On my birthday this year, I went up with Tanya, Esther, and Jessica to Rubicon (www.sfrubicon.com) for dinner since they were on the SF Dine About Town menu. (Thank you, girls! The dinner and company were lovely)
It was kinda in an alleyway at the corner of a building, and a bit small. But the decor was nice. Not tacky, but subtle with lots of dark wood trim.
The menu:
First Courses
Crispy Pork Shank & Potato Cake - Winter Chicories, Apple, Quail Egg & Mustard
or
Pumpkin Soup - Mascarpone, Cranberries, Brown Butter & Sage
Principal Dishes
Hand Rolled Ricotta Cavatelli - Ragout of Beef Shortrib, Trumpet Mushrooms & Dino Kale
or
Ginger Roasted Petrale Sole - Bok Choy, Red Miso-Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette
Dessert
Spiced Bittersweet Chocolate-Pumpkin Cake - Salted Almonds, Honey Fudge
or
Vanilla Bean Tapioca - Grapefruit, Pomegranate Coulis
I ordered the shank, the sole, and the tapioca. They were small but delicious. We also got a bottle of wine, but I don't remember the full name. Esther has the label somewhere. It was a Pinot Noir and quite flavorful. They also gave us this anchovie/cracker thingie on the house which I thought tasted kinda like tuna and crackers. Not bad, kinda like an hors d'oeuvres thing.