Three of us recently tried the "Bubble Dining" at the Redwood Lodge. (For those unacquainted with the term, the "bubbles" are vinyl "igloos" placed outside restaurants. It's a safe way to serve sit-down meals to individual parties while the restaurants are closed.)
The meal itself...was wonderful. We ordered two appetizers, two soups, and the pork chop, pot roast, and salmon oscar entrees, as well as the cheesecake and triple chocolate desserts. Of the appetizers, we all thought the calamari was excellent, though both it and the stuffed mozzarella were fine. The onion soup was very good. We were all pleased with the entrees, and I really enjoyed the truffled mushrooms (an enhancement offered for the main meat dishes). The desserts were great (though the chocolate lover would have preferred pure chocolate layers rather than the choc./caramel blend).
The circumstances make it difficult to evaluate other aspects of the meal. I had dined here years ago, and found the whole experience very good. These days, any safe dining experience is a plus. Service was good and accommodating once we were served. There was a slight delay because two parties with the same name had reservations for the same time. Once we got things sorted out, we were able to place our orders, and then food started arriving at normal speed.
I'd wanted to try dining in an igloo and under any other circumstances would not recommend it for a cold winter night. Each unit had an electric heater with a "log" inside, but it generated no heat. (Less ambiance with more heat would be cheaper--and preferred.) We kept our coats on the whole time and used the throws we had brought. It wasn't a particularly cold night; had the temp been in the low 20s or lower, I suspect we would have found it too cold.
The upshot: The Redwood Lodge still has good food and offers a good dining experience. If these days you are desperate to eat out somewhere, it is available. If you are simply thinking about it as an alternative dining experience to try, check the weather forecast first!More