Rubicon

Sad to see Rubicon go!
We had rezzies for Friday August 8^th and found out from the staff that the next day, August 9^th, would be the last.
Me and the husband took the opportunity to have two bottles of amazing wine — and the food was good too.
I think that was the thing about Rubicon — other than an amazing wine list and solidly delicious food, there was no other hook.
I saw the owner, Drew Nierpont, there and he seemed to be enjoying his food immensely. The staff seemed very upbeat all evening and it made for a very pleasant evening.
Lots of the staff will be moving over to Michael Mina, so, we’ll have to make a point of heading over there soon!

Had to make a quick entry about Rubicon now that I’ve discovered that it will soon close it’s doors forever.
Wifey and I have eaten here on a number of occasions and have always gotten good service and decent food.
Much as I hate to see Rubicon go, I can’t say that I will miss it terribly. Almost anyplace else in america, it’d probably still be truckin’ strong. But this is San Francisco, esse… and you have to have some monster cajones to make it in this town.
You hear me, pendejo!!!
RIP Rubicon 1994 – 2008

This restaurant is right across from the office. Working late on a Friday night, we came here to grab a quick bite before heading back to the office. I know — we came to a Michelin Guide place for a quick bite; it’s getting out of control.
The service was great but… somehow it felt a little bit ‘forced’. The smiles were a tiny bit artificial — am I being too picky?
I liked the décor — elegant but simple, friendly and understated.
The two guys that I was with ordered three appetizers to share as their dinner. I ordered the roasted Alaskan halibut. The halibut was good — flavorful and flaky.
We told our waiter that we were in a bit of a hurry, so they were very accommodating.
Would I come here again? Yes, as long as the company pays for it. There are so many great places to eat in the city; I’m not entirely sure how this place made the Michelin Guide and some of the other places didn’t. For the price that you pay, I think I might head over to Acquerello or La Folie.

I took my niece to Rubicon for lunch yesterday for her birthday, at her request. The entire experience was as flawless and polished as it could be. Our wait person was very knowledgeable and pleasant, without trying to be our best friend. His demeanor was perfect. Our food came promptly and, oh, what food it was: sweet peach roasted in duck fat topped with smoked duck for me, arugula and fresh apricot salad for her. Gorgeous salmon on chanterelles for me, an incredible pork thing on a croûton, topped with a Jidari egg for her. Financier (a light, thin cake with fresh plum filling) served on shaved peccorino romano with olive oil ice cream and candied walnuts for me, and a wonderful other thing for her. (Mine was so spectacular I’ve forgotten what hers was.) Sadly, since it was lunch in the middle of a work day, we did not order wine. I did, however, leaf through their wine list – the most extensive I’ve ever seen. Utterly amazing.
It wasn’t cheap, but it was worth every penny for this fresh, beautifully and imaginatively prepared food in a comfortable surrounding, and enjoying the pinnacle of service. I can’t wait to go back.

like a good book, I did not want it to end Wow! amazing food! each bite was a treat. Heaven!
also, great service, very attentive but not annoying.
no view but who cares, the food is fantastic!

The first course was my favorite: Dungeness Crab avocado soup with tangerine flavor.
Second course: Seared tai snapper with maitake mushrooms. Good favor, but also tried the shorts ribs which was much tastier.
Dessert — Not what I was expecting, more on the savory side.
Overall — Refined dining with friendly service.
I would definitely agree that they have a great wine selection!

Went here on a rainy Friday night with an old friend to celebrate my birthday (I love cashing in my rainchecks for birthday dinners).
Food: 5 stars. The food here is still fantastic. I went all-​poultry that night and was glad I did. I started with the crispy spiced quail, which lived up to its name, and had the pancetta wrapped game hen as my main. Both birds were juicy and oozing with flavor. The hen also came with black trumpet and sweetbread ragout, which complemented the dish nicely. My friend started with the prather ranch sweetbreads, which were the best I’ve had, and the roasted alaskan halibut, which was amazing. For dessert, we shared the milk chocolate toffee pudding, which was rich and delectable.
Service: 4 stars. Our server aimed to please and was genuinely nice and amiable. He made excellent recommendations for us (the poultry dishes), but stumbled a little bit on his knowledge of the right wine pairings. I’ll give him credit for trying, but he finally made the right call and summoned the sommelier, who expertly chose the perfect wines for us.
Atmosphere: 3 stars. Diners should request to sit downstairs, which has a better ambience than the upstairs. The downstairs seems more alive with bustling activity and has more appealing aesthetics (beautiful brick walls, urban sleek wooden counters, eclectic glass sculptures). The upstairs lacks a certain je né sais quoi. It also doesn’t help that you can hear the industrial toilet everytime it’s flushed upstairs. The crowd is nicer downstairs, too, with a mix of young and middle-​aged nice looking professionals. The upstairs was full of older people and families. The lack of a festive atmosphere upstairs was clearly evident when I looked over at one family and saw one of the family members had fallen asleep at the table.
Hits: Crispy spiced quail, prather ranch sweetbreads, pancetta wrapped game hen.
Misses: Getting a table upstairs, people who sleep in restaurants, knowing who flushes and who doesn’t.
If You Like This Place, You’d Probably Like: Postrio, Café Majestic, Dry Creek Kitchen

Rubicon is my favorite restaurant in the city, hands down. The service is amazing, each time I’ve been (roughly 6 – 8 times), the wait staff knew the menu through and through, had personal recommendations and supporting points for why they’re recommending it, and came by enough to feel like we were attended to but not intruded on.
The menu is always changing — which i love — and i always have a hard time deciding between entrees because I want a little bit of everything! My last visit to Rubicon was to celebrate my sister’s birthday (she happens to be a fellow foie gras slut) and unfortunately, the menu didn’t feature a foie appetizer option. We asked our waitress about it and the chef came out, got an idea from us on how we like it prepared, and promptly went back to kitchen to whip us up something tasty. We couldn’t get enough of the great and attentive service and the seared foie gras with candied figs didn’t hurt.
In terms of main entrees, try the oat-​crusted squab, it is to die for.
The wine list could be better but still isn’t bad as is.

Man, the décor was weird. Outdated wallpaper and awkwaard protruding wood beams. We had to walk upstairs to be seated. Grilled calamari with onions was not hot enough and rather bland. The pork belly with polenta was probably the best dish of the night. The chocolate mousse was too sweet and rich and just average.
Meh all around.

If I could give zero stars I would! I organized our company’s annual holiday dinner this year in their private dining room and had problems with them from the word go.
Their event planner, Nikki Schultz-​Boucard, is rude, evasive and completely uncooperative. She had nothing but attitude from the first time I spoke with her. Their general manager, Lisa Robins, yelled (yes yelled!) at me when I first arrived there, stating that my group could not use the restaurant’s bar. We had opted out of having our own private bar in the private room, something I worked out the Monday before our dinner with Nikki Schultz Boucard. I was told that before I got there, Lisa Robins confronted a few people in my party and told them they weren’t allowed at the bar, and that they must stay in the private dining room and could only drink the wine we selected for dinner. I undertand the need to keep things clear in your dining area, but this could have been avoided if they communicated with us before hand.
The service was just OK… some of our tables were rushed through their three courses while others of us had to wait 40 minutes between the first course and the main course. The food is nothing special, especially for the price you pay and the attitude you must endure.
Last year we had our Holiday dinner at Jardinière, paid 30% less than we did this year and had four course with three to four choices per course. Rubicon offers only three courses and you only have one choice for 1^st course and dessert and two for main course unless you wish to pay more.
Head to Jardinière, head to Kokkari, heck head anywhere else with a large party! After the treatment we received, none of the 33 people in attendance will ever eat their again! Mr. Robin Williams, Mr. Robert DeNiro and Mr. Francis Ford Coppola, thumbs WAY down on your restaurant. Fire your current management and start over!!!
PS. After reading other reviews, I see that their nasty and unprofessional attitude is something they give to a lot of patrons. How exactly is this place still in business?

Took girlfriend for birthday dinner last night. Had been here last in 2001, and frankly had no memory of that meal – which was probably reason enough to not go back. Shame on me.
Anyway, here is the rundown on last night’s meal:
*First Course*
Chestnut & Celery Root Soup — very tasty
Seared Wild Japanese Scallops — overcooked and not particularly flavorful
*Second Course*
Potato, Sage & Dried Friarelli Agnolotti — horribly bland, uninspired
Carola Potato Gnocchi with Devil’s Gulch Rabbit Sausage — Rabbit great; gnocchi terrible (suspect these were frozen at some point)
*Dessert*
Ginger Ice cream with brown sugar beignets — Ice cream was over-​frozen and beignets were leaden and nothing like any beignet I have ever eaten
Meyer Lemon Pistachio Meringue — delicious
*Wine*
Nice enough, but somewhat surprised that sommelier was not actually available at 8 p.m., on a Saturday night, to make recommendations. Instead, the very nice female maitre’d made recommendation.
*Waitron*
Abysmal. She took away water, without asking if we wanted another bottle. Didn’t ask if everything was acceptable. Forgot to bring a knife with an edge for the rabbit. Generally seemed clueless and new to the waiting game.
*Conclusion*
All of the preceding would be 3 stars at $ 50 per person, but at $ 150 per person, it has to be given 1 star. This is just not a top-​100 restaurant by any measure other than cost.

This place is really all about the wine. The food is excellent, but can feel somewhat restrained when compared to some of the other chef-​driven restaurants around. This place isn’t chef-​driven, it’s wine-​driven, and the food works best when paired with various wines.
As others have noted, superstar sommelier Larry Stone is just about the best in the business. Stone was the first American to win the Best Sommelier in the World competition in Paris. And he has connections and ways of getting great wines (at all price levels) from obscure winemakers or that otherwise fly under everyone elses radar.
That said, Stone is generally not on site anymore, as he is currently the General Manager at Rubicon Estate (Niebaum-​Coppola). Day to day wine duties have fallen on Wine Director Cezar Kusik. Don’t let his bald head and heavy accent intimidate you, Cezar is a warm and funny guy, and he will steer your wine choice in an interesting direction if you give him the chance. He is an up and coming wine star, and his passion for the stuff is catching.
Rubicon has won Wine Spectator’s Grand Award for ten years running. They recently had a celebratory dinner (with Larry Stone presiding) that perfectly ilustrated the restaurant’s strengths in the wine selection and wine-​pairing spheres. The chosen wines included some old, some new-​ish (the 2001 Rubicon was a personal favorite, and paired very well with a mid-​1990s Barolo). It was a great dinner, and those who have known Stone for a long time (I am not one of them, but my boss is) all reminisced about joining him for cigars and wine late into the night after a particularly grueling day at work.
As for the food, Chef Stuart Brioza and Pastry Chef Kicole Krazinski were both Chronicle Rising Star Chefs in 2005 (they come as a team). So they are no slouches. The food they create that is interesting, highlights local (particularly Napa) ingredients, and that goes very well with wine. They do have a very eclectic style though, skipping from sashimi to rabbit sausage to chilled pomegranite soup within one tasting menu. Their transitions do not yet have the finesse of, say, a Ron Seigel or a Laurent Manrique, and because this place is as expensive as Aqua or The Dining Room, I’m withholding that fifth star for now. But Brioza and Krazinski continue to grow, and we happy few get to go along for the ride. So check Rubicon out, and make sure to chat with Cezar.

I like this place every time I go here. The entrance greets you with a nice bar where you can have a glass of wine while you wait. The atmosphere is elegant with high ceilings and white tablecloths. There are two floors. Tableware is nice and service is good.
Onward to the food. The food here is innovative Californian, exquisite preparations of seafood, meat, and fresh vegetables. I had some lovely mussels here with a taste of fennel and an Asian inspired broth. Desserts are also very good.

It’s a lovely place. All the decorum, the trappings of a stylish high end restaurant. Mostly.
Its tastefully decorated.
We are seated and as I slide into my chair, and the wood of the seat snagged my stockings. (?) I have never had this happen before.
We are brought our menus and the copious wine list. As soon as I read the peach tasting menu I know it is latent with egg filled foods that I can only dream about, so we order from the standard menu.
The food was tremendous. So delicious. Much thought and care was put into it, both the flavours and the plating. I had the Mackerel first course and the Halibut second course. Wow. SO delicious.
The wine… I gotta say, for me it was a real disappointment. The cork had crumbled, not just broken in half, but was actually crumbling (we were given the excuse that Bordeaux corks are harder to get out in one piece because they are longer than the average cork & corkscrew) and the wine didn’t just have a peety taste as some fine wines do, it flat out tasted like moldy dirt. Had it cost $ 8 a bottle I would have said whatever and drank, but at $ 300…not so much. I have no idea why my companion didn’t mention it and send it back. He actually thought this was supposed to taste that way. (sigh) Sometimes its ok send it back.
The dessert I had was wonderful. Aged Sardinian Pecorino & Plum Financier with Walnuts, Arbequina & Olive Oil Ice Cream. I didn’t have the cake but, as far as I could tell it didn’t suffer at all as a result of that omission.
The pairing of the cheri was outstanding. Lustau Olorosso Del Tonel. It was delicious. Mmmmm.
So overall, I’m sure being the 125^th review not many will read this or care, this place is worth going to. I would have liked to give it more stars but there were some elements of the service that I chose to omit from this review.

I felt somewhat like Julius Caesar about to attack Rome and proclaiming the now popular idiom «I HAVE CROSSED THE RUBICON». That’s usually how I feel when I patronize infamously stuffy restaurants with strangers. I know that after this guy buys me a $ 125 dinner, he will most likely expect something. I’m crossing the point of no return.
But stepping into Rubicon, its small and intimate setting, I started to feel at ease. The staff was attentive, the food was well made, the wine cellar stocked and the desserts… mmmm. I was so at ease that by dessert (Saffron-​Buttermilk Panna Cotta, oh my God) and half a dozen wine pairings I was beginning to feel like someone fed me a Roofie-​Colada. I was swimming in a pool of relaxation, gastronomic bliss and utter euphoria.
But apologies Russian businessman, «The die is cast» and it fortold that I still would not sleep with you.

1700 wine bottle list with a very knowledgeable Sommelier. Smaller plates but very yummy food. Not a place you go to often as it is very expensive but worth it if you feel like splurging or want to celebrate something. Service was wonderful.
Exceptional dishes:
Scallop appetizer
Lamb entrée
Cheese plate

Came here a few months ago and absolutely loved it. Excellent wine, exquisite tasting menu with lots of choices for non-​red-​meat eaters. Small portions, of course, but all in all it’s a LOT of food.
Rubicon is small and a teensy weensy bit stuffy, but that’s to be expected. The service was on-​point (although a tiny bit stuffy like I said). I’d definitely come here again for a fancy shmancy night on the town. Heard Robin Williams is a co-​owner?

DAT 2007 — How could I resist? The décor is very classic without being stuffy or too «seen and be seen» type of place. The service was the best I’ve had in the city so far. Bread and water was refilled without being asked. New wine glasses were set out when we ordered a different bottle (better not contaminate with little drops of the old stuff!). Very business like and discreet. You can tell they are actually trained in the fine points of waitstaffing.
The food was pretty damn good. I had the steamed mussels and orechiette starter, sole main, and semolina cake dessert (big hit around the table). My only complaint would be that the portions are small. It was filling enough for myself, but not enough for the men at the table. Maybe it was because it’s the DAT meal. I would expect for the full price that the kitchen would bring out more amuse bouche as well to round out the meal. We only got 1 to start with — duck confit in a baby fennel leaf.
The sommelier was really good about ordering us wines (we let him pick) and they were all excellent.
A bargain at $ 32/​head. Not sure if I would spend the money to come here otherwise. I’ll have to try some more places around town and see how they stack up against my faves. If I’m going to splurge and drop all that money on a meal, it better be not just good, but some of the best of my life.

I apologize that as of late, my reviews have been leaning on the more negative side. I have a theory. Do the «Zagat» or other tourist «destination» restaurants, dish out their best only during peak tourist seasons?
I have been to Rubicon a couple times previously (once I believe in May and then again last September.) The food was suitable enough for my return visits. But this last Saturday night, myself and one other dined for Dine About Town, and were astonished at the diminished quality and presentation of the dishes.
The bread came as it always has in the past and is fine, but during this visit, they did not bring any olive oil or vinegar, or butter. The pumpkin soup that followed was overly creamy and under seasoned and tasted nothing like pumpkin. The busser’s served us the amuse bouche, which was a very hard cracker the size of a thumb, with a petite circle of crab spread. The main entrée was the sole. The fish was cooked properly, but lacked a distinctive taste, sauce or accompaniment. It just kind of was, not kind of «wow.» For desert, we had the pumpkin shortbread cookie (which was the largest portion of the night) with the chocolate mouse. The combination of textures is good in theory, creamy and crunchy etc., but it simply did not work with this desert and we ended up each having only a few bites.
The wonderfully large wine list is confusing when the server is unaware of the varied selections; one of our busser’s overheard heard the confusion and wanted to give a suggestion, bravo to the bus staff there!
The price for Dine About Town was 32 dollars each and we had a 40 dollar bottle of wine, so all in all it was not that expensive (especially in comparison to previous visits.)
For the reason that the quality of the cuisine and service fluctuates this wildly, I will not return. I forgave the atmosphere, or lack of it in the past, but this coupled with everything else = Avoir Rubicon.

Quite disappointing for a visiting New Yorker. A group of us reserved the private dining area on the third floor. The service was friendly. But here are my dings:
1) Incessantly served wheat bread as we waited for our appetizers for ever.
2) The food, save the dessert, was quite ordinary even if nicely presented.
3) The décor was tired and inelegant.
In essence, a distinctly ordinary experience. No oomph to it. Wish I had dinner someplace else on this 1 – 2 day visit.