These are archived reviews of Tucos Wine Market & Cafe from 2006. For more recent comments, please visit the entry.
2006-01-13 15:04:13 Tucos used to be my favorite restaurant in town, but it seems to have slipped lately in both service and food. It may be growing pains, but it is sad that they seem to be focusing more on expensive multi-course meals and less on interesting tapas and wine tasting. —ToNils
2006-03-08 14:01:33 Apparently, they just changed head chefs. "Bobby" no longer works at Tucos, as of the first week in March... He had only been working there for about 4 months (and I agree, his food was pretty tasty). Tucos must be going through some kind of transition... I'm interested to hear more about what is going on there. —ElHarvey
2006-03-09 07:46:25 I ate here recently and, yes, this is not the same place. When we tried to order sandwiches (that were on the menu, mindu) we were told they couldn't make them - we ordered something else. We ordered a bottle of wine and were told there would be a corkage fee (???!!!). Corkage fee? This was their bottle of wine. We were told that they were trying to discourage the "bar atmosphere". Jesus, it just makes me grumpy to think about it. I won't go back again anytime soon after the way we were treated. —PaulThober
2006-03-18 22:27:36 you guy's are right on about all of the recent "slips" in regards to service and quality at Tucos although I think it has not been close to the same since their first Chef - Casey departed last year. I would reccomend that you save your money for a really great food, and wine experience in Napa, or at 55 degrees, or Enotria in Sac. —JaneDough
2006-04-09 21:05:25 The food is excellent and no one else in town has a better wine list (selection AND price)! The service is pleasantly quirky and always fun. —DiorKelley
2006-04-30 23:12:36 I have been a regular to Tucos since moving here from the Bay Area 6 months ago. It is absolutely not the same place, and not for the better. During our most recent full course $150 meal there, we absolutely felt the absence of Chef Bobby. The food is nowhere as good without him. Which is not to say in any way that it is bad. But for the prices they are charging in Davis, they should be great. Service is good, but seems to have taken a small hit. —DjzayValenta
2006-05-01 21:34:21 Regarding wine pricing, the corkage fee is more than fair. Here is why. Most restaurants charge you 2-3X the retail (wine shop) price of the wine. At Tucos you pay the retail (not normal restaurant) price + corkage fee. This ends up being LESS than the price charged by most restaurants. —JulinMaloof
2006-05-24 17:46:29 WAY overpriced. For $9, I received enough salad (the one with the strawberry-onion vinaigrette, which didn't taste as weird as it sounds) to fill half a coffee mug. My friend's smoked salmon pate sandwich was yummy, but again, too much moolah for too little chow. I love the idea of serving wine in tiny flower vases. No, seriously, I do! :) For a rich-socialite feel in a small-town environment, come here for lunch in the sun! —JennaChan
2006-09-17 11:32:34 Perhaps the best restaurant in town. The food was outstanding and wine great. —KeithPieper
2006-09-23 13:39:55 The food was tasty, the wine the same, but the service was a little rough. I think they could benefit from actually assigning tables to the waiting staff so they could be more attentive. Took a while for the food to get out too, but it was really good once I got to eat it. —AndyLentz
2006-11-01 16:10:50 They have a decent wine list, though nothing out of the ordinary and certainly nothing that one couldn't find at Costplus or Nugget. However, 99% of the restaurants in Davis have shockingly poor wine lists-esp considering how close we are to Napa/Sonoma/Russian River Valley-so Tucos's wine list is better than the Mustard Seed or Seasons. My friend and I decided to split two appetizers and they were the smalllest, most expensive appetizers we have ever eaten. The Roasted Butternut Squash Float was only a little larger than the size of a half dollar coin; I am not joking. The Clam Chowder Cakes were average but pricey. All in all, I think it is a nice little place to have a glass of wine and maybe some cheese. But the food seems fairly unimpressive. I will go back again at some point to try the larger plates b/c they certainly sound good. —GradStudent06
