Bird Dog

Bird Dog Restaurant Review:

Bird Dog brings a big-city aesthetic and modern styling to small-town Palo Alto. The flat, grey, concrete façade and minimalist stainless-steel logo stand out among the mainly casual, or longstanding formal, eateries in the area off University Avenue. The menu and plating pursue a modernist approach as well, and waiters will be certain to give you a detailed tour, almost in total, of offerings and how they are prepared. (Micro-cilantro anyone?) Hot roti on a glass stand begins the meal, and is an enjoyable starter in lieu of bread. Wood-grilled avocado is a point of pride, or was to our server, but is essentially a halved avocado with ponzu sauce in the cavity. Apple-cheddar salad was in fact more a frisée salad with a modest speckling of the primary ingredients. Sous-vide pork belly stood out, while our raw fish preparation was overly salted. A non-dining highlight: audio from Julia Child plays in the bathroom. Bird Dog shows promise, but the promise remains to be realized.