After decades in the restaurant industry, primarily working in the fine dining arena, chef Ron Siegel is finally flying solo with his soon to launch San Anselmo eatery, Madcap.
The dinner-service-only restaurant will be located at 198 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in the former Lincoln Park Wine Bar space. The intimate, upscale space will have an urban feel and will offer a la carte and chef's tasting menus of organic and farm-raised products.
The menu centers around American and Japanese-influenced fare, with a spotlight on vegetables. His commitment to local produce is reflected in the restaurant's days of operations, Thursday through Monday, which are tied directly to the Marin County farmers' markets.
"I'm not a vegetarian, but there's just so much you can do with vegetables. They can vary even from week to week," he said.
The chef hasn't yet provided specific with regard to his menu, but did confirm there will be handmade pastas, several fish dishes as well as salads.
Photo credits: StarChefs
On Chef Siegel's resume is a stint as executive chef at the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton, where he earned four stars from the Chronicle in addition to numerous other accolades. Siegel later took over the kitchen at Michael Mina, also earning rave reviews.
Siegel's last significant position was at Rancho Nicasio, where his California cuisine tasting menu at the building's Western Room received critical acclaim. (SF Chronicle critic, Michael Bauer, awarded Rancho Nicasio three stars.) About six months after Bauer's review, Siegel moved on.
"I had hoped Rancho Nicasio would work out, but it just couldn't," states Siegel. "Now I have something that I've wanted for years. It's small, and it's controllable."
The unpredictable nature of the restaurant business plays a significant part in naming the restaurant Madcap. It's a moniker Siegel has kept in his back pocket for quite some time, also because he never wanted to name a restaurant after himself.
Siegel is striving to open Madcap as soon as possible, with a goal of mid-summer 2017. Their Facebook page stated on July 5th that if all goes well, the restaurant would open on August 3rd at 5:30pm. We suggest staying tuned for more information as that date approaches!
Article excerpts from SFGate
