Commoner & Co

We were staying at Ventana Canyon Resort and wanted to experience something near by for dinner. After looking at options near by, this seemed like an obvious choice. Made a reservation on Open Table for 6:30pm on a Sunday night and there was hardly anyone there when we arrived. Reservations were not needed.The host was friendly and seated us right away. Our server was Alex and he was extremely polite and attentive. He gave great recommendations and guided us to our choices.I started with a glass of wine, the Carmel Road Cabernet Sauvignon that had a decent rating of 3.7 out of 5 on the Vivino app which didn't disappoint. We chose to not have an appetizer and ordered our entrees. I had the orchiette crab pasta which was delicious. He had the meatloaf that came with mashed potatoes and carrots, which he thoroughly enjoyed although it was more than he wanted to eat, he definitely recommendeds. We finished off our meal with the olive oil cake dessert. When he initially mentioned the two options I wasn't particularly swayed either way, but he wanted a piece of cake and when I tell you I was surprised at how moist and delicious it was.During our time here the restaurant filled up with other patrons, but it was never uncomfortable. He did mention that he agreed with other reviewers as far as the noise level and the acoustics, I didn't even notice.Overall, it was a great experience with exceptional service. I would definitely recommend and look forward to visiting again.

We came back in January on a weeknight and had great service. The Stargazer was a bit plain without vanilla, but after adding a tiny bit of simple syrup from a side they gave me, it tasted much better. The Fixer Upper was good, though it had a sweet aftertaste, but I really liked it. Lady is Always Right was really good again--definitely spicy. The Sage Pear Gimlet was too sweet by the end.The mussels were too salty and fishy, though the bread that came with it was great. The beet and ricotta was fresh, but I feel it should've come with crackers. The Brussels sprouts and cauliflower were really good. The crab pasta had a fishy taste, and the salmon was covered in too much salt, but it tasted better once I took the skin off.

I hate writing this review. We've been coming here for years and have loved the ambiance, the food and drink, the service and the proximity to our home. There have been several changes in recent months that will definitely move Commoner down on our list of favorite places. My favorite dish, the mussels and fries, has been changed to the point of being unrecognizable. The mussels are still plump and fresh tasting, but the sauce is no longer light and delicious. It is heavy and cloying. The fries have been replaced with dry bread, although I did ask for the substitution back to fries, and it was happily done. Also not a fan of the chicken sandwich that completely sheds its breading within the first few bites. The menu is shorter with many things being changed or deleted entirely. I don't think the new chef is doing Commoner any favors. Will we return? Yes, but less often. And I will not order my old favorites. Should you go? Maybe, you might like the changes. This is one person's take on it. I'm just sad to see it become less than what it was.

Manager was fantastic with helping secure a reservation and then changing the time for us. The service was amazing. Our server so so nice and friendly and knowledgeable. We came in with a large group and he offered to separate all of the bills. The food was GREAT also! The restaurant itself has a nice atmosphere. Pricing was very fair. Highly recommend.

All the food was excellent. I tasted everything that was pictured except the chicken. The service was very good especially considering that they seemed a bit short-staffed. We did wait longer than I would have liked for our entrees. The Vibe was relaxed and the feel casually dressy. I will definitely go back.

Came here for a special occasion and, unfortunately, the best I can give it is ok. We ordered several appetizers and while they were all very good, they were very small even for appetizer size (each one barely served 2 people).I ordered the salmon and the server asked if serving it medium was ok. I asked him to make it medium well and he said no problem. Unfortunately, it ended up be served medium rare and no one at my table wanted it. I brought it home and will just cook it through myself and serve it on a salad for lunch tomorrow, but either the server put it in wrong or the kitchen doesn't know the difference between medium rare and medium well! Others at the table said their food was good, but no one seemed to be raving about it as they often do when we dine out. I think they were just trying to be kind and likely found it ok as well. At first I thought the prices seemed very reasonable, but when the plates came out, I realized they are about half the portion size of many other places and that's why the prices were what they were. So, unfortunately, it ultimately seemed overpriced for what you got. When the food was ready, the server brought the first 3 plates out and then it was at least 7-10 minutes before the other people at the table were served their dinners, so the first people to be served ended up with cold food. The server never came back to ask how everything was and we had to ask him to refill the water carafes and to bring the check. Only 2 desert options and neither seemed that exciting, so we skipped it. It's a beautiful restaurant; it just didn't live up to what I was hoping it would be! If future reviews tell me different, I'd go back and give it another try.

Decent food, nice ambiance, outdoor seating, solid craft cocktails and just a bit noisy.

My hubby and I had an early dinner here after some wine tasting next store. We were greeted at the door by the friendly staff and were seated right away. They have a great selection of wine and cocktails. We started with a bottle of wine and the wildflower sourdough & honey cinnamon butter yum . Sometimes cinnamon butter can be too sweet for my taste, but this one was just right. We each had one of their two salad choices. They were both very fresh, but we preferred the taste of the Kale Caesar Salad.As for entrees, I had the salmon filet, beluga lentil, root veggie and virgin sauce. The texture of the salmon was perfect but it lacked flavor. The lentils, veggie and sauce made up for it though. My hubby had the orechiette crab. It was delicious. We were too full for dessert but all together we had a great dining experience. If you're not going to have dinner here, go and have the cutie behind the bar make you a cocktail. His name is Barrett, he's super outgoing and a sight for sore eyes. My husband's not mad at me for saying that either .

Food was decent, but nothing to harp about. We ordered the brussels sprouts and liked the cashew butter that came with it. We also ordered the salmon and cappellini pasta, both were good, but also pretty standard. Service was fairly slow. They have happy hour from 4 to 6 PM, but it's only $1-2 off some appetizers, no drink specials. They do have half bottle wine on Mondays, which is nice!

My boyfriend and I went there for Valentine's dinner but we were very disappointed. 1. They didn't post the Valentine's Day menu online or give notice that the regular menu wouldn't be available at all. Only after we sat down at the table we found out their Valentine's Day menu. The price was not listed and we had to ask our server. At this point, we had no choice but go with the pre fixed menu. 2. The food portions were small. Two appetizers, two entrees and one dessert to share. However, we left the restaurant hungry. 3. The taste of each dish was average at best. Some of the food is not too difficult to make at home. The cauliflower was just simply boiled, the shoestring potatoes were cold and tasted stale. For the price of $120 for two people, we expected much higher quality of food.