reds at thousand oaks

it was better in the past.. i met family at reds on mother's day. i had not been to reds for dinner in about 18 months. on my last trip there the wine was exceptional, and it was outdone by brilliant food. the bone in ribeye of 18 months ago is still fondly recalled when friends and i muse over past dinning experiences. since that dinner i've had a few agreeable lunches, but nothing spectacular.

dinner on mother's day was wholly underwhelming. the service was attentive, but as one reviewer already deftly noted, a little chatty. the wine selections remain strong, with our zinfindel being lush and big, perfect for steaks and big pork. that is why i came away disappointed. the ladies had petit fillets ordered medium rare. my brother had the delmonico and i opted for the pork chop, medium rare. the filets were grilled properly but came away looking and tasting rather bland. no aging at all, and at these prices and reds reputation a little aged flavor ought to be expected. the delmonico was a perfect rare, but completely lacked the "wow" factor of previous steaks i've had there. my pork was done properly, but really quite bland. the onions and apples that were in the sauce with the pork were devoid of herbs or rich flavor. the sauce, such that it was, was on the watery side. perhaps i have become accustomed to pork that has been brined or marinated, and with those processes i have become used to rich flavor prevailing. the pork at reds on sunday had none of those qualities. the chop tasted as if it went from cold pan to grill with little or no fan fair. it was pork for pork's sake. this may seem a bit harsh, but given the rich and flavored meals i have had there in the past, bland pork simply grilled does not meet my expectation. the starch that came with my dinner was a hot cheesy ball of .... starch. hard, hot, and utterly flavorless. really, i can't even begin to put a nice spin on it.

i expect that my experience was the exception to the usual rule that reds is quite marvelous. however, i have heard from trusted sources that there has been many changes in the culinary staff. if that is true then more change is necessary. thisplaceis too good to do meadicre food.

i look forward to being proven oh so wrong about this review on my next sojourn to rockford.

the 7 of us went to redds on a sat. night. theplaceis beautiful, location on the river is wonderful, the food mediocre. we waited an hour and half and my meal was cold and over priced. we had to ask for salt and pepper. there are too many great restaurants to give redds another chance. won't be back. les d

new year's eve. found thisplaceto be an amateurish wannabe.

this is probably the fancy restaurant in rockford. i remember dressing up the first time i went there thinking it was jacket and tie, but with our cultural rot in the usa, there were no shortage of people grossly underdressed with no reverence for the fine and classy atmosphere of this excellent restaurant. the waitstaff was very accommodating for my parents demanding dietary requests. this is a greatplacefor both the food as well as when your dining experience is to be an event. probably the bestplacein rockford for a more formal family affair. i just wish i could go somewhere for less than $100 per plate where i don't have to see a 300 pounder with a mid-riff justin bieber t-shirt. it's weird to see 75% of the clientele properly dressed for the caliber of the restaurant and the other 25% looking like they just came back from a tractor pull.

having dined at reds previously, i had eargerly been anticipating my next visit. i was not dissapointed.
we were sat promptly at a beautiful table on the deck overlooking the white pine trail and the rogue river. our server, jake, was excellent. we consulted with him and the executive chef, glenn forgie on our wine selection and i was blown away by the killer pricing. ( a 2003 grand cru classe sauv blanc from pessgnac-leognan for $54! ) it was the perfect match for the fresh novia scotia oysters we enjoyed for an appetizer. having recently become an oyster fan, these babies were the perfect size, fresh and clean with a mild briney finish. my companion was hesitant to try and was very pleased he did. the meat and cheese plate with housemade andouille sausage, authenitic proscuitto and mortadella was very well matched with the fromage d'affionois and the raclette cheeses. a bit of salt with the cornichons and olives provided balance.
snow crab salad was up next, and it's petite size was the right choice for a second course. sweet snow crab was well cracked and mixed lightly with a horseradish aioli, served atop sliced portobello mushrooms with a bit of truffle butter and accompanied with crispy garlic...we were already getting full but both agreed that the crab salad was well worth it!
main entrees were outstanding! i enjoyed the new york strip and it was prefectly seared to medium rare. it came out sizzling on a 500 degree plate, and i could smell it when it came out the door to my table. delish!! my special request for side dishes was honored at a reasonable upcharge ( $3 for a huge side of baby veggies) and was beautifully plated. my companion ordered the halibut at my suggestion ;) and it was amazing. fresh alaskan halibut topped with more snow crab with a vanilla brown butter sauce, a palette balancing bitter green risotto and finished with broc and cauliflower with a melted raclette cheese sauce. we couldn't decide which was better, but to have a perfect steak and super fresh seafood at the same time was such a treat!
i appreciated jake telling us all about the restaurant and it's specialties like the local scratch kitchen and top of the catch fish while not going overboard into too much detail. he knew we were there to enjoy, and enjoy we did!
all the service staff seemed pleasant and were always smiling, and the good vibes were evident. it was also flattering to have chef glenn stop by our table and point us in the right direction for our wine choice.
pricing was great, and well matched to the quality. i would call it casual fine dining.
beautiful ambience, fantastic food, excellent service and a killer wine list. if thats what you enjoy when dining out, then reds is theplacefor you.

classy ambiance. excellent wine list and good food. service is good if a little chatty. ambiance is warm and romantic. greatplacefor a date.

so so. the last two visits to one of our former favorites were disappointing. food was ok and the service was lacking, even when theplacewas less then half full at our last visit.