Jess B.
Yelp
It was our first time dining at Rene, and it was excellent end-to-end. We arrived for an early dinner on a rainy night. The ambiance is romantic and has a European feeling. It's set in a courtyard under an archway patio with a large wood door.
We each started with the Rabbit Hole Rye Old Fashioned, which were classic well-balanced cocktails--strong and to the point!
The service was friendly, attentive, and detail-oriented. We told our server we are vegetarians / pescatarians and we don't eat meat, and he proactively let us know there was chicken stock in one of the soups and beef broth in the other--without us needing to ask about that! I appreciated that.
We ordered the grilled Noble Bread (comes with olive oil, pesto, and olive tapenade), and it was just "Ok" and kind of "meh" for me. I'd say: skip it, and save room to order an additional appetizer or side dish (like the hot crab & artichoke dip app or the side of asparagus gribiche).
The organic beet salad with arugula, goat cheese, candied pecans, apple slices, and pomegranate seeds was tasty and delicious.
I ordered Cacio e Pepe pasta. It was creamy, flavorful, and decadent. I appreciated that the pasta was fresh and house-made. It was a decent-size portion too (so I could share a few bites with my husband). He loved it!
My husband ordered the Chilean sea bass, which was presented on a plate with four sauces. The fish was excellent, and prepared perfectly. We both loved the spicy sauce!
(Our waiter was exceptional! He remembered that we don't eat meat, and he let us know the churros dessert was cooked in duck fat.)
So, to close out the meal, for dessert we ordered the flourless chocolate cake, which comes with a scoop of gelato and whipped cream. It was perfect--rich, chocolate-y, and not overly sweet.