Dinner at Rivoli

Can you believe how much eating we did this past weekend? Yeah, me neither. I almost can’t fathom it, but here we were, eating out at a nice restaurant again, the very next day after our dinner at Range. The reason for this is that Shweetie got an email from Rivoli, our favorite restaurant in the East Bay, explaining that they were celebrating their 15th anniversary for one week, and that, for that week, they were rolling back prices to what they were when they first opened. Holy cow! Well, there was no way we could pass up this amazing deal.

Apparently there was so much interest that Rivoli could not even accommodate all of the people trying to get reservations. Shweetie even received an email from them, saying that if our plans had changed and we could no longer make our reservation, to please contact them and cancel, so that others could be given a reservation. When we arrived, we noticed that there were more tables than usual in the dining room. We also noticed that all of the dishes were very simple and did not have elaborate presentation, and that our food sure came out quickly. However, none of these things dampened our experience. How could we complain, when, after two appetizers, one main course, two desserts, and a cup of coffee, the damage, before tip, was only $45? Craziness.

Tonight the food was admittedly not fantastic; it was good, but not as great as it usually is, but I think it would truly be unfair to judge them on tonight’s food. We still photographed our entire meal from the night, but food scores are based on previous meals. One of our favorite dishes there, that we always get, is their mushroom fritters. This was the one dish we had that night that was just as good as usual.

Portabella Mushroom Fritters with Aïoli, Parmesan, Arugula and Caper Vinaigrette


Potato, Mushroom, and Leek Soup with Lemon Crème Fraîche


Grilled Salmon with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette, Creamed Lentilles du Puy and Baby Carrots


Banana Cheesecake with Shortbread Cookie Crust and Caramel Sauce


Bittersweet Chocolate Pate with Espresso Crème Anglaise and Whipped Cream

Food is normally an 8.75. We’ve been there quite a few times, and their food is always consistently awesome.

Service is always friendly and efficient, and the staff is knowledgeable. We gave it an 8.75.

We’ve always loved the décor at Rivoli, and we gave it a 9.00. The giant floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the garden is really what sets this place apart from other restaurants. One of the times we were there for dinner, we actually saw the resident raccoon eating his meal out in the garden, too!

Overall score is an 87.75. With appetizers in the $7-$14 range, and mains in the $17-$24 range, Rivoli is a great deal. You get awesome, San Francisco-quality food, without the $4 toll and with easier parking. What's not to like?

After our meal, we tried to meet the chef, Wendy Brucker. However, she was so swamped in the kitchen, she couldn’t spare a moment for us. Instead, Roscoe Skipper, the co-owner and general manager, came out and chatted with us for awhile. One of the things he told us is that they will be closed for a couple of weeks (or was it just one week?) during July while they remodel. The person who designed Range is going to be doing the renovations. It was actually really funny, when he asked, “You know the restaurant Range?” and we told him, “Wow, we were just there yesterday.” He's a nice, down-to-earth guy.

*For a refresher on our rating system, check out this previous post.*