theory

In theory, this restaurant seems to have potential. The menu is telling of an ambitious chef with interesting ideas, driven to bring something new and exciting to Reno’s dining scene. Unfortunately, my experience only hinted at what I feel should be coming from this space.
I came in for appetizers, and we sat at the bar. The bartender was awesome. Knowledgable on the food and beverage selections, and knew the food very well. It was clear that the chef/​owner took the time to train his staff well, which translates to a much better dining experience.
Reading over the menu, just about everything sounds interesting and appealing, in theory. We were a party of 3, and knowing we were headed elsewhere for the main course, we settled on the steak tar tar and the dungeness and brie dumplings. The tar tar was tasty, tender, and seasoned well with a hint of mustard and chopped cornichons. It was served with house fries and bland, boring crackers that were obviously store bought. They were a completely uninspired addition that really left a poor taste in my mouth. The dumplings also fell flat in my eyes. I expected the sweetness and delicate texture of the crab to be accentuated by the creaminess and mild flavor of the brie. What I tasted was relatively bland crab, absent of brie, in a fried wonton skin served with some fresh greens and a smear of pea purée. Just not what I’d envisioned, and in my opinion, not worth the price.
I can’t base my opinion solely on these appetizers, as I’ve seen beautiful and tasty entrees in photos shared by friends and Unilocalers. This place has much more to offer and I look forward to seeing where it goes from here. My hope is the concept of isn’t lost in our current food scene and that they can find their rightful place amongst the great eateries in Reno.

First try and I was sold! Unique, creative cuisine that is simply delicious! The menu changes often and while some of the dish descriptions might sound strange, just try it. I promise it all works. With everything from appetizers and entrees to desserts and drinks, Theory does it right for Reno! Now I just have to try the Friday lunch and weekend brunch!

This is a great new place in Midtown which has a clean and sophisticated feel with it’s décor and menu. Creative collection of ingredients in each plate. We tried the arugula/​beet salad and pork burrito for Sunday brunch which was excellent! We will be back very soon.

My boyfriend and I took my cousin out to dinner last night and we decided to check this place out and I’m so glad that we did! The décor is really modern and the chairs are so comfortable! I’ve been to some new places lately *cough* heritage *cough* that have seats that cause your butt to go numb before your appetizers hit the table!
We started with the salmon roll appetizer, it came with three pieces which was perfect for us. The salmon was perfectly smoked and it was filled with cheese and topped with a jalapeño, delicious.
For dinner my cousin and I had the salmon dinner (we like our fish!) The dish came with a small heirloom tomato salad and some purple sticky rice with a beurre blanc sauce. Everything on the plate was cooked perfectly and the flavor of the salmon was buttery and smooth, melt in your mouth!
My boyfriend ordered the burger they had that night, it had kimchi and a sweet plum ketchup and on the side it had tempura battered sweet potatoes. When the burger came out it looked pretty plain, but my boyfriend said it was seasoned so well it made his top 3 burger list! Plus he ordered it medium rare and it actually came out that way!
Lastly (we were hungry!!) we decided on a berry sake soup for desert. All I can say about that is wow! I love fruit in my champagne but there is never enough of it, this dish was like a bowl of all that fruit! There was a quenelle of cream in the center with black sesame seeds, the sake was sparkling a little, the raspberries brought a little bit of tartness… it really hit the spot!
My only small complaint was that the menu we had seemed to have less options than the ones pictured here, but that may be because we went on a weekday. I think I know where I’m getting dinner Saturday though!

What a fun new place to eat in Reno. We shared everything and enjoyed the chefs creativity and use of local products. We look forward to going there again to try the Summer menu.

This is my second review for Theory. This is been a difficult review to decide on. People who know me know I’m no slouch in the kitchen. I love food, am a pretty damn good cook and enjoy learning everything about food and cooking.
One of the things I had liked about Theory Are the two or three seats at the bar in the very back that looks into the kitchen. I really enjoy watching the chefs cook and I like that they would talk to you
But… The other night I made my third trip to theory with a friend who had not been there before. We were both dying to try the foie Gras burger. Disappointed to know that it has now been removed from the menu and the other two previous times it had not been available. We decided to stay and try something else on the menu. The menu had been paired down it look like about half in previous size. We decided on the crab and Brie wontons. They were okay the last group I tried them with were disappointed in them.
We also ordered the pork belly BLT. It was good and something not on everybody’s menu
Next we order the mushroom udon. We were amazed by the great flavor in the right amount of heat it had. It didn’t intensify and it didn’t linger so that you couldn’t taste the rest of the meal. The gentleman that was the assistant cook that night was fabulous. He would ask us how things were tasting how he liked them we told them we loved the udon and how near-​perfect we thought it was. Then I guess I made a fatal mistake. I happened to say I wished I loved the french fries or the pine frittes as much as the udon. The chef then came out and made us a small batch of fresh pomme frittes. And I commented I like my french fries crunchy. That’s where the discussion went downhill. I was promptly told that only theory and Beaujolais bistro make fresh french fries in Reno. Everyone else uses frozen therefore my standards must be low. Just so you know I am still looking for that perfect crisp french fry in Reno that’s not frozen. I was then told I should just go to McDonald’s and order their fries. I admit I was quite insulted since I haven’t eaten fast food in years. And make it a point to eat it all the local restaurants that I can and not chains. Sad how a simple discussion over french fries ruined the nice night and meal we were having
In all it’s safe to say I probably will not return to Theory. There are other places in town where the chef comes out and talks to me and I have always enjoyed them and their food. Those are the places I’ll stick to. Those are the chefs I know that are sincere when they come out and ask me are there any problems, anything I need to change and did you love the food.
And to finish I have a few friends that are chefs in town and they have told me exactly how to make the crispy french fry from fresh potatoes at home

Service was great. The menu includes what seems to be really awesome dishes that you wouldn’t really find anywhere else. However, my friend and I were not impressed. The food (our appetizer and both entrees) tasted plain even though the menu claimed they were full in flavor. We also asked for medium steak and got a well done steak. It might be because the restaurant is new but we did not enjoy the food.

Theory was cool — a swanky atmosphere, very modern and chic. I really like that they used a large metal toolbox to store cutlery. We popped in here to grab a few appetizers and a drink. The food was okay. Nothing super special, but a fun little spot in midtown. We tried the steak tartar and dungeness wontons. To be quite honest, it wasn’t that memorable. The tartar was fine and the wontons were not really all that interesting and more so tasted like the fryer than anything else. I would be interested to try some of their main dishes before formulating my final opinion of theory. For now, I will still say, «In theory, it is a good idea»… still being a brand new restaurant, we will wait to see if they really impress.

My friend and I went here last night before our Picasso and Wine painting. We were planning on hitting up Wedge but this place caught our eye being that it is right next door. So glad we tried it. The bartender (can’t remember her name) was super friendly and recommended a nice red wine for me. It was so good. Then she recommended a beer for my very picky friend and he loved the beer too.
We decided to order a couple of appetizers since we didn’t have a lot of time. We got the crab wontons and the machago cheese appetizer with the candied nuts. Oh man both were absolutely deelish! The crab appetizer was so yummy and you got four wontons which was nice. A lot of places would have only given two. They were really hot and tasty with an avocado dip. We could have used a little more dip than what was given but I am sure if we would have asked they would have obliged. The machago cheese app was great too.
The hostess was very friendly and the bartender was as well. We will definitely be back.

My partner got the pan seared scallops with roasted beets purée and a «BLT Soup» to start.
The scallops dish was well made and put together very nicely. Nice seasoning and presentation.
The BLT soup was very good and perfectly seasoned. The only thigh I would suggest is that it comes out hotter. It was closer to warm than hot.
I got the «buttermilk and 5 spice fried chicken». It came with a watermelon spring roll. It’s a twist on the Vietnamese spring roll, but with watermelon inside. It wasn’t bad. I wouldn’t go there specifically that item. I wouldn’t even crave it. Nice experience though.
Now the chicken and sliced potato salad. The sliced potato salad wasn’t seasoned. All it had was a light coating of mayo on it. The chicken wasn’t seasoned either and resembled «shake & bake» fried chicken. MINUS seasoning.
The cook who prepared my chicken meal forgot to season it. I really wanted to enjoy it, I love buttermilk chicken. Just, totally wasn’t what was advertised. It was so bland, my water had more flavor.
Service was fantastic! Absolutely great service.
Tables — all community seating.
Restaurant — spacious, large bar, new furniture.

Amazing addition to mid town. Finally a place that covers all the bases. The food, wine, décor, menu, wait staff, comfortable seating and music. It’s all here! Can’t wait to come back. Next time, hopefully with my boyfriend or parents… Maybe both???

Went in months back, before they closed, and loved it. Was annoyed that after they opened and I’d been a few times that I started telling people about them and they closed. Past is past I was willing to give them another try a few days ago. Was less than impressed with the new menu, nonetheless I was there I picked something. Was not impressed with the doneness (temperature wise) of the dish nor the flavor and the watermelon wrapped in rice wrapper was well weird. Staff is great and offered me a different dish, neither of us wanted to try anything else. They are a welcome addition to the neighborhood, maybe we will try again as the place is open and finds it’s groove and the menu evolves.

Robin and I have been to Theory twice: once when it was (kinda/​sorta) open before, and once after the recent opening. Both times, sadly, it was decidedly… fine. Not grotesque… but meh. Just meh.
The first time around we get dishes with flowery, over-​long descriptions that didn’t match what was put on the plate. Our pork was over cooked. The potatoes were… fine. The dish with a noodle mound soaking in a asparagus water had about three too many ingredients. It showed promise but never delivered.
When we saw that it was open again we stopped in and had a few drinks and a split some appetizers. The pork spare ribs for $ 20 were, in a word, hilarious. There were two tiny spareribs and a jalapeño slaw on a very large plate. The ribs were not hot, they were not cold… just lukewarm. They tasted, oh so very slightly, of soy and nothing else. The jalapeño slaw tasted like… nothing. Robin ordered some port, it was served right out of the refrigerator.
We talked to the other patrons at the bar and their response was largely the same as ours: underwhelmed.
Couple that with the price and you get 2 stars. Maybe Theory has just been poor on the two night I’ve been. Maybe it’s magical for everyone else. Maybe.

Over the last few months there has been lots of theories as to why Theory was closed. Well I’m here to clear all that confusion and all of those questions.
They are open and the past is in the past.
I had just left an event for American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life fundraiser at 1864. I caught up with Doug for a few minutes then headed out because I needed to eat. My wife was at home being sick so I thought…“I’m gonna stop by Nicks Greek Deli and see what kind of kabab trouble I can get into. But on the way down St. Lawrence I noticed the lights on in Theory and a lovely girl sitting at the hostess podium!
They are open? After some abrupt braking and quick and inelegant parallel parking I made my way to the front door. I clarified to make sure, even though the doors were open. «You are open?»
They told me to sit where I would like, so I chose the bar. Nice and open and nothing cluttering up the bar. Just yards and yards of smooth open counter. The inside of the place nice and modern with a good combination of stone surfaces, metals and woods. The waitress behind the bar was really nice and helpful. She filled me in on all of my questions about the business and thankfully had the time to humor this old guy.
She recommended the 1664 Blanc (6.) for someone who doesn’t really like beer, and it was a great suggestion. It was light and crisp but still had some body. They only serve wine and beer for now and will eventually have more offerings in spring or early summer. So for now, you may want to consider a pre-​dinner cocktail across the street at the Public House and then walk across for your dinner at Theory.
The waitress also was kind enough to offer suggestions because she had had everything on the menu. I asked a number of questions and eventually settled on vegetarian dish. I apologize for not knowing the name of the dish that I had. But it was a goat cheese cake (think jalapeño popper) and a potato. It was light and tasty and not too expensive (9.). I also ordered a side of fries (5.) to have a go at the house ketchup, and my kind waitress also brought me the house aioli. These hit the spot. The fries actually reminded me of McDonalds fries. Just not as sweet.
So my overall impression is that they are going to be just fine. Good meals with a price point that makes it more of an «event» than a regular weekly haunt. All of the dishes were below $ 20, so not really expensive, but the portion size will be more «French Inspired» than the usual huge American type of dish. I will be looking forward to coming back and trying their version of fried chicken. It sounded interesting.
Parking is street parking so come early or come prepared to walk two or three blocks, this part of town is getting more and more destination businesses.

Very nice addition to midtown. Their food is between upscale and high end. Somewhere between upscale restaurants like Midtown Eats and Brasserie St James and high end like LuLous and 4^th Street Bistro.
Their prices are quite good for the quality. Sat at the back bar overlooking the kitchen. Well presented food with staff that cleans their hands after handling raw meat — something that is shockingly lacking in many kitchens though I don’t know how much a concern that truly is if using quality ingredients though I always wash up and I’m glad they do!
Will be back again for sure.

Excellent food and service. Austin, our server, even offered dessert which is rare at lunch time. The soup of the day was a pumpkin soup purée with a crème fraiche drizzle. Very creamy and the sweetness in the bite with the crème was a nice surprise. The special salad of the day was duck confit atop mixed greens with cranberries, bleu cheese, and a browned butter vinaigrette. The ingredients worked well together and there was plenty of duck. We ordered a Sea scallops appetizer as well as their version of a BLT. The BLT consisted of duck liver and bacon pâté atop a roll with lettuce and aioli. A poached heirloom tomato was on the side. The half sandwich came with fries. The finale was a Creole bread pudding that ranks up there with some of the best I have had. It was visually beautiful and the candied walnuts on the plate were crunchy and amazing. There was even a paper thin slice of fried pineapple on top. The bread pudding was topped with a light rum sauce. The bill came to $ 51 before tip which may seem like a lot for lunch for 2 people but the quality of the food made it worth it. We felt we received full value for the amount paid and will definitely return.

Midtown has another home run. Our visit to Theory last night was completely serendipitous as we were waiting for the call that our table was ready at another restaurant near by. We had planned to kill some time by stopping into Wedge to see (aka buy) some beautiful cheese but was side tracked by this sleek and intriguing restaurant that we knew nothing about. A quick Unilocal later and succumbing to our instinctive compelling draw we put our name in for a table. We could not have planned a better birthday evening with our son had we planned it for months in advance.
The restaurant dining room and bar is modern and simple with it’s design, but with warm touches that complement the exposed original old building materials. Every seat at the bar and almost every seat in the dining room was filled with Saturday night revelers, polished concrete floors, chill/​lounge music playing from the rafters. So we expected your typical loud dining experience. Nope! The dining experience we had can be summed up as warm and intimate and we were sitting at the front table nearest the picture windows and door.
The service from the entire staff, from hostess to the floor manager, was exactly what we appreciate as diners. Attentive yet not clingy or bothersome. Personal but not insincere. Our server Sylvia was obviously in step with Chef Rob and the kitchen on preparation and ingredients of their beautiful meal creations.
And then there was the reason for our celebration in the first place. A special meal with our 15 year old son. We are not «formally trained» cooks from New York, but our food is a passion — whether we prepare it ourselves or we venture out into someone else’s kitchen. And we do know fine food. Chef Rob has created a menu that is as interesting and unique as any «trendy» local establishment, prepared flawlessly and presented with simplicity. And pleasantly surprisingly at prices that are fair for both the diner and the establishment. His food IS the reason why we will continue to return. Next time with friends as well.

What an absolutely wonderful addition to midtown! My boyfriend and I came in for dinner and had the opportunity to sit at the Kitchen Table in the back. Not only do you get to watch the three very talented chefs work their magic, but they welcome you to ask any questions you have. We had the apple cider mussels which were killer, I had the lobster and pork surf and turf with a delicious edamame rice side and the boyfriend had the halibut. We couldn’t decide what was best. The bread pudding was so good I swore at the chef, in the most loving way possible. All and all it was the perfect date night for us, and didn’t break the bank either! Reno is lucky to have Chef Rob and his talented staff, get down there!

We stopped in here on Halloween. We’d been watching the space, waiting for the opening, and a bit curious about the lack of PR or anything. Even the night we stopped in, we almost ended up elsewhere because as we drove by, the signage wasn’t lit — strange considering I’d seen it lit two weeks before, when it seemed like they were training the staff.
I really like the décor — very sleek and modern. They’ve used a lot of white, with the bar surface looking like an opaque white glass, maybe seating for a dozen at the bar. The rest of the dining area is made up of six tables, that seat six each. When we went, they sat us at one end of the table, and there was another couple at the other end, which worked fine. Zebrawood surface, so still lighter tones, but with black accents. Tables came from somewhere else, since the one we at showed obvious signs of wear and tear, with a noticeable chip in the surface. Still, overall, lines were very clean.
Kitchen is open in the back, and there were three guys in traditional chef’s whites, obviously hustling to get food ready for the maybe 8 or so customers (counting us). There’s maybe five seats along a small counter facing right into the kitchen.
Front of the house looked to have at least 5 folks working, so they’re obviously making an effort to have strong service.
The GF got a cap, and while I thought the beer choices were a little lacking, was glad to see they were offering the Fifty Fifty Capa on tap — great, balanced pale out of Truckee.
Food wise, we started with the smoked salmon appetizer. Appetizers are interesting in that they’ve got small and large portions, and we went with the small ($ 7), which got us two pieces of roll. This may have been my favorite part of the meal — a great blend of smoked salmon, cream cheese, and peppers, with a very nice kick. I usually avoid cream cheese, since I think so many of the sushi places in town just over do it, but this appetizer had the ratio down just right.
Entrée wise, I had the herbs de Provence roasted halibut ($ 24). This came in a saffron mussel bisque, which had three mussels. Three smallish mussels in the saffron colored bisque, which were amazing. The generous portion of halibut was perfectly roasted, and flaked well. There was a cucumber garnish as well, which I could have lived with out. I felt the the vinegary pickling didn’t complement the saffron bisque nor the halibut, and was just way too acidic to work as a contrasting element (which is coming from a guy used to having the strong flavor of kimchi to contrast anything and everything).
The GF had the chicken thigh confit ($ 17) — she was generally not a fan, mentioning how she preferred the El Pollo Loco chicken she had earlier in the day. I tasted the chicken, and I thought it was good — very moist, simply prepared, obviously expecting the chicken to speak for itself, rather than being heavily flavored or seasoned. The kale aux lardons that it was served with was interesting, in that they went for a vinegary preparation, similar to like you’d have with collard greens. I felt this was a little too vinegary as well.
Dessert wise, we had a peanut butter marscapone — this came out with varies reductions, including what seemed like a super tart cherry on one side, topped with a grape reduction, and served with shooters of frothed milk and cardamon. I liked the dessert, as it wasn’t very sweet, though for the same reason the GF didn’t like it.
We had a few service misses. We ordered wine and beer, but weren’t offered water and had to request it later. When the busser brought my halibut, the small fork that was in the bowl got tipped over into the bisque as he set my dish down. He apologized, but didn’t bring another — not a big deal as I was able to fish it out using my regular fork. When the settings were brought for dessert, our waitress fumbled and dropped my fork, which I caught as it was bouncing off the table. None of these are deal breakers, but considering the effort they appear to be making to have a high-​end dining feel, didn’t quite fit.
Oh, they’ve also got
printed on the bottom of their menus, which is a little surprising since that domain name is still available. .. guess they planned on that one but probably one of the spinning plates that didn’t make it for opening. .. looks like it was registered on Nov. 3. .. let’s hope by the restaurant and not some squatter.
Overall, the damage for the night was just north of $ 80 before tip (a quarter of that being alcohol), but I left there feeling more like I had a $ 60 – 70 experience. Really, I felt like it was a 3.5 star experience, but I can definitely see the potential, and I’d like to stop in again in a few weeks and see how things are going. ..

There is something to be said about an understated, almost secret opening. Theory opened officially today, not with the big bang Campo grand theatrical, press release, Johnathan Wright invitational opening but merely by turning on the lights. So they rely on customers to get the word out including those posing scenesters who always want to be the first to get the word out on the coolest new thing to gain personal reputation, yeah, that’s me. While Theory follows the trend of startlingly bizarre bar/​restaurant names (e.g., The Bar, Death & Taxes, Reno Public House, Downtown Cocktail Lounge) either grossly generic, obscurely traditional, or just plain weird, Theory does not follow what I call the gourmet school cafeteria trend of contriving kiddie food into gourmet (e.g., lobster corn dogs, raw fish tacos, truffle mac’n’cheese). Theory’s menu is eclectic and inventive, what they call these days New America. Although, I would like to see more exotic flesh like rabbit, wild boar, and let’s say emu or ostrich, but hey, this is Reno. Reno doesn’t even serve much lamb. Their food is natural and their beef is grass-​fed. I still can’t fathom why SoDo and Twisted Fork insist on using the same factory meat as McDonalds. Furthermore, they’re not chasing the hipster scene with five IPA’s on tap and PBR and Jamison shots and all that bullshit. They actually have a pale ale on tap. Surprise hipsters, a balanced beer. What in the hell is that? A bit too obscure for you evidently.
The décor is unlike the barnyard cage you get at Old Granite or Brewer’s Cabinet. It’s a nice compromise between hipster and Sex and the City cosmopolitan elegance. In other words, you can bring a date here. Brewer’s Cabinet? Uh no. They also have a large bar area for loner singles like myself. Bowl would make much more money selling booze if they had the loner singles bar as would Campo and Midtown Eats. It’s a new trend folks, get on board. You have to appreciate a place that pays attention to the details for instance, their natural lighting ducts, and they also pay close attention to details with their food. Service was outstanding. You might argue that any place that opens has excellent service and the freshest food, but I’ve been to some pretty shitty openings where staff seem clueless and almost appear to undermine the place. The bartender exhibited exceptional knowledge of all the dishes, more so than any waiter or bartender I’ve ever encountered anywhere in Reno. Seriously, any waiter or bartender that doesn’t even know if their beef is grass-​fed, seriously (SoDo). One test I have is the mussel test. When Campo and Brasserie opened, they had the freshest, largest mussels, and then they went to shit. They have great mussels here and I’ll be checking back on them, but as far as openings are concerned, these guys were right on the mark in every dimension. They have the potential to become the top ten restaurants in Reno/​Sparks.