Left Bank

Left Bank

377 Santana Row # 1100
San Jose, CA 95128-2058
(408) 984-3500

I've been to Left Bank on multiple occasions. I must admit it is a hit or miss with me on this restaurant. Sometimes I'm blown away and other times, I'm left disappointed.

After a hard days work, my wife and I decided to unwind at Santana Row. After walking among the plethora of restaurants, we decided to go with Left Bank.

The place was packed, but we were seated right away. After skimming over the menu we decided to start with the Ahi Tuna tartar. My wife would have the steak and fries and I had the duck served two ways.

Our server quickly took our order and brought over some bread. They actually brought over two batches. The first batch was room temperature and we quickly devoured it since we were so hungry. The second batch was better, it was still hot, like it just left the oven. The butter was okay, but it was a bit hard, which made for spreading a bit difficult.

Our Ahi Tuna was brought pretty quickly. It appeared nice, but it was quite bland. There was little to no seasoning. We were a bit disappointed. Perhaps they thought the small amount of olive oil would provide the flavoring. The tuna itself was okay, but it lack the fatty buttery taste of a good tuna. The micro salad was okay, it had a bit of a peppery kick to it.

My wife's steak was okay, though it was a bit small. The meat was tender, but once again was a bit bland. The fries was decent. If you ever had McDonald's french fries, this was similar. This is not to knock that the fries were bad. In fact a freshly made McDonald's french fries are some of the best. My wife remarked that I had made better steaks at home. After taking a few bites from her dish, I tended to agree. The side carrots were decent, they were both soft and sweet.

My duck was better. The leg was served confit style, while the breast was roasted. There was a sweet apricot salad in the middle. I often like fresh fruit with the main dish, it makes the whole dish more fresh and appealing. The duck itself tasted okay, but it lack that signature bold flavor that would have put it over the top. The dish felt almost there, but seem to lack that one thing or ingredient.

Service on the whole was good. We were catered upon and had our drinks refilled without asking. Even though the place was busy, we never felt neglected.

Final Thoughts: It was a miss this time.

Food: 3 stars

Service: 4 stars

Price: Above Average

Overall: 3 1/2 stars