this. My fave Italian places are all disappearing.
Brunello which was opened in Buon Gusto’s place is definitely interesting. The person who runs the front of the house is Japanese (who was married to an Italian) and is quite the amicable hostess. The three partners who own the place run Spiazzo in SF and Sapore in Burlingame, with the chef being from Naples, so I guess that’s enough authenticity to go around I suppose.
We started with the polenta and bruschetta as appetizers which were all very tasty. I got the mixed grill that had sausage, lamb chops and chicken, with a side of polenta (yes polenta OD). The grilled meats were a little undersalted and the sausage came out undercooked but our friendly hostess too care of that in no time. Great service! After tasting around, we decided the pasta dishes were stronger than the meat ones and that’s what I’d recommend. The dessers, especially the affogato, were all really good. Even though there were a few hiccups, I’d say this is a solid place. It’s not going to replace Buon Gusto, but very few places can.

Brunello Ristorante is a new restaurant which opened in the previous location of Buon Gusto. I was sad that BG closed, but after a recent visit to Brunello, seems like it was a fair trade!
Brunello is definitely looking to impress, with its Italian servers, friendly chit chat and festive music. The atmosphere was fun and relaxed, and the service was attentive. Fortunately, the food measured up to the ambiance. We enjoyed a polenta and mushrooms appetizer that was generous in size and taste. The have an array of homemade pasta dishes– I had the fettucine and prawns in a light cherry tomato and garlic sauce. The pasta was fantastic, but the fish was a little too cooked for me, but still flavorful. My dining partner had a chicken/​bacon dish that he was very happy with. The bill came out to around $ 80 for two, including a bottle of Negramare.
Not to compare it overly to its predecessor, but I would also like to mention that I appreciated how the tables were not super squished together. It’s a small space, but they gave you room to breathe.
I will be back! :)