Paul Martin’s American Grill

After trying this establishment for the second time, we were hoping for a turn around from the first visit back when they first opened this location. Unfortunately, it was not good the second time either. The appetizers (fried calamari and fried prawns) were pretty good but the entrees missed the mark. Short rib was dry and presented with no sauce, ribeye steak was charred to a crisp (no finesse), chimichurri chicken was dried out and cooked with the chimichurri sauce so the herbs turned brown (chimichurri sauce should always be added at the end for a burst of freshness and not cooked), linguine and prawns were cooked so hard the prawns were rubbery, the one entrée that was decent was the skirt steak but it did come out medium when I was expecting medium rare.

I really try to like this place. The food is decent, drinks are good, and the location is nice. But the service here always does something to completely unnerve me. I’ve been next to the door in the middle of winter and had to where a coat the entire time. More recently after fininshing happy hour food and drinks it took nearly an hour to get the bill and after I got it I found out they ran my card 3 times. Who does that? Train your staff so you don’t rip off your customers and incur riduculous chargeback fees.

This is an update to my previous review. I would like to give a big thanks to Luis and Cheryl who made my experience, this time, 100% better than the first time. I went with my dad, who had never been here before. He really enjoyed his prime rib and all that came with it. For $ 27 thats a great deal for salad, prime rib and dessert!
As a non meat eater, I take his word for it. The vegetarian spring rolls were awesome and the sweet chili sauce that comes with it– I told Xavier to bottle and sell it. I would put it on everything!
If you like chocolate cake, get the devils food cake. They use the expensive real dark chocolate. If you love chocolate as I do, you will want to start with this and possibly bypass dinner. Especially if you have a good wine, such as the Decoy Zinfandel.
Luis also let us taste the banana cream pie which I had never had before. It was so light and taste really fresh. I am not sure why I have never had it but after tasting theirs, I would have it again.
Our waitress Cheryl was fantastic. She was welcoming. She had knowledge of the wines and she was a delight to talk too. She checked on us often to make sure everything was ok.
It is always a good idea to give a place a 2^nd try when management reaches out after a bad experience. I have not been there for happy hour but it does seem like they have an active happy hour crowd both times I visited. I would definitely recommend Paul Martin’s for dessert (and if you want to start with dinner, I would recommend that as well! 8))

Came in today for the first time for Father’s Day. My friend has always recommended this place so I thought I’ll bring my husband and father in law here for lunch.
I called to make a reservation, the lady on the phone said she can take us in at noon. When we showed up at noon. The lady at the reception desk doesn’t seem to remember that I made a reservation. We waited for maybe 10 minutes for them to figure out where they can sit us.
Finally seated, our server arrived and took our orders. 40 minutes later, the sweet potato fries and linguini that I ordered for my daughter came. It was cold. I didn’t mind since it was for my daughter any way. Then around 20 minutes later, the rest of our order came except for mine. We ordered the brick chicken, prime rib and the linguini & shrimp. the food was also cold when it arrived our table. and we were still missing an item. Finally the server came back and brought me something else that I didn’t order (I ordered pasta, she brought out steak). Because we’ve been waiting for a long time, I didn’t want to change the order anymore and wait even longer. She said the reason why it took a while for the steak to arrive is because she made sure that it was cooked «medium well»…well the steak was rare! Plus that’s not what I ordered but whatever.
Towards the end of the meal, the server came back and gave us 2 big plates of salad. She said its on the house since we waited for a long time and for the mistake on the order. In my mind… I’m almost done with my meal you want to give me more salad? but whatever.
I was just ready to go at that point. so I asked for the check. It took her a while to come back with it. My family already went outside since I had my 10 month old daughter who was just ready to go.
She came back with the check and said that our orders came with a free scoop of ice cream. She asked me to pick from pistachio, vanilla and chocolate. I said vanilla and pistachio… she came back with 2 scoops of pistachio and said oh I’m sorry (what happens to the vanilla?)
Not a very good experience over all. I expected so much more. Don’t get me wrong, the steak and chicken was good, outdoor sitting is nice but the service could have been better.

I came here twice with a friend for dinner. On the weekends, it seems like a busy place. The ambiance was nice and a bit trendy. The first night, I came here on a Friday night. I had the steak frites. I also tried the pork as well. Both were cooked well. I was pleasantly surprised with the food and wine. Both were tasty and delicious. The second night I came here was Sunday because we both wanted to try the prime rib meal. The prime rib was cooked perfectly the way I wanted my meat, and it was also a good size. The dessert comes with the meal as well, which was vanilla ice cream with a biscuit cookie. It was pretty delicious in ending dinner with that. Yum! It’s good to know that it’s in HIllsdale Shopping Center.

Went in for a drink for happy hour and was completely ignored by all staff! The manager Luis came out numerous times to another table and still ignoring us. It was actually pathetic how much he was at this other table too. I thought it was sweet at first, and then it was ridiculous. My friend and I both in management customer service positions were very disappointed in this performance. Especially since we come to this establishment often.
Needless to say no waiter, manager to help us at your restaurant is very sad. I will think twice, next time I receive your request for an invitation to your restaurant.
When my friend went up to manager Luis to explain the situation, he didn’t seem to care what so ever! NICE!

So bad it was comical.
I felt like this was an episode out of Hell’s Kitchen, except Gordon Ramsay actually gives a damn, so the 2015 49ers might be a more accurate analogy. Lots of people standing around, not sure if any of them wanted to be there.
Without going into much detail, this dinner was doomed from the start. There were problems with our initial reservations, problems with being seated, problems with our food, and problems with our check. There were plenty of staff on hand and a minimal crowd for a Friday evening, but it looked like no one knew what was going on. Browsing past reviews, it looks like operations partner «Xavier B» is quick to apologize to unhappy customers, but maybe those efforts would be better-​spent training staff to prevent these incidents from happening. Come to think of it, I didn’t actually see Xavier until I was leaving when he was talking outside to the hostess who originally screwed up our seating.
So, while the food isn’t terrible, overpriced but not terrible, I can’t see myself coming back in the foreseeable future. I was actually dining here to scope the place out as a possible location for a work lunch, but if there’s any silver lining to this night it’s that I was able to save my coworkers and I the future headache of dealing with this place.

Love this place. if you keep an eye out for they’re happy hour and specials, you can get great deals.
We love coming here on mondays, dinner for 2 with a bottle of wine for 50 dollars. I gotta say we were surprised with the selections. usually when you hear is a «deal» it probably offer the lowest grades and variety. However, this place surprised us. The entrée selection is great. The wine list to choose from is amazing.
Defiantly recommend it.

Happy to have happy hour options for both food and drinks everyday of the week.
My experience was good service and personable individuals.
However, the burger that I heard so many good things about was over salted and the frites came out luke warm and semi wilted.
I would still come for small bites, but that would be it, unfortunately. Salmon lettuce cups were surprisingly good, considering it was a ball of smoked salmon with added ingredients. There is a nice touch of olives, aioli and whole grain mustard to accompany the salmon. Those I could have ordered an entrée sized portion and been satisfied.
Not bad but only when I am in the area and not willing to travel far since there are not may reputable dining options in that area.
My recommendation for a good burger would be the counter.

2.5−3 stars, but they definitely need to work on their horribly slooooooow service. I’ve been here for lunch with coworkers a couple times (and forgot to do a review, doh), but this was my first (and likely last) time for dinner. We came in on a Sunday night and were able to get seats right away without a reservation around 5:30pm. Our server was very nice, and very attentive at first, but then got busy and it was difficult to flag him down to order drinks, etc. We tried:
–Kale Caesar ($ 11): Meh– I asked for the dressing on the side but it came heavily overdressed. The dressing had a very pungent anchovy smell/​taste, so don’t order this if you don’t anchovies. I doubt I would get this again.
–Blackened Ribeye (Housemade Mashed Potatoes, $ 29): The ribeye was cooked well, and served medium rare. However, the steak was cut very thinly, and this isn’t your thick cut ribeye. They seasoned it well, but the steak wasn’t anything special. The mashed potatoes needed improvement though, since they tasted gritty. I wouldn’t order this again.
–BBQ Pork Ribs (House Slaw, $ 28): These ribs were my favorite dish of the meal since they were really tender and fell off the bone. However, they were on the bland side, and we had to ask for extra BBQ sauce on the side. I would consider ordering these again and just hope they brushed on more BBQ sauce while cooking the ribs.
–Braised Short Ribs (Mashed Potatoes, Horseradish Cream, Beef Jus, $ 27): Just ok– they were on the bland side, and a little stringy. I wish the short rib was more tender, and probably wouldn’t get this again.
–Devil’s Food Cake (Three Layers w/​Rich Ganache [Made From Cordillera Chocolate, Garnished w/​Amarena Cherries, Whipped Cream): This was a very interesting dessert since it wasn’t too sweet, but didn’t taste quite chocolate-​y (I guess this is how devil’s food cake is). Although I liked that it wasn’t too sweet, it needed a bit more sweetness– the whipped cream helped but you definitely needed more. This was ok, but I don’t know if I would order it again.
Our entire dinner took over 2 hours for a party of 4, which is ridiculous. We ordered a couple of appetizers, which came out quickly, but the mains took a really long time. It also took forever for us to get drinks and also dessert, which is ridiculous since the restaurant was fairly full, but not packed. Based on the average taste of the food and how long our food took to arrive, I doubt we would come back for dinner. However, they do have a 3 course prime rib dinner special (salad + prime rib + cookies & ice cream) for Sundays, and it looked really good, so I would consider coming back to give that a try. Parking can be tough during the mall rush hours, but it was decently easy for us to find a spot on a Sunday.

They have a really good happy hour menu! Great selection of cocktails as well as food. Highly recommend the smoked chicken and wings. Loved the smokiness of the chicken! The skin was very crispy and the chicken was very moist and tender. Also enjoyed the shredded beef tacos. The beef was full of flavor and tasted great on the homemade corn tortillas. There was a nice aioli added to it which tasted great with the beef. The other two items we ordered was just ok: salmon lettuce cups and chicken skewers. The seating area was very nice too. Very spacious and plenty of seating. They even have outdoor seating.

Paul Martin’s is an easy «go to» for us as it’s nearby and they have a fun happy hour and yummy comfort food.
Their prices though have always been pricier than they should be considering the level of service or food (at regular price — not happy hour).
I’ve never left a review b/​c the service has always been less than stellar and I only like leaving positive reviews, if possible.
Our recent dinner however, on a Friday night with Kennedy as our server WOWED us and I just had to write. Kennedy was absolutely delightful from the start. She had the perfect balance of being friendly, but not invasive, showing she cared by coming at the right times to see if we needed anything and was incredibly knowledgeable about the menu. She also helped us get the most amazing special drink that is not on the menu but she worked with the bar to see if it could be made and it was awesome! Kennedy was wonderful and left us looking forward to returning and hoping that we get Kennedy next time. She made our dinner with my parents very special. If only all servers could be like Kennedy, we’d be at Paul Martin’s every week. :-) Thank you Kennedy!

My friend and I came here on a Friday at 6:30 for their happy hour. Since we didn’t have a reservation, we were seated outside. The hostess gave us a happy hour menu and a regular dinner menu. After glancing at the menu, we looked around to see who would be taking down our orders. It literally took 15 minutes for our waitress to introduce herself to us. My friend and I decided to get:
*smoked salmon lettuce cup $ 5
*raspberry martini $ 5
*lemon ginger punch $ 5
The smoked salmon came in two and it was nothing special. However, the drinks we got were pretty strong so I’d say their alcohol were totally worth it. My friend and I chatted among ourselves for a good 30 minutes and not once did our waitress bother to check up on us. In fact, someone brought out the wrong food which was supposed to be at the table next to us and there was no apology. We got hungry and decided to order entrees from their dinner menu. The waitress finally checked up on us after 45 minutes. My friend got the shrimp salad while I got the bistro burger. We had to also ask the waitress to bring us bread to compensate for the ridiculous amount of time we had to wait and the fact she didn’t bother to tell us that the kitchen was super backed up (we overheard it from another table). She brought out the bread and it was stoned cold wtf?!
My friend’s shrimp salad was not good. The shrimps had a bad taste to it so she was left with just the lettuce. My bistro burger was actually pretty good– although they could’ve gone lighter on the seasoning. Again, our waitress failed to check up on us at all through out the entire dinner. The only time she came back was to ask if we were ready for a check. No offense but she needs training desperately. She saw my friend’s plate who left out ALL of the shrimps on the side and didn’t bother to ask if there was something wrong with the food or if everything tasted fine.
To Paul Martin’s management team: I’d be happy to give you the waitress name if needed for training purposes. My friend used to work at a restaurant and she left you guys a note on the signed receipt on how to better your business. Take it into consideration. Until then, I refuse to return because the service sucks and dinner was expensive too!

Try their fresh spinach /​artichoke dip and fried shrimp .
I had their blacken Rib eye steak, excellent.

First time trying a Paul Martin’s the other day, and the ambiance lends itself as the perfect place for celebrating birthdays and other special occasions. Their prices also reflect said celebratory endeavors.
Went in for lunch and their menu is small and focused. Surprisingly, they have a larger salad selection than sandwiches and burgers. Nothing noteworthy stood out to me to want to try and so I settled on their only turkey sandwich on the menu.
I will admit that their banana cream pie with chocolate mousse was good. The chocolate devil cake had a little too much bitter chocolate for my liking.

This place is not for everyone, let me preface my review with that.
If you like Cheesecake factory, stay there hun… this isn’t for you. If you like wine and you’re sexy — c’mon in! :D
The reason I say this: there is plenty of basic broads out there who won’t like this place. Want to find out if you’re one of them? How many times have you had a decent Burrata? Don’t know? Don’t know what a Burrata is? Great! Go to Cheesecake nextdoor… they’re open. Leave this one to me ;D
This is a wine-​lovers paradise. Skirt steak, thinly sliced, cooked ideally. Charcuterie boards with marinated olives and almonds. Burrata and heirloom tomas with aged balsamic?! YES PLEASE!
I don’t enjoy paying high prices for anything, and I do not like chain restaurants. I do enjoy this over-​priced chain, however.
Thanks for some great meals and sorry for the Basic Batches I’ve brought here who didn’t appreciate it! LOL! I’ll be back with my hubby and his amazing palette to enjoy some red meat, red wine and antipastos.

This is a chain restaurant in the Bay Area San Mateo area. It’s located in a mall so parking is super easy here. We came here for a Sunday Brunch and ordered a few things to try.
We ordered the Three Mushroom Burger with sweet potato fries, Eggs Benedict (Prix Fixe Sunday Brunch), and the Blackened Pacific Redfish.
The burger was large and came with a yummy pesto aioli and a salad since I got it protein style. I would have cooked it a little less. The french fries were really good. In fact, so good I could hardly stop eating them!
The Brunch Prix Fixe came with some blueberry bread, fruit, the main entrée and a cocktail. For $ 22 it was a great price all together!
The fish was also good and was accompanied with cooked spinach.
Overall, I would return especially for their fries and cocktails! They have a small patio in the front, but most of the seating I would say was inside.

I tried updating my review on this a while ago but it didn’t work somehow. Regardless, this place is FANTASTIC. We are here around the holiday timeframe and every single dish wowed us. Every dish was a new conversation. A new experience. The first bite made us smile and automatically start talking about it.
We started our experience off with the salt and pepper prawns. A smart smart move. ;). The flavor quickly satisfies your pallet and make you want to reach for another. Perfectly seasoned with a nice crunch to it. You can tell the seafood was fresh. We also sampled the spinach and artichoke dip which was also fantastic.
Our funny and personable waitress quickly brought us our entrees which were the free range brick chicken and the marinated skirt steak. Wow. Both entrees were to die for. The marinated skirt steak was killer. Perfectly cooked to our liking. Marinated wonderfully. It melted in our mouth the minute we took a bite. The brick chicken had a crispy skin outside with a juicy inside. The sauce they served with the chicken was so great as well. There were peices of garlic that exploded with juices and added to compliment the dish.
Dessert. For dessert we tried the salted caramel ice cream and the fresh home made egg nog cocktail. Rich and sweet and hit the spot. ;)
All in all. Amazing. Thank you so much for the wonderful dining experience.

I had a wonderful lunch here today! I sat outside on the patio with my dog as the weather was a lovely 70* and sunny.
Luis was my server and he was an absolute delight.
I started out with the artichoke, my favorite! Roasted crisp and salty with lemon on the side. Excellent!
I then had the steak Cobb salad — excellent! Chopped to perfection.
I ended my lunch by splurging on the ice cream for dessert — wow! The shortbread cookies that accompanied it were amazing but the salted caramel ice cream was fantastic. Probably the best I have ever had. Perfect salty-​sweet balance.
Convenient mall location with lovely patio — I will definitely be back!

Upon entering we noticed the large bar and outdoor patio seating. The front staff seated us promptly and wait staff was attentive. The family quickly consumed the crisp and well seasoned calamari. A favorite of many surrounding tables as well. Our group recommends the roasted chicken crisp and flavorful, the skirt steak, the clam linguini and short ribs. The grilling technique and brick ovens made a difference in the meats.
Our finale… their famous banana cream pie and crème brule… scrumptious enough to return for on a dessert social night. We were surprised at the quality of the food and will be back.