Taking over Paul K’s space, Rich Table was an eagerly anticipated opening from Chef-Owners Sarah and Evan Rich, the highly pedigreed duo who have cooked at many of SF’s top kitchens (Coi, Michael Mina, Quince, etc.). Set in a more casual environment, their food remains refined with some interesting combinations.

Mixologist Mattias made our pre-dinner cocktails Push, Push (Germain Robin brandy, Cava and lemon verbena) and the Lands End (St. George Terroir Gin, Dolin Bianco Vermouth and garnished with a cypress tree sprig). Both of these drinks were perfect summer cocktails:

The Sardine Chips from the bites menu is a must get item. Sardines are “woven” into potato slices and served with horseradish crème fraîche with micro-herbs:

The Asian-influenced slightly sweet chicken wing bites came with pickled plums and onions:

We ordered a Tempranillo from the middle tier of their wine list (all wines are categorized in one of three price levels). It was initially too warm for our taste but a short chilling period helped open up the wine:

The duck confit was served with assorted sprouts and sprouted legumes (green garbanzos) and grains. The crispy duck confit bits probably negated any healthy benefits of this dish (which is just fine by us):

The chicken and chive lasagna was very rich and satisfying. It came with a few douglas fir needles that provided a slight herbal flavoring:

The blue prawns dish came with shredded little gem lettuce, radishes and a very light tonnato (tuna) sauce. The prawns were big and perfectly cooked. The prawn heads were very tasty in themselves:

Mattias made us a great digestivo drink made with Taverna Amaro, Carpano Antica, ginger syrup, bitters and garnished with a lemon rind:

The two-plus week old restaurant is putting out some bold food. However, there were some glitches with timing from the kitchen between some of the later courses where we ended up canceling our last order (after a long wait). We do look forward to returning again sometime in the future, at the very least for those addictively good Sardine Chips.

http://richtablesf.com/