Opened in 2012, Hayes Valley's Rich Table, named for its married chef-owner duo Sarah and Evan Rich, has been a steady hit. That's meant a busy lifestyle for the Riches, who are often too tied up with work for sit-down meals of their own.
Now as they announce in a release today, they'll be working on something new: an option for shareable take-out and casual dine-in food to be called RT Rotisserie. The new project nearby Rich Table, due early next year, will likely take much more of their time, but they hope it will put out the kind of comfort food that families like theirs can enjoy in a variety of settings.
"One of my favorite food memories is ordering rotisserie chicken with all kinds of veggies and sauces on the way home from skiing in Tahoe, and having a great dinner at home,” says Evan. “We want to bring that same comforting concept to the neighborhood by offering our guests a nice, low-key dinner out with their friends that is simply delicious, with no pretention and little interruption." (That may mean more "fast fine dining" style service, a la the nearby Little Gem and Corridor.)
Items will be centered on chicken, with prices at about $20 to $25 per person for a combo dinner. “There's something about chopping up a whole chicken and eating with your hands that really brings the table together," Evan tells Eater. "I want it to have zero pretension, but also to make it unmistakably Rich Table.” Also on the project are partner Johnny Gilbert, Rich Table chef de cuisine Brandon Rice, and wine director Dominique Henderson.
Also, they promise "warming soups, California-inspired salads, oysters and hearty sandwiches."
The space, 1,200 square feet at 101 Oak Street, was formerly home to Mandarin Villa, which shuttered last summer.
Rich Table closed briefly in late summer to better accommodate its chefs — skilled workers whom Evan explained are sadly in short supply. “Finding good cooks these days is very difficult,” Evan told Food and Wine last month. “Anything that we can do to show that our restaurant is a professional environment that takes itself seriously helps us get talented people to work at Rich Table.”
RT Rotisserie - 101 Oak Street, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m - coming in early 2017
Related: This Week In SF Food: Rich Table Reopens, Sweetgreen Heads To SoMa, Iza Ramen Expanding, And More
