Tarragon

I ate at this restaurant this past week as it was the meeting place for one of the local networking clubs. The appetizer, which was the pizza with goat cheese, was wonderful. Then, the group moved over to the dining room and for the main course, I ... more

I ate at this restaurant this past week as it was the meeting place for one of the local networking clubs. The appetizer, which was the pizza with goat cheese, was wonderful. Then, the group moved over to the dining room and for the main course, I had their linguini with smoked salmon and mascarpone cream. The entree was full of linguini and smoked salmon, but I did not see the cream though. Was very impressed, when I finished it. Had no room for dessert. Otherwise, I would try their version of tiramesu. There were two downsides of the whole experience at Tarragon: 1)There was not enough lighting. Definitely needs to make the restaurant brighter. And 2)The service was way too slow on the slowest night of the week, which happened to be Tuesday, which was the night that the event was held. We were the last ones out of the place, just before the restaurant closed. less

Atmosphere: Excellent Crowd: Varies Dress: Casual Food: Above average to excellent Noise: A slight bit loud Service: Average to above average to better Comments: After a long day, I walked through the doors (and curtain) covering th ... more

Atmosphere: Excellent Crowd: Varies Dress: Casual Food: Above average to excellent Noise: A slight bit loud Service: Average to above average to better
Comments: After a long day, I walked through the doors (and curtain) covering the front entrance (around 9:00pm) and was pleasantly surprised at what I found. The atmosphere of Tarragon is very contemporary. There are works of art, creatively textured decors with shaped lamps, dark carpet and plush seats and booths, brick alley-walls, a pleasant gypsum walkway, and many other things, etc. I was firstly pleased with that but what was far more attractive to me was the brightness level of the lighting. Now, if you're someone who likes bright, flashy lights, you wouldn't like Tarragon. It is VERY dim inside with minimal lighting (enough that no one would trip) and even the lighting itself is from a pleasant style bulb that is not blinding to people sitting in near-dark light-levels. I can't say enough about how much I loved the lighting. The restaurant would have seemed like a different (less relaxing) place if the lights were bright. Anyway, I'll move on. So, to sum up the service of the night, I had a very kind and courteous waitress but, I can only assume, due to their large number of customers (the place was PACKED) she was too busy to pay enough attention to me. She was quick to get my drink and ask for my order, and my order came rather fast. However, after I was finished eating, I sat for at least five to ten minutes waiting for her to come ask me about dessert. Once I ordered dessert, she was VERY quick in bringing it and so, I don't want to be too harsh on the service, since most people have told me their service is excellent. Plus, I was by myself this time and so maybe she figured I would take longer to eat my dinner than I did (since I had no one to chat with and slow me down). Alright, on to the food. Firstly, I was brought some warm, sourdough bread in small slices. The bread was warm (duh), moist, and soft in texture with a typical sourdough flavor, though less stunning than some (some of the best bread I've ever had is at Stoddard's across the street). Then my order of Goat Cheese Ravioli with romas/marinara and onions came ($16) and this I was pleased with. The ravioli were not chewy nor overly cooked and the goat cheese, though flavorful, was not too ambitious. The romas and onions mixed in the marinara were VERY soothingly tasteful and a bite with all three mixed together was quite good. The white chocolate cheesecake with huckleberries was, hands down, some of the best cheesecake I have ever had. Ordinarily, cheesecake can have an overly strong flavor but with the layer of white chocolate on top, it was EXCELLENT. The huckleberries were in perfect season also and added the perfect garnish to both the cheesecake and the relative darkness of the room. I can't say enough good things about this cheesecake. All in all, the service I received was better than your average restaurant but, at least in my case, not the four-star quality I might have expected. The food was mostly excellent, especially the cheesecake, and the atmosphere was definitely one of the best I've seen. I definitely recommend Tarragon for a relaxing evening out or a romantic one. less

I happened upon Tarragon a few weeks ago on a busy Friday night when other restaurants on Murphy Avenue in Sunnyvale were full and had long waits for tables. My girlfriend and I were planning to eat at Stoddard's but after sampling the deafening ... more

I happened upon Tarragon a few weeks ago on a busy Friday night when other restaurants on Murphy Avenue in Sunnyvale were full and had long waits for tables. My girlfriend and I were planning to eat at Stoddard's but after sampling the deafening roar and finding out that we'd have to wait 30 minutes for seats, we opted to see if some other restaurant on Murphy could provide an atmosphere more romantic than standing outside in the cold next to exiled smokers for half an hour. Enter Tarragon.
The atmosphere inside Tarragon is pleasant. The decor is interesting and arty without being ostentatious. And what a relief that the place is quiet enough to talk to one's dinner partner without having to shout. (What IS it with so many restaurants nowadays purposefully creating environments for ear-shattering noise?!) Of course, the relative quiet may have been due to the restaurant being less than 1/4 full.
The menu encompasses a good variety of meats, seafood, grains, and vegetables, most prepared with a small Mediterranean or Asian twist. The quality was very good, and portions were big enough to send both of us home with leftovers even without appetizers or desserts to help fill us up.
Table service was professional, friendly, and reasonably quick. Unlike at so many other higher-end restaurants in the area, the service was appropriate to the prices -- which, by the way, are fairly good compared to other South Bay restaurants offering similar quality food and atmosphere. Most entrees were in the range of $18 to $25. If you like A.P. Stump's in San Jose, you'll like Tarragon better because it serves the same quality food at lower prices and with better table service. less