I was so happy to have my dad, Dennis, in town visiting this week. My dad is a wheat farmer in Montana, so he's definitely a meat-and-potatoes type of guy.
I've had my eye on visiting The Richmond for quite some time. For some reason, it always comes up in my Yelp searches, and gets great reviews.
We walked into the restaurant on a Tuesday night without a reservation. The place is tiny...so definitely make one if you go. The staff seemed a little flustered when we walked in, but I think it was more of a product of them taking pride in their service and wanting to make sure we were adequately attended to during our meal.
After we were seated and orders taken, they brought out amuse-bouche, promptly followed by bread. First of all, I love any restaurant that sends out amuse-bouche. Make it a deviled egg, and you're off to a great start in my book. Good bread is also important. Here, not only do they serve a perfectly crusty loaf of sourdough, but they also provide three different butters: a kalamata olive compound butter, regular butter with flaked sea salt, and a chive compound spread.
As pictured above, we also ordered the crab cakes, which they graciously split into separate plates for us. I had to convince Dad to get them because he said he hasn't really ever liked crab cakes...but I promised him these were probably far different from ones he had in the past, and I was right. These were perfectly crispy on the outside, and creamy crab on the inside.
I ordered the braised short ribs with mashed potatoes and vegetables. Aside from those offending bell peppers sitting on top 9which I surgically removed from my dish) it was fantastic. The meat was moist and tender, and the beans were crispy and well seasoned.
Not surprising, my dad went for the steak, and if it looks a little pink, that's because my dad orders his steak rare. Not medium-rare....rare. Or, as my friend John likes to say "nervous." It was wrapped in bacon, and somehow they managed to get the bacon perfectly cooked without overcooking the meat. It was served with potatoes and chard...my dad's first time trying chard, and he enjoyed it.
Another thing you should know about my dad....he loves iced tea. He drinks it non-stop. When we placed our drink orders, he asked if they had any iced tea, and our server said they did not. But guess what? About ten minutes later, they emerged with iced tea. They literally brewed and chilled some just for my dad. As good as the food was, the service met or exceeded it, and for that reason, I will definitely be back. (With a reservation next time!)Labels: American, New American, restaurants, San Francisco, The Richmond
