Guidos is a long time favorite of mine. It is unlike any other restaurant on the Hill. First, it brings together Italian and Spanish traditions. It attracts many locals and if you listen, you will hear the languages and flavors that makes it such a unique place.
So I was disappointed in a recent visit. We were there very early on a Friday evening and asked if we could have the table in front of the fireplace. Temperatures had been in the single digits and with snow on the ground, that table was very appealing. It was early and there were just a handful of diners in the place.
Our waitress was very friendly and started us with a bottle of our favorite, the Luzon Tempranillo. It is great wine and a very nice price $24. We also jumped in to the tapas menu with an order of Queso Barracho (breaded fried goat cheese) and Mejillones a la Espanola (mussels from New Zealand topped with Manchego cheese). Ah, what wonderful flavors! We were enjoying our order when we noticed the owner pointing at our table and speaking Italian. From what we could understand, someone had reserved our table for 6 PM and it seemed like our waitress was being chastised for seating us there. All I can say is how rude and uncomfortable for us.
We were there and hungry so we went ahead with an order of the lamb skewers and bacon wrapped dates. All the food was good. The dates were actually done much more nicely than the last time there. Will I go back? Yes, but not as often. I will never feel the same about Guidos and it has solidified Modesto as the best place for Tapas. It is always an open and friendly environment and is right down the street.
So a quick update from March. We had another deal so we went back to Guidos for pizza. I will say that the pizza was quite good. It had a crunchy thin crust, just the right amount of tomato sauce and would move on to my top 10 list for pizza. But I also want to add that our server, Kenneth completely made up for the last experience there. He provided top notch service and recommended a really great wine that was selling for $28 for a limited time. It was the 2012 Arindo from Verdejo Spain. The wine was fruit forward with a robust finish.
