Great service great dinner with friends

Food was amazing! Loved the La Foret salad, lobster appetizer, Elk was outstanding as was the shrimp. The elk was a standout. Service was top notch. Can’t wait to go back!

I loved it because we were literally next to the woods. The staff very nice and the food delicious.

Waiter Allen was amazing

Celebrate birthday

La Foret has been an institution in San Jose for 40 years. It was a go-to place for special celebrations. The location out in Almaden Valley is special and we love the historic aspect of the site. We enjoyed our twilight drive past Calero reservoir and the oak-studded golden hills.

I don’t usually post negative reviews but I just want the buyer to beware.

We arrived 5 min early for our 7:30 reservations. We had made reservations for outdoor dining on Open Table, which requires a choice between indoor and outdoor dining. When we presented our party we were informed there were no outdoor tables available. But I had reserved a table outside. Did they give it away? She replied: you need to come early to get an outdoor table. Well, no, I RESERVED an outdoor table. She responded that there were no outdoor tables. We could wait for 45 minutes if we wanted to wait. At 7:30, 30-45 minutes from anywhere? No. So we grudgingly said, ok, we will eat inside. She then lead us to a table in the back corner of the room. We requested the table by the window that had been vacated. What a start to the evening. What a representative of the restaurant. Either train her or fire her.

The waiter was very experienced and tried to cheer us up. We ordered soup and the La Foret salad to start, and the seafood pasta, wild boar, and veal. The shrimp had been thawed too long. The soup was lackluster. The seafood in the pasta was good. The pasta was marred by an intense herbaceous flavor. Meyer lemon seemed absent.
The boar and veal were just ok. Nice selection of vegetables but the greens were dry. We expect more with entrees priced in the $50s and $60s. We saw other people served bread but we were not. How basic is that? No one noticed.The wine list is extensive with many nice selections but prices are at least 3x retail, even on higher-end wines.
We were served a lovely birthday dessert sampler.

Bottom line: a nice location, but the service and food do not justify the prices.

ANOTHER ECELLENT DINNER.

It seems like they might have been short of staff. Our waiter was very knowledgable and did his best but we found ourselves looking for him.

We had a fabulous experience. Such a quite place for intimate dinner.

A perfect evening from start to finish. Every course was delightful!

After we finished our salads, we waited for 45 minutes for our dinner to be served. My husbands venison dinner had to be returned, it was blood red raw. He had asked for medium raw.
And I has to return my pasta prawn scallops dish. It was so salty, I couldn’t eat it.

I wouldn’t waste my time going to eat at that restaurant. Also, the waitress never apologized for the time it took to get our dinners and never offered us a hors d’oeuvre to tide us over.

The food and service (Christian took great care of us) we’re impeccable!

The food, atmosphere, and experience at La Foret is excellent.

Got the 7-course tasting menu. Other than the lobster and the dessert, the rest of the courses were mediocre. They also placed bread plates and butter knives in front of us, but never brought as any bread. For $220 a person, we left quite underwhelmed.

Ate outside, quiet table by the stream. Wonderful service. Scallop appetizer cooked to perfection. Had the bison and rack of lamb, both cooked to the doneness requested, lovely sauce, tender. A couple of yellow jackets joined us but were happy with the fat and bones we put in a saucer on an empty table. Perfect anniversary dinner.

The entire experience wast “the best”. Food is wonderful

French styled dishes with great flavor. Portions are just right. I had tasting menu #1/5 course and was not uncomfortable after finishing.

The food was delicious and service was great. We ate indoors however they have a beautiful outdoor patio. It’s a quiet subdued location that is warm and inviting while relaxing at the same time.

Simply perfection.

Took my fiancé here for his birthday on a weekday evening--he got the Tasting Menu #2. Peaceful and romantic environment with upscale French cuisine. Thoughtfully executed dishes. He recommends the wine pairing. The quail I ordered was some of the best food he has ever had (I agree). Expensive but you can tell that the food is high quality all the way down to the spinach. We sat outdoors and it was really lovely--only saw a few mosquitos. Be prepared to be there for at least 2 hours if you do the tasting menu. Not a long wait between dishes but definitely takes time to get through everything. Staff was friendly and attentive. Recommend wearing business casual at least.

Came to La Foret to celebrate my retirement! We had the Prix Fix #2 selection, a 5 course meal. Everything was delicious and perfectly prepared, and Eva was the best! Perfect ending to a perfect day! The service was impeccable.

Had a lovely anniversary dinner with friends. Excellent food, excellent service.

We had an incredible anniversary meal there! Everything we got was amazing and appreciated the complimentary bubbles while we were waiting for the bottle to chill

A wonderful anniversary dinner, served so elegantly.

Wonderful ambiance, great service and outstanding food. You come here for an experience.

We have been celebrating special events here for over 40 years and have never had a disappointing experience. The transition to the new owners was seamless and the new outdoor dining option is amazing. Go early and get a table overlooking the creek!

Setting (creekside) is picturesque. Service was excellent, as was food. The elk was especially good. Well worth the money.

Definitely one of the best meals I’ve ever had in my life

The service was wonderful and the outside seating was lovely. However, the food was not nearly as good as in prior visits.

Always a great experience.

I love the relaxed feel of this place, I definitely would come back and try more of the awesome menu 😋

We went for the 6 course tasting menu, and I have to say I was a bit disappointed. All the food was perfectly cooked (the elk was spectacular and by far the stand out dish of the evening), but the salad course was uninspired to say the least, and the lamb portion was far too big for a tasting menu. It was basically the same as the main menu. If I went there again I wouldn't bother with the tasting menu. It isn't worth the price compared to others I have had.

The restaurant itself is lovely. It's an older building in a lovely garden setting. Be prepared for your signal to drop on the way out there. It isn't hard to find the place though.

The service was friendly, but could be better. There were several times we had to flag people down to clear the plates, or remind them of our wine pairing. We were also the last ones in our section, and they started moving the tables and chairs around for the next day. Not exactly relaxing or a great experience for us, and not what I would expect from a restaurant which is not exactly cheap.

Overall I am not sure I would go back of my own accord.

Anniversary

Food was excellent and eating outside was great. The ambiance was wonderful and I really enjoyed watching the wild turkeys walking around while we ate (from a distance). It's pricy but I'd definitely go back. Our server Christian was great as well. I highly recommend the scallops and the elk.

Old world charm, great service, excellent food, and exceptional wine selection. Always a treat on a nice summer night in old Almaden!

We were here for our 12th anniversary and had the last 9pm reservation which is their closing time. We reached late and still the management was super accommodating. He also served us the tasting menu which they would usually not be able to do after 9pm. We were the last people to leave but the staff was super sweet and took great care of us! Thank you ! We appreciate it!

Outstanding

Great service and nice ambiance. Food was amazing too.

Excellent special occasion restaurant. I do not know what could have been done better. Pricey, but worth it.

The best restaurant in San Jose. It is pricey, but for a special occasion, guaranteed to be memorable. We celebrated our 23rd anniversary there last night, our 3rd time there for dinner. My wife had the quail, my mom the veal, and I had the elk tenderloin. All 3 entrees with their sauces (!) were amazing. This was the first time we ate on their outside patio, overlooking a brook. We will try to reserve outside from now on.