When Chef Evan Rich says “I like to keep it really simple,” he means it. The interiors of Rich Table, the San Francisco restaurant he co-owns with his wife, Chef Sarah Rich, are as earthy as a dewy spin around a Napa vineyard, with their tables made of salvaged wood and locally hand-hewn pottery by Jered Nelson.
The food is just as evocative of a pastoral time and place (no surprise, given that Evan and Sarah both honed their knives in Michelin-starred restaurants before earning one themselves). “We go to the market, we see what’s good, and we cook it,” Evan says. “We really focus on the details of being true and honest to our experiences.”
You won’t want to miss the sardine chips with horseradish crème fraîche, “the only dish that’s been on our menu since day one,” says Evan, who co-authored the James Beard–nominated Rich Table (Chronicle, 2018) cookbook with Sarah. “It’s a dish we love to start the meal with because it’s finger food, and something really light and fresh.” The pastas, too, are pure California, including a sea urchin tonnarelli cacio e pepe with pressed idiazabal cheese. Possibly taking home the prize for prettiest plate is the peaches and cream dish with black truffle crème fraîche, flower, and coriander.
The cocktail program channels the same farm-to-table ethos, including The Forager, a blend of gin, vermouth, strawberry balsamic shrub, and rosemary. “The focus here is the food, and the vibe is definitely lively,” Evan says. “People are having a good time.”
Cue the classic rock soundtrack.
