Sunday, September 25, 2016

The Bywater Restaurant in Los Gatos

For my birthday, Inna surprised me by making reservations at the newly opened Bywater Restaurant in downtown Los Gatos. Since this restaurant was newly opened by David Kinch, the famous chef of the 3 Michelin-star rated Manresa (also in Los Gatos), we were eager to have a bite there.

When I lived in Houston, CA (after graduating from Georgia Tech), I got used to eating spicy Louisiana delicacies at the famous Pappadeux Seafood Kitchen in Houston. This Louisiana-inspired chain serves my favorites, such as Crawfish/Shrimp Etouffee and Louisiana Gumbo (among many others).

When we arrived at The Bywater, there was no seating (very little room inside), so we sat on the back porch. It was a bit hot out, but there was very little indoor seating for our group of five.

The menu for The Bywater is limited to a few items:


To get started, Inna ordered "The Hurricane" cocktail - a Jamaican rum blend, passion fruit, Campari, and lemon. Inna liked her Hurricane, but it was intense - The Bywater does not water down drinks!

I ordered the "Huck a Buck" cocktail made with tequila, watermelon, dry Madeira, lemon, and sea salt. The cocktail was outstanding (but the glass was too full of ice).


For appetizers, we ordered the "Classic Tomato Gazpacho with Poached Shrimp" (primarily for me). It was very tangy and delicious!


We also shared the "Creamed Corn & Garden Tomatoes" salad, which Inna enjoyed. The "Chicken Liver Mousse and Seasonal Jam" was also quite delicious!


Inna ordered the blackened fish or "Snapper Courtboullion for the entree." She really enjoyed her fish!


For my entree, I selected the "Duck and Oyster Jambalaya." The duck was marvelous, but the Jambalaya was ok.


Overall, the food was quite pleasing but a bit eclectic. Since I like spicy, Louisiana-style cooking, The Bywater tickles my tummy, but it would not be everyone's cup of tea.

One tip to remember - when ordering drinks, ask for no ice. The Bywater staff fills drinks with so much ice that there's hardly any room left for liquid.


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