Chianti Cow Restaurant

"What makes Chianti Cow such a pleasant dining experience is that CIA-graduate Chef/Owner Keith O'Connor really cares. He cares about the food he serves and he cares about his customers. The Chianti Cow is not the most pretentious, nor the most expensive (far from it), nor the fanciest restaurant in Orange County, but in many many visits to this out-of-the-way bistro, we have never had a meal, or even a dish, that we didn't enjoy."

"Nearly everything was room temperature or lukewarm. Based on other reviews, this isn't uncommon. Don't order a cappuccino. Item descriptions were lacking. I had salmon that was swimming in a sort of, pureed fennel sauce that was not mentioned in the description, only that fennel was an ingredient and not how it was prepared. My desert was described as a custard, it was more like a cobbler or a tart. It was probably the best thing I had, next to the bread or the cauliflower appetizer. The pasta special had a strange astringent flavor to me. The same kind of astringent you get from using too much nutmeg. I was concerned by how cold my chicken dumpling soup was, but I let it slide. It was a beautiful soup, regardless of the temperature. But the food safety side of my brain was screaming at me to not eat a cold chicken soup. I also didn't think that nearly everything else I ordered would be the same temperature. My salmon dish was just.. weird. The piece of salmon was perfectly cooked though, which made it worth it. A good portion of the ingredients were bitter and starchy, it did not compliment or contrast the salmon in any way. I thought the fennel puree was very nice, until I became absolutely overwhelmed by the third bite. It would do much better as an accoutrement, rather than be such a large portion of the dish. There's lots of great quality ingredients, but the flavors don't mesh well. Myself and my partner left full, but unsatisfied. I admire what's being attempted, but I don't think I'll be back."

"We were a party of four and we found the food to be excellent. Cozy inside. The service was very good. Beer nice and cold and drinks were good. Catherine was our server and she was top notch. There was a 15 year old girl assisting and she messed up with our coffees. So what, she made a mistake. I give her credit, as she's out there working. Her name was Kayleigh. Young lady, keep up the good work, you'll get there. We certainly will be back."

"Brought the family out for dinner, couldn’t have been more impressed with the food and the service. Staff was on the younger side but attentive and very pleasant. Food and drinks were superb and reasonably priced. Will be back again for sure."

"This is the kind of local restaurant we need to support. Rather than eating at a big chain, come here for a great meal! Cozy, tasty food, great service. Loved the stuffed pork. Only thing: Lights were too bright for me, but not a big deal."