The Richmond

(415)379-8988
615 Balboa St.
(@ 7th Ave.)
San Francisco, CA
(Inner Richmond district)

Price: $-$$$$
Rating: 8 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 07/25/06

A nice white-tablecloth neighborhood eatery that's a welcome addition to the Richmond district. Reservations are not always necessary, but it's a good idea to call ahead, as it's a small restaurant and fills up on the weekends. Their dining rooms (there are two) are small, but pleasant, decorated with old photographs of the Richmond district.

The menu is a typical upscale cal-cuisine affair, with an emphasis on organic and sustainabily-raised food. On all of our visits we've been served a wonderful fresh-baked bread, with a trio of yummy butters: salt-crusted, herbed, and olive. A fantastic bread usually presages a good meal, and that rule holds true here for sure! Amouse bouches have been served each time as well, once an arrangement of brightly-colored vegetables, and twice a salmon mousse atop mini crackers. Each served their intended function of amusing my mouth.

On our first visit we started with the Pan Seared Diver Sea Scallops ($9.75), an excellent deconstructed chowder with three huge scallops atop it, and the soup du jour, a nice rendition of vegetables. The scallops were definitely my favorite of the two, but I have a weakness for them! We were served a nice organic greens salad on our second visit (one year after the first) - basic, but nicely dressed with a mustard vinaigrette. The sweetbreads I had on another visit were wonderfully flavorful, pan-fried and served atop a light oatmeal - the perfect foil. I'd never had sweetbreads (the thymus or pancreas of (usually) a cow) before, and based on this rendition, I will fearlessly order them again!

Their hamburger is one of the greatest deals in SF as far as I'm concerned. For only $9 (by far the cheapest item on the menu) you get a flavorful, meaty burger with homemade achiote ketchup, homemade mustard, and homemade garlic aioli, and a bowl of perfectly cooked shoestring fries. Not to mention the starters of bread and butter, amouse bouche, and salad! Like everything else here, the burger is attractively plated. The chef came out to talk to the diners on our second visit, and when we gushed about their lovely burgers, he said that they were trying to keep it basic and all about the meat. I would say they have completely succeeded in that regard!

One of us always gets the burger, so we've only sampled a few of their other dishes. Sarah had a tasty roast breast of chicken ($15.95). It was very flavorful and juicy; perfectly cooked. I had a flatiron steak ($23), which arrived cooked a perfect medium-rare with a light jus sauce. The sides with the steak had a little too much going on, however, with a pastry stuffed with pancetta, brie and potatoes, and a mound of delicious chard. The pasty was flavorful, but a little gooey, and the flavors competed with the steak. I'd have preferred the dish with just the steak and chard, as I like my steaks simple.

Service has been attentive throughout, coming by to refill our wine and water regularly. They have a good wine list by the bottle and by the glass, and the waiter is very knowledgable about them. Most entrees are in the $15-20 range, so it's not inexpensive, but if you just get a burger and beer it's no more than anywhere else. There really isn't anywhere like The Richmond in the Richmond district, and I hope they continue to do well.