Palomino

I've been wanting to try Palomino and had seen it in passing every time I took walked along the Embarcadero waterfront. It's located on the ground floor of the Google building too and I saw it when I had interviewed there a while back. It's supposed to have a great happy hour but this particular dining occasion was a business lunch.

The table started off with some of their focaccia and tomato "salsa". It had great flavor though it was only a tiny portion. I ordered the mushroom, ham, and goat cheese flatbread for my entree. At $15, it was pretty pricey for what it was. It smelled delicious but the ham was extremely salty and I unfortunately didn't finish the pizza. The combination with the goat cheese and mushrooms were great, but the salty ham was definitely a little off-putting.

The service was a little bumpy and didn't instill confidence, especially since the server had to ask whether we wanted bread and also pulled some plates before we were done with them. They've got a beautiful outdoor patio with bay views and is very welcoming to dogs, which is a huge bonus. I've got to come back and try their happy hour in the future but I wasn't terribly impressed with the food and service. Beautiful restaurant in a great location, but I'll seek lunch elsewhere next time.

Food: 6/10

Service: 6/10

Price: $$

Atmosphere: 8/10