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By Patricia Unterman, from Unterman on Food
RMN Restaurant Would I go back? Yes, definitely, even if I have to get creative about parking. Though the lower Haight leaped towards gentrification during the dot com years, no one would have predicted that a soignée, Manhattan-style room like RNM would appear one day on the corner of Haight and Steiner. Burgers, ribs, artisan beer bars and a slew of ethnic restaurants, yes, but not one of the most sophisticated new restaurants in town. The 29-year old chef/owner Justine Miner regards RNM as just another welcoming alternative in her favorite neighborhood. "I like to hang out in the Lower Haight," she told me, "so I waited until I could find a location here." At her age, Miner obviously didn't have wait too long to open her dream restaurant--though she's still hasn't won approval for a full liquor license or valet parking (much needed for those who don't live in the neighborhood.) But she has successfully realized the lion's share of her vision: small plates of stylish, delicious food at moderate prices; a dark, urbane, interior; an interesting, versatile and affordable wine list; and a staff that loves working for her. RNM patrons can eat and drink in several areas of the small space, each with a different feel. Those who want intimacy head upstairs to a comfy mezzanine with couches and a video screen playing art loops. The party bubbles noisily in a compact if elegant dining room with polished dark-wood tables and a dramatically lit bar with eight or so seats. Solitary diners can sit at the shiny steel counter in front of the open kitchen to take in the action. The design of the restaurant plays the warmth of polished wood off the coolness of metal. Long mesh curtains shimmer at the entryway and on the stairway to the mezzanine, giving the illusion of solidity and transparency at the same time. They remind me of Miner herself, who seems a little too young, hip, and nice, to be running a kitchen, yet, she knows exactly what she wants. She has a backbone of steel, and the delicious dishes coming out of her kitchen show plenty of discipline and experience. She attended the California Culinary Academy after college and spent six years working at some of the city's liveliest restaurants: Globe, Cafe Kati, Postrio and Dine where she was a sous chef under Julia McClaskey. Right now I would drive across town just to sit in front of Miner's calm kitchen and work my way through the menu. Though many, many places make individual pizzas, I have to say that Miner's are the best. She must have done some heavy research on crusts because hers are miraculously thin but not crackery, soft but not bready, and possess an intriguing chewy edge. They're brilliant, especially one topped with pancetta, shreds of grilled radicchio and thyme ($10). She intends that people share. A charcuterie plate ($11) highlighted by a thick slab of creamy chicken liver pate and a mound of moist pork rillettes folded with pea sprouts works nicely. Everything on the plate, from olives to warm triangles of grilled bread, is a pleasure to eat. Many drop by RNM for a flute of Roederer Rose champagne ($9 and a bargain) and blini topped with smoked salmon, creme fraiche and caviar ($11), three to a plate. If there are four of you, the kitchen will adjust. Salad eaters will enjoy the classic California beet salad with goat cheese ($8) and a lovely seasonal combination of grilled persimmon wedges, arugula and prosciutto ($8). Large plates aren't really large; they're just bigger than the small plates. They work as part of a shared meal or as a zealously guarded personal main course, that still allows room for dessert. My current favorite is a moist super fresh filet of line-caught local snapper layered with buerre blanc, wilted bitter greens and topped with mini-purple potato chips ($13). A flat bowl of saucy coq au vin ($12) with lots of browned whole button mushrooms is dreamy. Seared scallops paired with parsnip puree and delicate infantile salad greens ($15) makes for another gorgeous combination. For dessert, have a demure brownie sundae served in a martini glass ($6) or a slice of bracing Meyer lemon tart cradled by a buttery crust ($6). You can drop in for a little bite with a glass of evocative wine or a luxurious feast; spend a little or considerably more, and feel equally satisfied. The restaurant cuts absolutely no corners. It gives its patrons the best of everything--local ingredients, skillful cooking and romantic design. RNM is, above all, a generous restaurant. One reason the spirit of the restaurant remains so focused and pure is because Miner has dedicated it to her dad, Robert Miner, who died eight years ago at the age of fifty. Hence the initials. Her father founded Oracle with Larry Ellison. Frankly, there's no economic necessity for Justine Miner to be cooking on the line five nights a week. "I was born a worker," she told me over the phone. "I enjoy cooking and working at something I love. I'm thankful I'm able to do it." So is everyone who goes there. © 2002 Patricia Unterman |
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