RT Bistro

“The best way I can describe this place has cozy casual vibes without casual food. The lasagna was like a sweet flat pasta. It is more unique than yummy. The burger was "the best I've ever had" according to my friend. It is on the soggier side, but I don't mind getting my hands dirty. I loved the triple cooked thicker fries. Lastly, the creme brûlée came out warm. It gave off sweet queso vibes. The cookies didn't do much to help the "cheesecake-ness" of the dessert. I thought the high butter content in the shortbread didn't go well with the cheese in the creme brûlée. This was more of a unique thing rather than yummy.”

“Good, with caveats for the price. The tightly packed tables add a lively atmosphere, the servers are knowledgeable, and the service was mostly good, though not flawlessly polished. At one point there was confusion over whether the order they had brought us was actually ours, which is not quite the ballet you expect at this price point. The portions are also on the smaller side, and not every dish earns its keep. The beef tartare was a miss. The lasagna was also a miss, and I genuinely don’t understand the hype. To me, it tasted like cheese and vegetables on flatbread, which is not exactly a revelation. The pork cheeks were very well cooked, but for the price I expected something more memorable. Same story with the duck: good, but not quite special enough. We didn’t try the famous porcini doughnuts, which we love from Rich Table, because paying 2-3x the price just because caviar joined the party felt a little hard to justify. The burger, however, was divine. We ordered a second one, which tells you everything. Juicy inside, crisp outside, beautifully soggy under bun, easily one of the best I’ve had. The fries were also excellent: crunchy without being overdone, with that famous umami topping doing glorious things. Desserts were another strong point. Both the ice box pie and chocolate cake were excellent. The ice box pie was beautifully creamy and airy with just the right touch of crumble, and the chocolate cake was decadent without being heavy. For two people, my move would be: get the kampachi crudo (didn’t try but heard the table next to us praise it), two burgers, both above desserts, and skip the rest. Outdoor tables are covered, include heaters, and did not look as cold as you’d think. Pro tip: the indoor corner table looked great for dates.”

“RT Bistro this small but packs of punch. We had the family style set menu, which was ~$89pp. The menu starts strong with great appetizers, and ends even stronger with some of the best desserts we’ve had in the city. However the entrées (steak and lasagna) were lacking. The atmosphere is energetic, and the service level matches the noise / positive energy of the place. Overall recommend!”

“Burger was hyped too much 😂 Solid burger, but slightly soggy bun. Crudo was very tasty, as was the Dungeness crab thermidor (favorite thing). Service was good, except we felt rushed to place our order, and they wanted the entire order at once instead of just appetizers and drinks first. Cocktails were amazing.”

“Food was good but not great. The Kaluga caviar with porcini doughnuts seems to be half the size of what they were last month (3 vs 6) for the same price ($39). The real let down was the burger, which was super hyped up but lacked anything special other than being very rare. Then there is the RT burger wine. A half glass for $13 for what is a $49 bottle at retail which makes it their most expensive wine in the list. Decent but overpriced and not a great pairing for the lackluster burger.”