After our excellent lunch at Riva we decided to try Riva for dinner. According to Susan Miller, the gracious, knowledgeable and very competent GM, Jason Travi is spending most of his time at Riva.
Susan Miller
BYO White Wine
Seth, our excellent server. He had the patience of a saint. One table had him describe almost every dish on the menu and he did so graciously and accurately.
Rolls were warm and fresh.
Crudo – 4 ways – Chef’s Choice – this was absolutely superb with sashimi grade fish plus incredible light saucing that were perfect matches to the fish.
John’s crudo
From upper left corner
Tonna di Tonnato – Big Eye Tuna, Tonnato sauce, capers
Hamachi Parfait – cucumber, avocado basil
Sea Bass, Pink peppercorns, lemon oil
Cured Ocean Trout, House Made Mustard, Dill
My Crudo Order
From upper left corner (excuse the finger nail)
Albacore, Tomato, Black Olive, haricot vert
Hokkaido Scallops, Santa Rosa plum, Basil Oil
Sea Bass, Pink Peppercorns, lemon oil
Tonna di Tonnato – Big Eye Tuna, Tonnato sauce, capers
We just had to have a full order of the Hamachi Parfait. To be honest, I stole most of it from John’s plate so…….
BYO Red
Wood Fired Tuna Meatballs, Chickpeas, Heirloom Tomatoes – this was incredible – a take on tuna tartare done as a meatball and cooked just enough, but not overcooked. The chickpea and tomato accompaniment was a plus addition instead of why add those ingredients addition. This is just such focused cuisine – each element adds to the whole.
There were a number of items on the menu that intrigued me – lamb tartare and pork belly among them, but the menu will be changing shortly. Pizzas will only be offered on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The focus will shift to small plates, more a tapas style menu. Given how incredible the crudo was as well as the tuna meatballs, I can’t wait. But we did have to bid a fond goodbye to pizza at Riva on Saturday:
Molto Maiale – sausage, bacon, meatballs, pancetta, caramelized onion, tomato, cheese as an addition – always delicious
Chocolate Hazelnut Purse (wrapped in filo), Flourless Chocolate cake, Chocolate Ganache, Hazelnut Puree, Nutella Ice Cream – to be honest, I was quite full and only nibbled at the dessert.
The restaurant was packed; they are obviously doing it right. During these times, it is a credit to the restaurant that they are enthusiastically supported.
We already have made our next reservation after the menu change.
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