I read about the opening of The Riddler online, and it went on my list immediately. I’m a huge fan of Champagne after falling in love with the many types while driving up and down the river Marne in France. However (at least at the time), it didn’t take bookings, so I knew it would probably require some serious planning in order to go there and give it a try. Well, that wasn’t completely true (at least the first time), as I was having lunch nearby with some friends, and we got to talking for awhile, so we finished up with lunch around opening time of The Riddler, so the four of us decided to go and give it a try.
When we arrived soon after opening, it wasn’t very full, so we took a seat and looked through the menu. Sadly, I couldn’t convince my friends to go for the more expensive rosé Champagne, so we settled on a nice bottle of Burgundy cremant. Basically, it’s made in the same way as Champagne with a secondary fermentation, but it doesn’t have as many of the restrictions on it, as Champagne can only be made out of three grape varietals, and this cremant was made out of an unusual grape for sparkling wine: Cabernet Franc. It was very delicious, and we enjoyed it with a chocolate and strawberry dessert (which wasn’t chocolate covered strawberries, just strawberries and chocolate). They also provide some free popcorn that you can get up and help yourself to with a wide variety of toppings ranging from savory to sweet. I enjoyed it so much, I knew it was going to require a return trip with someone special to see if he would enjoy it as much as I did. It was completely full with people waiting outside by the time we left, so I’m glad we arrived early, and I knew opening time was the time to arrive.
So we went back to celebrate our anniversary. What says anniversary better than Champagne? We were going on a Saturday, so I made sure to arrive when they opened so we would get a table. We were helped by a very friendly waiter, Tristan, who remembered me from my first visit there. However, he was a bit overeager to help us find a Champagne as we hadn’t had quite enough time to check out the menu fully, and he was already trying to help us with the wine list. Perhaps we are unusual as we prefer to finish looking first, but it’s nice that people really do want to help those that perhaps don’t know their way around a wine list, especially as there can be a bit of variety with Champagne from type of grape to amount of sweetness. The wine list is quite extensive with a large selection of Champagne and other sparkling wine from around the world. The selection is not just the usual big Champagne houses (although there are a few of them on the menu), so it’s nice to have some different options. We settled on a bottle of the Laurent-Perrier Extra Brut and they delivered it to the table (along with a champagne bucket and stand). The Champagne was really great, and as we still had quite a bit of time before our dinner booking, so when we finished it, we went for another bottle. It’s a celebration, right?
This time we went for a rosé de saignée as it’s our favorite style of Champagne. Basically there are two ways to make a Champagne into a rosé: one of which (and by far the more common way) is by blending red and white wines together, the other (rosé de saignée) involves macerating the grapes with the skin. It was a bit on the pricey side, and I mean that in the fully British sense of the phrase. The reality is that most of the Champagne on the menu is expensive. I suppose it’s not a surprise as France is quite far and Champagne is more expensive than in Europe. It’s just that the mark up in the wine bar adds even more. The second bottle was fantastic though (and we did manage to find bottles online for a much cheaper price so we have some at home now as well).
We were also given some complimentary caviar (served on potato chips) with our second bottle. It was really tasty, and they do sell caviar on the food menu. The other thing on the food menu that has me very interested is the hash brown waffles. They are topped with proscuitto or smoked salmon, and they look amazing. We were having a big dinner, so we didn’t get any of the food, but if I go back, I will definitely try the waffle. There is also a cheese and meat platter on the menu if that’s something you fancy.
I definitely enjoy the vibe and atmosphere, even if you have to get there early. However, given the price of the bubbly, this feels like a special occasion sort of place and not really an every day sort of place. But it is nice to know there’s a place we can go in to get some lesser known Champagne if we need to!
Food: ★★★★☆
Service: ★★★★☆
Atmosphere: ★★★★★
Value: ★★☆☆☆
Overall: ★★★★☆
The Riddler Champagne Bar
528 Laguna Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
