Best Wine Bars in Palo Alto

We went for a belated Valentine’s Day celebration and they still had their Valentine’s Day pre-fix menu, so we ordered that plus a few extra appetizers and drinks. The overall experience was fantastic — from the ambience of the dining room to the food and drinks, and the wonderful service! Appetizers: - Seared scallops with beetroot risotto - the scallops were delicious but a tiny bit tough to the bite. The red risotto was on point, especially the color for Valentine’s Day. - Maitake mushrooms - deep fried to perfection. If I didn’t know they were mushrooms, I would have thought this dish tasted like fried oysters from the famous Clam Box in Ipswich, MA. - jumbo cocktail shrimp - the shrimp was indeed jumbo; there were five whole pieces of shrimp Mains: - surf and turf - large lobster (delicious!) and prime bone-in ribeye (upgrade, totally worth it, so tender and well-cooked!) - side of asparagus - large pieces, boiled. - side of truffle mashed potatoes (upgrade) - portion isn’t large for the price, but it was delicious! Dessert was the pre-fix menu dessert - chocolate tarte with alcohol-infused blueberry. The blueberry was very interesting and unique. Drinks - the suggested drink pairing (berry bliss?) was fantastic!

Awesome appetizer especially flatbread with arugula + prosciutto. The cocktail was spotted on. I tried Osso Bucco. I think it could have more savory but the ingredient was fresh and good quality veal. For dessert, both chocolate mousse and tiramisu were light and fluffy; right amount of sweetness.

Managed to get a reservation in the 2nd floor room on Valentine's Day. We did not know this existed since last year we were outside. Ambience was great. Staff was very welcoming and as always, the food was great.

We have never experienced a better night out. Everyone from the host greeting us with a warm smile to David the manager introducing himself and offering his services as needed to our excellent server Hannah was a top notch employee. We felt like royalty as they took such great care of us. The food, the service and the atmosphere were all better than we could have dreamed of. You have to have the smoking manhattan from the bar. It was so tasty and the present was superb. If you are fortunate enough to have Hannah serving you, I promise you will have the best waitress in the business. We eat out often and over the 3 decades of doing so, I have never seen anyone better at what they do. We can’t wait to go back.

The Cask Wine Bar is a reliable choice for a consistently high-quality meal, excellent wine, and friendly service. If it is not already on your dining list, be sure to add this restaurant as it never disappoints! I met a friend there last night, and we became engrossed in our conversation, the meal and the warm atmosphere and ended up lingering for nearly three hours. It was a wonderful experience!