Wences, Pleasant Hill, CA

12/15/13
Stopped in here about noon on a Saturday. Trying to decide between breakfast and lunch was complicated by a delicious brunch menu. Having had a recent bad crab cake experience (http://www.yelp.com/biz/…) I decided to pass on the crab cake Benedict and went with a Wedge Salad ($8).

We started with an order of Fries ($5) and added truffle oil ($1). They were probably the best thing on our table. So thin (my favorite!), crispy, and amazzzing flavor. Husband's BLT ($9) came with French Onion soup (or salad or fries). The soup came out with our fries and while it didn't look that appealing, I enjoyed it more than Casey. It kind of reminded me of a salted beef broth, like what you'd make using bullion at home. I think true French Onion soup lovers (like Casey) would like it less. The cheese was good, but it swam in the middle of the soup, rather than crusting over the entire top of the cup. ($3.50 cup, $5 bowl, if not ordered with a sandwich). I'd order a cup again!

The prettiest item on our table was Casey's BLT. Two huge sandwich halves on crispy bread with lots of lettuce, tomato and bacon. There was also avocado, melty cheese, and a pesto aioli. He let me have a bite and it was awesome. Too much veggies for him so those ended up on my plate. His also came with a giant pickle spear, which I didn't see him move off his plate until it was too late and I was full.

My wedge arrived and it was smaller than I've seen them served before, but I ate every bite and wasn't hungry at the end. It ended up being the perfect size for me. I would have liked to see more toppings, but the bacon and cheese crumbles were great. Really crispy, really flavorful. There was another topping, perhaps a roasted pepper, but I literally had a teaspoon worth of it (yes, teaspoon; not tablespoon) and I couldn't identify it with the one bite.

We sat on their front patio which had 3 tables and a heating lamp, but it wasn't needed yesterday.  Both tables had furry friends sitting with their owners as they ate so the place is pet-friendly (outside). Service was good. Casey had to ask once to get a refill on his Pepsi ($2) and we had to ask for our check even after every dish had been cleared from the table. But Paulina was professional and nice, and had really pretty eyes.  :)  We look forward to returning. Perhaps I'll try a Bloody Mary ($7) with some oysters, since they offer several varieties.