Rubicon
- August 23, 2007
- Rated 5 of 5 by
shamaguchi from Danville, California
Rubicon is a two-floor dining room in San Francisco's Financial District. This California-style French restaurant was opened by a stellar ensemble--Drew Nieporent (NYC's Nobu and Montrachet), Traci des Jardins (has moved on to open her own restaurant Jardieniere), and investors including DeNiro, Coppola, and Robin Williams (you know, the movie stars). Current Executive Chef, Stuart Brioza, does a fantastic job with the menu, and Master Sommelier, Larry Stone does a good job of presenting fantastic wines at reasonable prices (relative to the other SF hotspots). Rubicon is a fantastic place to experience the influence of Napa Valley without leaving the City.
My Comparable Experiences: Fifth Floor, Gary Danko's, Boulevard, Aqua, Auberge du Soleil, Bouchon, One Market.
Where: 588 Sacramento (2 blocks West of Embarcadero Center; 6 blocks NE of Union Square)
Price: $87 for 7-Course Tasting; $50 per person + WINE off the menu.
Food: FANTASTIC! Personally, I liked it more than Gary Danko and Fifth Floor. The Chef's tasting menu was significantly more adventurous (Don't get me wrong, Danko's is great food, done extremely well). The best dish on the menu was the cured foie gras. It was shaved and layered with shavings of porcini mushrooms and finished with a yuzu sauce. Unbelievable! Unfortunately, Rubicon is a seasonal restaurant, so it is no longer on the menu. A second visit to the restaurant was just as good. The tasting menu starred a seasonal peach that was featured in every course. Start to finish, the menu was fantastic and very well put together.
Service: Average. Nothing stood out as extraordinary, but very good service.
Final Thoughts: None of the top tier restaurants are any worse than the others, just different. I thought that Rubicon was much more "progressive" than others that I have tried. AND, most importantly, you cannot beat the value. The Tasting menu at Rubicon is the best bang for the buck of any of the others I have tried.
From journal Eating My Way Through the Michelin Guide - SF
Rubicon
- March 12, 2006
- Rated 4 of 5 by
CBKovarik from Los Gatos, California
Rubicon is one of the hallmarks of California cuisine since 1994, and is backed by celebrities and chefs as well as numerous awards including the James Beard award—quite impressive, almost as impressive as the 1600 selection wine list.
We had a large group here, which the staff accommodated well. Except for the tasting menu—while a bargain at $37—which was distributed to us and then promptly whisked away. We were ten presented with full menus—no option to save money with the tasting menus!
For our first course, my associate and I shared a wonderful portion of foie gras, delicately seared, and served with sauces just as delicate. We also had the garlic soup with crab—a nice compliment with crusty croutons.
Unfortunately for the reader, we had the same entree, a wonderful piece of sole with meyer lemon served over potato mousseline. While I wish we could describe other dishes, I will say that it was wonderful.
Dessert finished with a marvelous banana beignet concoction that was marvelous, and a superb vanilla mousse.
Decor is fun, slightly industrial, and exactly what you'd expect for a well deserved reputation. If you'd like the quintessential San Francisco/California cuisine experience, Rubicon should rank at the top.
From journal Culinary Journal of San Francisco