Rich Table Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Reviewer: Foodnut.com Rich Table 199 Gough Street (At Oak) San Francisco, CA 94102 (415) 355-9085 Rich Table Website Book Reservation

Why did we dine here? – Rich Table is the work of Husband and wife Chefs Evan and Sarah Rich. (Bouley, Coi, Michael Mina) This restaurant got a 3.5 star (Beyond excellent) Bauer review, making it one of the hottest reservations in town. Pretty casual but full of middle aged well dressed foodies, this loud restaurant has a rustic, barn like setting. It was a hot day and without air conditioning, it was not comfortable inside.

Insider Tip – Make reservations months in advance!

Cuisine – California Cuisine
Location – San Francisco, Hayes Valley
Opened – 2012

Service – Rich Table had very good service with a helpful server providing for our needs. He came around every once in a while and did not need to be chased down, but he did charge us for a dish we did not receive. Pacing was fine.
Verdict – Rich Table did not live up to the Bauer and Sens reviews we had read. The food and service were inventive, interesting, very good but not excellent. There were several entrees that were over salted, while appetizers and desserts were fine. We’ve seen this pattern at other new places in the past.  Give them 6 months to dial things in..

The best way to dine at Rich Table is to order a cocktail, appetizer, pasta, and dessert. Skip the entrée’s for now.

Rich Table Signature Dishes – House-made levain, Chicken, Lamb Tartare, NY Strip

Rich Table’s Menu changes from time to time and features lots of interesting ingredients, local, organic, sustainable items. There are only a couple vegetarian options.

Website Rich Table Menu

Rich Table Food Picks:
Push, Push – Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Apple, Maple Syrup ($10) was a solid cocktail with good balance.

Mojito ($10) had a little too much ice, yet was still potent and pretty well made.

House-made levain flavored with wild fennel; the thick slices ($4), toasted and served with house-cultured butter

Sardine chips, horseradish ($7) or a signature dish that we have to try. A fun start to the meal.

Black garlic mortadella ($8) was good and not too strong. Not very black either.

Roasted beets, burrata, buckwheat, sprouting greens ($12) is a highly recommended starter, nice crispy bits on the beets along with some smooth cheese.

Plancha bread, squid, small scallions, sudachi ($12) was a beautiful sight, with some thick bread along with some gamy squid. A reasonable dish if you like these ingredients.

Raw king salmon, cucumber, douglas fir ($13) was one of our favorite appetizers. Beautiful, crispy crust, and some very fresh fish.

Lamb tartare, shelling bean puree, olive oil ($14) worried us a little bit, but proved to be slightly chewy, not gamy, and came with some excellent bread on the side.

Tajarin, huitlacoche, house cultured butter, chives ($16) was a flat, some with thick pasta. A decent pasta although the other 2 were even better.

Spaghetti, charred sungold tomato sauce, sea urchin, red jalapenos ($17) was not spicy, and was cooked to a slight al dente state. This eggless pasta was pretty rich with the strong uni flavors.

Rigatoni, wild duck bolognese, butternut squash, coffee ($17) was another solid pasta. This eggless pasta was also al dente, and included a fair amount of meat chunks. We really couldn’t taste the coffee.

Buttermilk poached chicken breast, beans, seeds and sprouts ($23) is an interesting dish. The chicken was very tender and looked pretty pristine. The combination of items made for a cutting-edge dish that may not suit all folks.

Lime curd, graham cracker, pea shoots ($8) was an interesting looking dessert, which proved to be even more delightful than it looked.

Sweet cream panna cotta , strawberries, lemon crumble ($8) was on the from the side, and not very rich. Some sweet and savory action too.

Mint chocolate cream , milk ice cream, chocolate cookie ($8) had a nice crispy in chocolatey cracker, along with a light ice cream. The desserts clearly are a must get here.

OK: (Order if you like this dish)
Confit swordfish, gypsy pepper salsa, asian pear, young ginger ($24) was very tender and juicy, probably because it was olive oil poached. It was slightly salty, hopefully the kitchen can address this in the future.

Big Night – Dal Maguey, Vida Mezcal, Nastirtoi, ginger ($10) is a green acquired taste. Very herbal. You are forwarned!

Pans: (We would not reorder these dishes)
Sweet glazed new york strip steak, braised escarole, radicchio ($28) was recommended by the server and came to us have a good-sized steak. It was cooked to a nice medium rare, but was over salted. Probably should have sent it back. The greens were way too sour vinegary.

Restaurant Map: