Mustard Seed

In Davis, there are about four notable restaurants for guests and Mustard Seed is one of them. So when Feen-dizzle said he was coming in our neck of the woods for dinner, we figured to go somewhere nice. This is where the professors bring their guests, so most of the patrons are residents and professionals, not students or young people. The menu covers a wide spectrum of dishes, so there's something to like for everyone. The prices are pretty standard for "high end" dining in Davis, but reasonably for the three of us with three courses each and a couple of drinks the total cost was about 150 bucks, not terrible. 


I had a Sudwerk's Marzen to drink, the crab cake for an appetizer, the half order of rack of lamb, and the apple tart for dessert. None of my dishes stood out in particular, but all were well executed and  pretty good. For Davis, it was a good example of well cooked, classic Californian cuisine. 
Chu-Toro had a glass of rose, the tomato bisque with puff pastry, the half order of duck breast and the chocolate croissant bread pudding.  I wasn't very fond of her duck, which tasted gamy to me, but the bread pudding was excellent. 
Feen-dizzle went with the apple and walnut salad, the gnocchi and the creme brulee. The gnocchi course was huge. Really mammoth. Like a family style offering for the whole table.


In general, all the courses were huge, our half orders of lamb and duck seemed like full orders, and the desserts were equally gigantic. Covering every inch of the plate, the bread pudding could have been enough dessert for the three of us. By the end of the meal, we were all bursting at the seams, pretty satisfied with the quality of food, the huge portions and the kind service. Not  a place we would go out of our way to have again, but if we needed to pick a place to take visitors to a nice meal, Mustard Seed would make the short list.  


December 6, 2010
Rating 6.5/10