09/08/08

salty food, oily salads

by californiafoodconsumer

i've been there twice, and have had badly (and weirdly) seasoned food both times. Like everyone else says, their lettuce is consistently wilted and oily with little other flavoring, and their foods are oversalted. The first time I went was with a party of about 14, and I talked to about 5 of us later and ALL of us had SUPER SALTY food. For the record, the first time I had the 'apricot salad' (not feeling too hungry for dinner) which--underwhelmingly--was sliced apricots over a bed of not-generous oily-wilty lettuce. That was an opportunity to create, but they ignored the possibility of seasonings, let alone other vegetables!!! I 'wasn't that hungry', but I left the restaurant full of bread to compensate for the non-meal. The second time IO went to Adagia was for a work lunch, and I had the falafel sandwich. The falafel was good, but again, the lettuce in the falafel was wilty romaine, and the side salad as super oily. These two trips were about 4 months apart, just to give you an idea.

For the price I can't understand why people still go back to have sub-par food over and over.--must be the snoot factor. The seasonings aren't particularly creative--you could whip something more flavorful together in your kitchen by adding a little feta or pepper--or, god forbid, other spices. Sure, the building is nice, but hot hot hot on warm days. I can't understand why they take high high quality Nieman Ranch super-humane meats and organic veggies and crank out this lame stuff. A waste of time, money, delicious ingredients, and your appetite.

• Pros: the building--that's it.
• Cons: boring, sub-par food, mediumly expensive price (considering the food)

12/16/07

Tests your patience..

by myideas

We had lunch at Adagia on a Sunday before a matinee performance at Zellerbach Hall. I had searched on-line for places to have lunch and thought Adagia sounded perfect..It was not! We were seated quickly, but it took quite a while for a waiter to come to the table. Once we ordered, we waited another 10 to 15 minutes to get our drinks (waiter forgot to order one), salads (overdressed & wilted), and bread. The hamburgers were okay..not worth the wait..Overall, it wasn't a horrible lunch, just disappointing & frustrating...I would not go back again..

04/27/06

A good place for dinner before a lecture

by topcatwawa

This is our second visit and the food was better than the first time. The new crab parfait was full of interesting flavors in each bite and the lamb shank was wonderfully braised with delicately seasoned light sauce over a bed of tasty white beans. The service was attentive and the wine list was small but reasonably priced.

• Pros: Service, Location, Good food
• Cons: Small wine list

03/06/06

NOT RECOMMENDED

by stainlessmirk

This place looks, sounds, tastes like a castle. The food reminded my date of the movie Shrek, where the big ogre tears meat off a colossal bone in savagery. Parking was a nightmare. Apparently, you get free parking at the Bancroft hotel pkg lot, but BOY IS IT HARD TO FIND. If you do end up going, A HUGE TIP: across from Adagia on College, there is a cafe. It is right next to the cafe going down Bancroft. Very obscured!

Anyway.. setting is WEIRD, food is WEIRD and not at all tasty. The review before me said the tuna was overcooked. OURS WAS RAW. My lamb was huge and loomed at me freakishly. Bill came up to be 50+ for two very *eh* entrees and a shared starter. Once again, do not go unless you like castles very, very much.

• Pros: friendly staff, good bread/dip
• Cons: EVERYTHING ELSE, OVERPRICED!!!

01/03/06

Disappointing!

by embaldwin

After reading great reviews of this place, I was looking forward to trying it out -- what a disappointment! We had tuna that was overcooked almost to the point of being inedible, and risotto oversalted again almost to an inedible state. I never send things back, but I came really close this time -- for these prices, I expect a dinner I can eat! Very weird, very disappointing -- won't be going back.

• Pros: Unusual space, Pleasant staff
• Cons: Overpriced, Bad Food

11/27/05

I'm amazed that Adagia is near the university

by agentred

I never would have thought that a place with food this good would be near a university. Frankly, the dinner prices are far more than a college student could pay. The food is delectable. The sweet potato gnocchi with rabbit sugo is comfort food at its finest-- earthy, sweet, and savory served piping hot with the gnocchi pan seared (not mushy). The homemade sorbet trio with macerated figs was oustanding. BYOW will incur a corkage fee; decent wine list. Beautiful setting-slightly formal yet comfortable; I especially love the cozy enormous fireplace. Friendly staff and good service (no snobby "professionalism" here). Try it for lunch if you can't afford the dinner prices or just stick with the excellent appetizers.

• Cons: metered parking or, limited time parking

Impressive California cuisine served up in the sun-dappled recesses of a collegiate-style banquet hall.

by Joanna Currier

In Short
Elegant chandeliers dangling from high, wood-beamed ceilings, wood paneling, a fireplace and huge, square windows of patterned leaded glass are reminiscent of a venerable prep-school dining hall. A pattern of dark tables surrounds one long, communal table, all stripped of drapery revealing luscious natural wood. Food is Mediterranean-style California fare made with fresh, organic, seasonal ingredients from local farms and artisans.