Rumpus
One Tillman Place
Tel: 415.421-2300
I
recently had lunch downtown and reviewed Anjou,
a smart French Bistro located almost next door to Rumpus and remembered
enjoying many fine meals at Rumpus. I was suddenly hit with that uncomfortable
reality that so often I stop eating at places that are truly outstanding
for reasons I can’t remember, and it makes me feel somewhat sad and powerless
that I don’t manage my time and memories better. I decided then and there
to make a point of re-visiting Rumpus and find out for myself why I let
it slip from my consciousness so easily. I’m glad I made that decision,
because Rumpus is still a real gem on the downtown restaurant landscape.
At one time Rumpus was home to the most infamous of all Union Square restaurants, the Templebar, which for years was the hide-out of the rich and famous after dropping a bundle at I. Magnin, Ransohoff’s or The City of Paris. It was a bawdy, red velvet bordello type of dark and smoky joint where each corner held secrets that could unlock the doors to power and prestige. Today Rumpus is a stylish, well lit, clean and elegant American brasserie seating approximately 100 with a bright, cheerful bar centered between a glass encased kitchen at one end of the long narrow room, and an oyster bar at the other. The dining rooms are on two elevations, again long and narrow, but well spaced and offering ample room for privacy and comfort. The place is busy and filled with energy, but not daunting, and I found myself able to dine solo at the bar and concentrate on work I had to finish on deadline on one occasion, and to have a long leisurely meal planning a vacation another time. Service has been casually attentive on each visit, and could perhaps use some fine tuning, but each staff member I’ve dealt with is very well versed in every item on the food and beverage menu’s.
Rumpus serves lunch and dinner with no break between service other than a slightly more expensive menu for the evening. The menu is simple, covers a lot of comfortable territory and fairly priced. Four starters are offered including an onion tart at 7.97, dolmas at 6.95, potato and ricotta ravioli at 6.95 and a stellar ahi tuna tartare at 8.95. Soup du jour this visit was chicken with root vegetables, almost a hearty bisque, at 4.95 and they offer seafood gumbo at 8.95. The lunch menu consists of four sandwiches and six or seven entrees, and I remember earlier visits the outstanding quality of their ‘burger’, which is one of the truest definitions of culinary accomplishment for this writer/observer of the restaurant scene. Their ‘burger’ is still one of the best to be found in this City, and although it’s pricier than I remember at 8.95, the quality and presentation is tops. The other sandwich offerings are a turkey burger, a smoked ham and white cheddar at 8.95 and a seared ahi tuna at 11.95. All sandwiches are served with a choice of great fries or a very good CeasarCaesar Salad. The entrées are simple and straightforward with several pastas, a risotto, vegetarian lasagnelasagna, pan roasted chicken, poached Salmon and a New York Steak with those terrific fries ranging from 11.95 to 16.95. The dessert menu is simple and good with no new ground broken. They produce a good solid Crème Brulee, an interesting pineapple napoleannapoleon, a tasty chocolate brioche cake and a sensational fresh fruit crisp which on this visit was pear and cranberry, each offered at 5.95. There is a full bar, well stocked with broader selections than any other bar this size in the City, about a dozen draft beers and one of the most eclectic and interesting wine lists anywhere I’ve ever dined. Its obscurity almost scares me, but it’s very well thought out, and the staff is well trained in almost all the approximately 50 selections.
This is an ambitious and successful restaurant that lost some of its direction in attempted expansion, and is now back to focusing on what they have done exceedingly well since opening more than six years ago.
I really like Rumpus and highly recommend it for the quality and presentation of the food and drinks, the fun and professionalism of the staff and the ambience and stylishness of the décor.
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