Tabu Grill

Great steak

by macknewport at Citysearch

Last weekend I dined at Tabu and tried the special American Kobe Steak, which strangely came with macaroni... but both were awesome. Do yourself a favor if you have some extra cash and spend an evening at Tabu, I'll be back.

• Pros: High end
• Cons: High end

Hot Spot in Laguna - Tabu Grill

by Emily at Citysearch

A cozy, cool, hip and hot restaurant in Laguna. I'd been driving by for a few years and always wondered about the food. It got a stellar Zagat rating. We celebrated a friends B-day there last night and the food was beautiful and delicios-o!.

Loved the music and the whole setting.

Try it - you will be a believer!

• Pros: Wonderful ambiance, music, cocktails and food
• Cons: all good

Top in the world

by NYKatie at Citysearch

My husband and I have a job that takes us all over the world. We live in NY City and eat at many fine restaurants. Our recent experience at Tabu was one of the best we've had in years! The place is small, yes, but that just adds to the charm. With so many chain, unimaginative restaurants out there, Tabu Grill is an amazing find! The staff was fun, personable and professional all at once. We had a table that allowed us to watch the chefs at work and it was not only entertaining, it was impressive as well. Everyone in the place made us feel as though we were their personal guests. The wine was a fun mix of non conventional old and new world selections. The food was amazing! We had the scallops and the foie gras to start with and, in all of our travels, we've yet to taste better than what we had at Tabu. The Filet and crab/avacado stuffed tuna was PERFECT! We finished off with a white chocolate panna cota and a pineapple upside down cake. There were only 3 lovely girls as servers that night and all 3, at some point stopped by to service and chat with us. All lovely, and freindly!. The chefs were professional and a joy to watch. We will recommend going to Tabu Grill to all our friends that head out to California for vacation and we will make sure to reserve a table each and every time we are there!

• Pros: Service, food, music, fun energy, quaintness
• Cons: parking

Tabu=to prohibit, to forbid....you from having good food and good service.

by Topenga at Citysearch

As I was reading some of the previous reviews, I could not believe that some people consider this restaurant "outstanding" and that it has "great ambiance". I beg to differ. I am not a food critic, but I've eaten at many restaurants around the world, and Tabu is not what it claims to be. In fact, it's a hole in the wall, with modern touches, but so tiny, I felt claustrophobic. It was dark with a sinister vibe. Because it's so small, you will certainly be wearing the smoke and fumes from the kitchen once you leave - apparently there is no ventilation.

The host and waiter were not too concerned with good customer service (very snooty - the "chic wanna-be place" is too good for YOU, in their opinion. The food was average - some dishes were OK and some were below average. The seating situation was another point of contention for me. We sat on this long bench, sandwiched bewtween other couples like sardines. If you like being crowded, barely able to hear yourself because the music is obnoxiously loud, and pay $$$ for bad service and bad fod, then I would recommend this place. Otherwise, save your money!!! You would be better off indulging yourself in a tasty picnic, on the beach. Great view, fresh air and the crowds won't suffocate you there.

Disappointed

by Cinemaniac1 at Citysearch

My wife and I stopped by Tabu earlier in the day to grab a menu as we knew that we would be dining out later in the evening. We were given a small, fold-out menu with descriptions of cuisines that made my mouth water. I was particularly interested in one dish that contained crab and avocado and my wife was taken by the description of a salmon entree.

We called ahead and were given a reservation. When we arrived, we were greeted by Managing Partner Nancy and immediately shown to our table. The interior was intimate and the decor calming. It appeared that about 25% of the dining room's real estate was claimed by an "open kitchen" area. However, it looked as if this area was only being used by the wait staff as a soup and salad station.

Both of the items that we had seen on the mini-menu were no longer offered. I inquired about the absent dish listings and was told by our perfunctory waiter that our mini-menu was not up to date with the current entrees and that the dishes we desired were no longer available. He claimed that it was similar to their internet listings. (As I write this, there are NO listings for entrees on the website. The link for 'entrees' is inoperable.) Our waiter suggested alternate choices. I took his advice and chose to have the sea bass. Intrigued by the blue cheese macaroni, my wife chose that along with the beef.

We were served our wine along with some garlic bread that was burned on one side. After a few bites we didn't eat the rest.

It took FOREVER for our meals to arrive. We thought that something may have happened in the kitchen because there was a lot of smoke - enough to make our eyes water.

My fish was tasty but drowned in juices. My wife's macaroni had a severe burned taste even though it didn't look burned. Her meal was perhaps one of the worst I've ever tasted. Since it was our anniversary we just wanted out. We paid our overly expensive bill and left. I wouldn't recommend this to friends.

• Pros: Good choice of music and decor
• Cons: Over priced food that tastes burned - No cocktails, only limited beer and wine