8FFLFOE MOUNTAIN VIEW VOICE
■ RESTAURANT REVIEW ■ MOVIE TIMES ■ BEST BETS FOR ENTERTAINMENT
Not just another N R E S TA U R A N T R E V I E W
UNEXPECTEDLY GOOD FOOD AND ATTENTION TO DETAILS AT PAUL MARTIN’S AMERICAN GRILL BY DALE F. BENTSON PHOTOS BY MICHELLE LE
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aul Martin’s American Grill has pedigree along with serious money and know-how behind it. Co-founder Paul Fleming was also a founding partner of the Fleming’s steakhouse chain, P.F. Chang’s (which was sold in 2012 for $1.1 billion), Ruth’s Chris Steakhouses and others. Fleming’s partner in this venture is Brian Bennett, another skilled restaurateur. Fleming is regarded as one of the brightest restaurant concept developers in America and has won the Nation’s Restaurant Group “Hot Concept” Award three times. While his creations have been financial winners, none of them appeal to the foodie in me. I had my fingers crossed, hoping Paul Martin’s in Mountain View wasn’t another P.F. Chang’s, wasn’t another Fleming’s and wasn’t another glitzy oversized eat house. I wasn’t disappointed.
The food was uniformly flavorful, the portions generous, the service excellent. The prices were not outlandish and the decor was smart and contemporary without being ostentatious. At capacity, the restaurant seats 170 and another 50 on the patio. Big, but not cavernous, and presentation details were noteworthy at every level. Opened early December in the reconstituted San Antonio Shopping Center, there are a half-dozen other Paul Martin’s around the state and one in Arizona. The place was jammed on the three weekday evenings I visited. Fortunately, I had reservations and I highly recommend you do the same. The interior decor was warmed with woods and a polished floor. There were both booths and tables and the space was broken into two dining areas. There were a dozen Continued on next page
Salt-and-pepper wild prawns are served with pesto aioli at Paul Martin’s American Grill at the San Antonio shopping center in Mountain View.
March 21, 2014 ■ Mountain View Voice ■ MountainViewOnline.com ■
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