Food was excellent. Pâté was a game changer. Peas salad and broccoli with spicy cheese both wonderful. And the pork chop was heavenly. Service was also terrific. Unfortunately, the wines by the glass were disappointing. Gamay needs to be chilled, folks. That's the rule. Pinot Noir was likely 1-2 days old and re-corked. We didn't say anything about the wine, but for the price, this should be close to perfect. Overall, we really enjoyed dinner. read more

I used to consider this one of the best restaurants in Santa Monica, but my visit last night was a letdown. With a group of four, we ordered seven or eight dishes -- a good portion of the menu -- and every dish was pretty mediocre and many of the dishes had way too much salt. Really disappointing for a place I once loved. read more

We've been coming to Rustic Canyon for the last 4 years, and it never disappoints! Food is excellent, I love their beets and berries, steak, and among new items, quesadillas. Their cocktails are always perfectly mixed. Our favorite server is Mara - she always remembers us and always compliments my daughter (who is now 3 years old), whether it's about my daughter's pretty dress or how she's grown in the last couple of months. Mara always is very personable and her service makes every meal so wonderful. Their new general manager Lorenzo is a great addition to the team. We will again be back!!! read more

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This review is long overdue. Rustic is my favorite restaurant in SM and I pray they stick around for the foreseeable future. There is a lot of ebb & flow with the menu since everything is seasonal & fresh. My meal here last Friday was one of the best I've had ever. read more

Ok, what can I possibly add about Rustic Canyon, a restaurant of superlatives, that hasn't already been said: Michelin Star, Best Restaurants in America, LA Times - Best Restaurants and Restaurants We Love. Those reviews are from *professionals* and I'm just someone on Yelp - so I'll simply say: Go :) PS: the craft cocktails here are high art read more

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Delicious food, amazing service and chic but relaxed ambiance. The courses come out gradually so you can take your time and enjoy the meal. Every dish was delicious. The restaurant is really beautifully designed with a relaxed yet elegant vibe. Price was reasonable for what you get. Menu changes based on what's available but right now loved the adobo, apple cake and gem salad read more

We went to the Rustic Canyon for a date night dinner. The restaurant itself is lovely, though it was definitely noisy, making it difficult to hear each other. We started with the Garden of Chicories salad which was in a delicious dressing, despite lacking in toppings. We each had half of a dinner plate -- vermilion a la diabla and porkbelly with collard greens over polenta. The polenta was what I would expect from a cozy, winter seasonal meal with a good serving size. The vermillion, for $39, was not worth it. The sauce was great, but the portion was so small and the fish overall plain. The waiter had told us people normally order 2-3 plates a person, but the portion sizes seemed very different depending on what you ordered. read more

Absolutely delicious! If you have to try one dish, definitely try the pork chop! Perfectly tender with a mouthwatering, savory cream sauce with caviar. Totally knocked it out of the park. The beets and berries salad was light and refreshing, just an excellent app. Would def recommend trying the desserts as well, the honey ice cream wasn't too sweet and a great way to end the meal. Loved the mango cake as well-just a little tart and nutty. read more

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Food was outstanding. Beautiful combinations of ingredients. Warm ambience and fantastic service. Pricey but worth it for a special occasion. A bit east of downtown Santa Monica so not a ton of other spots nearby. read more

Rustic Canyon - Rosemary garlic bread to start! - Wine Bars Near Me - Santa Monica, California

A sad shadow of its former Michelin starred self. Nothing was great- some was OK (pork chop, apple cake) but others were meh (salad with pear-- overwhelmed by marjoram) or downright gross (chicken liver pate). Drinks were a standout in an otherwise lousy experience. Finally, the service was obsequious alternating with downright pushy. We felt bullied into ordering more, but ordering would have just meant being more disappointed. Even so, we spent nearly took $300 for two people. Avoid! read more

We had a wonderful dinner at Rustic Canyon. I especially loved the broccoli and the steak was divine. The honeycomb ice was great and I am not a big dessert fan. We had the Tuesday Supper and other things off the regular menu. The pork belly from the Supper was the most amazing thing Ive eaten in a long time. We shared a few mains and the fish was prepared in a way I have never seen before. The chefs are so inventive here. Service was beyond excellent. It was quite busy for a Tuesday when we went. Cant wait to go back again. Love the setting not too stuffy, yet beautiful and upscale. I would definitely recommend this place over any other trendy restaurant. read more

Went here to celebrate our anniversary. It was asked during the reservation online so I checked the box. Once we entered everyone that touched the table congratulated us. We got a celebration coupe of cava and it's a great start. The dishes is is divided to snacks/cold app - salad / warm app then entree'ish meat seafood kinda thing. This place is a farm to table restaurant so order everything vegetables, you won't regret it. The apps is not big so go heavy on the apps. Maybe get 1 or 2 meat. We got chicken and the steak. We also got a cocktail and couple glass of wine. Overall it's great, we would comeback for sure. Eat more vegetables. The ambiance is great. Nice music. Everyone is chill, not stuffy. $$$ will add up really quick. So if you worry about that. I don't know. Eat somewhere else or get a better side hustle. read more

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Probably the most laid-back Michelin experience you can have in LA. And I mean that as a good thing. Step in off the street in your t-shirt and shorts, or spend hours dressing yourself to the teeth for a celebratory dinner - you get the same impeccable service and warm welcome. This was my second time eating here and it's great to see some favorites still on the menu - the beets&berries salad is absolutely divine - but the dish that blew me away this time was a brand new one, a "twice cooked" honeynut squash. Oh. My. Deity. It was so good we joked about asking the kitchen to cancel the rest of our order and just keep this dish coming until we could eat no more. Yes. It's THAT good! Wine list is, as usual, a highlight of the visit as well. It does not disappoint. All in all a great experience - great food, great wine, great service. There's no surprise why they keep their star year over year. read more

Rustic Canyon - A glance at the menu for the day - Wine Bars Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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Cool place. They serve most dishes family style. The beet salad was incredible. I couldn't stop eating the lavender almonds. Great service and recommendations. read more

Had a group dinner with ten people on their patio and had a great experience! Service was excellent and food was tasty with one exception. The only areas for improvement I think is the high levels of salt, the odd plating on a few dishes, and one unfortunate dessert. I loved being able to order and eat family style, so we could enjoy lots of dishes. The bread is warm and crusty and the butter is perfect. The tomato salad was fresh and really highlighted the tomato flavor, and the endive salad was delicious as well but I thought it was weird that they covered the beautiful swirls of fresh cheese and peaches with a pile of endive leaves. Lamb sausage - the sausage itself I found to be quite salty, but loved the flavor of the lamb and the succotash. Shrimp - a highlight! Buttery and super savory, it was a delight to suck all that flavor off the shells. Sourdough pasta - a highlight! Subtle sourness and nice fresh noods, except the morels themselves were again super salty Lemon verbena dessert was a delight! Chocolate/coffee/hazelnut dessert was pretty awful, in fact it was the only dish of 8 that our group simply did not want to finish. The flavor combo seemed classic, but the jellies had a pretty awful astringent flavor and the whole thing was just off. read more

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Sweet potato dish is my favorite. The duck is just ok Love the food in general . Cozy restaurant with a good vibe read more

Loved it. First off, the service was great. Our server was attentive and friendly. She gave great recommendations. Every dish was extremely fresh: the restaurant really embodies the farm to table and did it WELL. I felt like I could taste each individual ingredients but they all harmonized well together. Between two people we had 4 dishes and 1 dessert and 3 cocktails each and they were all perfect! The cocktails also were well balanced: not too sweet which is always my preference. The pistachio cookies were good but if anything I liked their entrees more so would've just ordered more food next time. I left feeling full but not heavy (hallmark sign of great ingredients I think!). The only negative I could think of was the cocktails took a little long (which I'm sure the bar was busy considering how good the cocktails were)- other than that no complaints! Will be returning. read more

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Everything we had was absolutely delicious! The Oh Gem salad overdelivered on amazing flavor profile. We had the chicken cutlet which now may be one of my favorite dishes of all time. On top of everything, the service was amazing! read more

I hate to say this but the first word that comes to mind is "disappointed". We were unaware of the chef change and that the menu now tilts towards middle eastern, a cuisine I do enjoy. Nonetheless I did not find the flavors to be all that exciting or varied. The stuffed squid was perhaps my favorite savory dish with stuffed spicy peppers inside. Spinach borani with laffa (kind of like a crispy pita) was good but the flavors are rather one note. We also ordered their classic beets and berries which we have had many times. It's changed and shrunk too. Just look at my pics to compare. For the main I ordered the lamb sausage which if you see the picture is not very appealing on the plating. Reminded me of p..p. And the taste was predominately salty. I wished there were 10 more slices of nectarine to balance out the flavors. My wife had the prime sirloin steak that was well cooked and the mushrooms were delicious but nothing too special. For dessert I had read the executive chef loved her chocolate halva and I am a dark chocolate lover. I hate say it. I just really hated the taste. It tasted like modified chocolate and I understand that the flaky salt was to bring out the chocolate flavor but instead changed the flavor to mostly salty. Our waiter was nice enough to bring us an ice cream and take the halva off the check. My wife didn't like her semifreddo but I did enjoy it's flavor. I understand after reading some interviews that the new chef has big shoes to fill and wants to bring her own take on food into this well established restaurant. I love creativity and new things but I think ultimately they should still try to keep up the level of refinement that rustic canyon was known for. I hate to say this but I will now cross the lovely restaurant off my places to go...... We paid $224 pre tip for the meal. I wish I could love it. read more

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Honestly, the prices dont match the quality of food. We went there for dinner and were pleasantly surprised about the lack of professional service, and also the lack of flavor for their food. Maybe we got unlucky not sure, but had to even send one dish back because it tasted like an expired fish. My boyfriend had horrible tummy aches and diarrhea afterwards.... Just dont do it. $300 for two people for nothing but headache - SM has way better options read more

Rustic Canyon - Wine Bars Near Me - Santa Monica, California

My review is a bit belated as I made a yelp account to leave this review. I attended for a birthday dinner as part of a group of 6 on 3/3. While the appetizers were excellent, my main dish, the roasted chicken, was very raw around the bone. The waiter apologized sincerely and later comped my group extra appetizers and deserts. The restaurant was dim and I only noticed how undercooked the chicken was after eating a significant amount. I believe it would be very hard for an elderly person or someone with poor vision to notice at all (I even had to shine my phone flashlight to verify, and it was sickening to see). Also noting that the presence of salmonella could be lethal to such a person. I am concerned about food safety here and cannot recommend Rustic Canyon. read more

One of my favorite restaurants, and great for special occasions. I've loved each restaurant in the rustic canyon family (I think only a couple that I haven't yet been to). The food is amazing, and the ambiance is perfect for conversation. read more

Don't go if you want to have conversation around a table. The dinner plates were at Rustic Canyon Restaurant were served on small plates with tasty seasons. For two couples with 2 beers and 2 cocktails it cost $400. The ideal decibel level for a restaurant is generally considered to be between 60-70 dB, allowing for comfortable conversation. The level at Rustic Canyon was 86+ dB which can cause damage to inner ear cells, is unpleasant and certainly not relaxing. We all felt relief and leaving the restaurant. read more

Beautiful dark restaurant space on Wilshire in Santa Monica. Small space for bar seating near the front. Solid selection of craft cocktails--varied, all balanced but nothing to write home about--and a very small selection of wine by the glass (all solid picks but the selection BTG is truly tiny for a restaurant this size). Farmer's market-forward refined new american cuisine. Has always been prepared well but really nothing to write home about. Fish preparations always need more acid, meat entrees always lack textual interplay, salads are abysmally tiny (yet usually the more focused and delicious selections). They use beautiful ingredients with simple cooking techniques, the synergy of which seems to do most of the heavy lifting. Great place to celebrate with friends, underwhelming eating and drinking experience (and $$$$$$). read more

Before I dabble in my review, I first want to shout out Rustic Canyon for being so flexible with our larger party. Isabella and the manager were incredibly accommodating and made the evening a night to remember. So thank you! I've been looking forward to going to Rustic for some time. It's a popular client dinner spot and the word of mouth is exceptional. Thankfully, the hype was true! The food is great and we ordered a variety of options from the menu. We started with the bread loaf, marinated olives, and lavender almonds. I'm not an olive guy and they were good! Our apps included the spring salad, Harry's Berries, beets and berries salad, delta asparagus, and Weiser Farms potatoes. I would say my favorites were the potatoes and asparagus. Seasoned beautifully and packed with flavor. My main included the duck confit. I will say the marmalade jus was a bit sweet and overpowering for my liking. But when I was able to taste the flavor of the meat, it was really great. I will say the best thing we enjoyed from the menu were the drinks and wine! The marjie cocktail was exquisite and the chilled zinfandel was primo. My one critique of the restaurant would be to change the music. I don't think California Girls and Biggie Smalls fits the vibe, but maybe that's just me!Overall, this was a great experience and I'm happy the food and service was so wonderful. read more

Had good first experience here about a year ago. I've lived in Santa Monica for many years so thought I'd return. While most of the food was still good was a bit disappointed. Our server was nice and helpful and we had the skin contact by-the-glass wine which was tasty. As for food, the bread rolls + corn salad were really delicious so recommend those! Prawns were pretty good too. However the duck (which was expensive, $50-60) was completely cold and the skin was soggy which was not enjoyable especially for our last/largest dish (didn't finish it). Would have said something but we were waiting for it for a while/didn't get a check in by anyone for any of the food so kind of just wanted to head out for the night. Not sure if we'll be returning. read more

This was quite an experience! The absolute best dish we had was the spaetzle - it was truly incredible! There is such attention to detail in everything from the dishes to the way that you are treated like a special guest. We were recommended to order a LOT of dishes which was a surprise to me, so just as a warning it ends up being more expensive than you think going in! We also found that all of those dishes were not necessary. The only other downside was that the chairs in all seats except the few booths do not have any back support (large holes for decoration), so for those of you with back issues, I recommend calling ahead to try to reserve a booth. I'm not sure if this is allowed as I haven't done it yet, but next time I will try! Thank you Rustic Canyon for a delicious meal! read more

Rustic Canyon - Delicious Halibut - Wine Bars Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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Disjointed service, mediocre too salty food, one dish ordered forgotten, minimalist portions, tiny drinks and silly prices.. A small potato dish for $45? Oh, and of course one of my pet peeves, the "optional" 4% charge for employee health care?? I like to write balanced reviews to remain credible, but try as I might, I can't come up with a single positive. I love the west coast food scene, but this place just doesn't belong. read more

This might be a long overdue post, but I came here with my boyfriend in 2022 for his birthday. This was back when they still had their Michelin star I believe. Since it's been a while, I can't really comment on specific dishes-- as I'm sure they constantly change their menus. However, I wanted to write this review to talk about the spectacular experience we had. We have been telling all our family and friends about this place, and hope to return soon. The service and food were amazing. We loved everything, from the ambiance and location of the restaurant to the warm "home-like" atmosphere. My boyfriend really loved the old fashioned drink he got, and still talks about how it was a really well made drink! read more

Sorry... forgot to take pictures. Been driving by this restaurant for many years, and finally got to eat there yesterday. I will not be back. Food summary: EVERYTHING OVERSALTED on both "cold" and "hot items, "hot" items very much undercooked and served "warm", and very overpriced. Every dish and sauce was noticeably way too salty. Service summary: below average, interacting with server pretty much only at the start rather than throughout the meal as items got delivered. Required to pre-place orders for ALL items at once, rather than allowing "progressive picnic" of say a few starters first, and then more if wanted, and then mains, etc., as might be the case if the early food turned out to be spectacular. No, had to order everythign up front. Everything after that was handled by "food runners" who doubled as busboys to take away empty dishes but not clean the tabletop of crumbs, drippings, etc. Meal highlight: fresh warm Parker House rolls (6), with "cultured butter" drizzled with honey and bee pollen ($13). Really really really delicious! Meal lowlight: petaluma roast half chicken, 'tetsakabuto' squash, 'golden' turnips, & pomegranate ($45). Supposedly roasted 1/2 chicken, hacked into four large separate parts. We only ate two of the four parts, and even then just barely. Really undercooked and served "warm". Leg was inedible. Overall, chicken was " rubbery". Pretty good: beets & berries...kasha, quinoa, 'rasberry' radishes, & pistachio ($20). Actually it should have been described as "rasberry dressing" and "watermelon radishes", explained the server when we asked about the ingredients. Regardless, this was crunchy, tasty, and good. And actually NOT SALTY. Fair, but salty: Tutti Frutti 'snap' peas, burrata, & 'telicherry' black pepper ($22). Not whole "sugar snap peas", but just the inside "peas" themselves. Cheese/dressing was nice but pretty salty. Very disappointing: bay scallops with Weiser Farms sunchokes & XO sauce ($26). Just disappointing, served "warm" and, along with the sauce, was undercooked and thus rather tasteless as a result. But salty came through. Also disappointing: vermillion rock cod, Colemans Farms celery root, nasturtium capers, & brown butter ($45). This time it was fish and sauce that was undercooked, served "warm", so once again "rubbery"... but salty. Not bad: coconut and rice pudding ($13), with something tasty (sorry I can't remember what) on top. Dry and solid, not wet and creamy, rice pudding. But good. EXCELLENT: one scoop of grapefruit sorbet ($9). TART AND ICY FABULOUS! Perfect sorbet! Notable service error, by busboy: At one point I was still enjoying the fabulous Parker House rolls, bit by bit, slowly applying the wonderful butter/honey/pollen and eating slowly. So piece of roll in my left hand and the butter knife in my right hand, and my mouth still moving while enjoying the previous bite. Along comes the bus boy to swoop away our two small salad plates and used fork/knife, which he does. I've still got both hands in the air and my mouth moving, with now no plate to put the butter knife down to or perhaps put the remaining uneaten piece of roll down to. No new plate and utensils instantly replaced as you might expect after also first cleaning the table as it really needed. Just nothing, but my two hands still in the air and my mouth still chewing... and nothing at all below on the table. Astonished. Final thoughts: I won't pay $25 for a cocktail. Also, early on I couldn't decide whether to order (a) the roast chicken dish (which I eventually did order) or (b) the other "hot" main course (that I considered but didn't order) which was heritage bone-in pork chop, apple butter, 'conehead' cabbage, & whole grain mustard ($48). I wonder if it, too, would also have been "undercooked" and "salty". Given my first time overall experience and reactions, here I honestly don't think I will return to find out. read more

This restaurant is amazing. I came for a date night and with my girlfriend on a Friday night. The atmosphere was great, dim lighting for an intimate dinner experience. I was greeted by the hostess and had the waiter Jay. The GM Brian also came out to say hello as well. I had the greatest experience for dinner that I've had in a long time. The food was tasty, unique, and memorable. The restaurant prides on making sure to avoid waste. I highly recommend getting the lavender almonds off of the snacks menu. I kept reaching for it and even combining with different menu items throughout dinner. When I was there, there was a Japanese potato dish that was one of my favorites of the night for sure. The lamb merguez was not gamy and very tasty. It was also a pretty big dish, so definitely. 5 stars, I would try out the restaurant if you have the chance to! read more

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WOW! This place was so good. I came in not super hungry, which was probably for the best because the portions are fairly light. But WOW do they have a way with vegetables. The most spectacular was the Japanese sweet potato. I am literally dreaming of it right now and could probably eat it forever. The beets and berries were also amazing - great textures and variety of flavors in a seemingly simple dish! The sourdough pappardelle was light and tasty -- not an absolute standout, but still quite delicious. To top it off we shared the Pistachio cake with the burnt mandarin ice cream. The ice cream was delicious! The cake was a little heavy and light on the pistachio flavor, but paired nicely with the ice cream. Would definitely come back hear! read more

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Went there for an impromptu dinner...we were seated outdoors and there was a heater warming things up nicely. We shared a beet salad with quinoa and berries and pistachios. Great combo. Good texture combination and delightful beets. Loved it. Triple fried French fries were a huge hit. Crispy but good softness in the center. The aioli sauce was just right and one portion was good for 3. The fish was whole barramundi and was definitely to share. Served whole with cooked on coal with a crispy skin smothered in garlic and oil sauce. Delightful texture and taste! Loved this fish cooked to perfection The pork chop was also good size and was cooked equally perfectly. Soft tender with done crunch as needed. The sauce on top detracted a little from the taste and we would have asked it on the side. The pasta was cache e pepi (salt and pepper ) snd it was delicious. Plain simple but such complexity of flavors. Delicious. The Italian wines worked well with the meal!! read more

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While visiting LA our friend made a reservation here for dinner. They'd never been, but they knew that we are beer snobs and saw the menu had craft beers. :-). Quick summary- we loved it. Luckily the wait staff explained they do things family style, and that we should plan on sharing food items. So very grateful for that suggestion. I won't get into details about individual dishes since the menu changes daily. Truly everything was wonderful. A few things. Atmosphere was comfortable, quiet and relaxed - for my 60 year old eyes the lighting was too low to read the menu, a touch more light where we sat would have been good. Staff were wonderfully attentive and polite! Hope to come back to visit and dine there again! read more

Discovered this gem on TOCK and glad that they were open for New Years Day. They are currently offering the "Grin and Bear It" specials featuring southern food. I have a weak spot for southern food, especially on cold winter days, and for $49 for the package, it came with the entree, 2 sides, slaw and biscuit. Arrived at the restaurant at our allotted time, and there are convenient curbside pick up parking available in front of the restaurant. To make pick up easier, they had a staff at curbside and brought food to our car. To be honest, I wasn't expecting such great service that I end up fumbling in my car for my mask before I rolled down my window. Ordered 2 sets to kick off 2021 with my boo, and all our food was nicely packaged. It even came with a lovely thank you note and a cute sticker. There is also reheating and plating instructions on the QR code. But as soon as we saw the ribs, they dove right in and didn't think twice about reheating or making our plates look presentable. Yup, the 2 of us were grubbing like two hungry bears. Really enjoyed my meal from Rustic Canyon and really look forward to what other specials they will dish up in the near future. read more

Rustic Canyon - Wine Bars Near Me - Santa Monica, California

I came here for my birthday dinner this year, and had a great time! The menu is seasonal (so the following items may not be present) - we shared the beet salad, cacio e Pepe, toast + pate, and sausage. My favorite was the toast (how did they get it so crispy and buttery!?) with the savory, smooth pate. The beet salad was also nice, light, and juicy as well. The night ended with delicious honey ice cream with a small cut of chocolate cake decorated with a birthday candle. What a special treat! The occasion was facilitated by very sweet, kind and attentive wait staff. Would recommend for your next date night or celebration! read more

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Really nice and cozy one-star Michelin restaurant in Santa Monica. The tasting menu allows some exploration depending on what you're feeling; would definitely say the highlight of the meal was the beet and berries salad as it was very unique! The steak was good but a tad bit too salty. The cocktails here are very yummy too. Overall a good experience! read more

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Very nice to return to rustic canyon during the Holidays! This time I tried their Kabocha squash covered with honey which was divine. We also tried a bok choy with fresh trout with beautiful pinkish color. Can't wait to go again! read more

Rustic Canyon - Kabocha dish - Wine Bars Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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TLDR: Michelin star affordable meal! Overall, really enjoyed my experience at Rustic Canyon! To start, you have to get their beets and berry salad, which has super fresh and flavorful ingredients. I was surprised at how hearty this dish ended up being with the guac and grains at the bottom, but it is super tasty. For main, I tried the pork belly w/ peppers which was good. For dessert, I got the baked Alaska that was super fun to try as a novelty item. It did have a kick to it (which the server warned me about) and I'm now passing that warning to you :-) read more

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My husband and I have been going to Rustic Canyon since they opened -- 18 years and too many dinners to count. We've never had a bad meal and the majority have been truly exceptional. This is in addition to the service being front to back outstanding -- everyone is delightful. I'm not sure why I haven't written a review before but our dinner last night compelled me. We picked up from the restaurant which, in my humble opinion, isn't entirely fair to review because it's hard for that caliber of food to travel. Qualification aside, Chef Fox and his team make it work and wow do they have a way with acidity and flavor. The beets with apricots, feta, and a kiss of heat were spectacular, the sirloin cap was perfection in its texture, temperature, and accompaniments even after being locked up in a takeout box, the honeycomb butter was as delicious as it was pretty, and you don't pass up Zuckerman's asparagus if it's on the menu. That meal would have been the highlight of any vacation and yet it's our neighborhood restaurant which I'm always grateful for. There are so many dishes over the years that I could rave about but that's some of what we ate this week. The menu is always evolving which is hard to do but they do it well. Looking forward to our next proper dinner at the restaurant. Not to say that takeaway isn't proper, but there's something special about food in its intended setting. This is especially true when said setting is Rustic Canyon. read more