After years of city fine-dining, chef Ron Siegel will debut his first solo project in San Anselmo. Madcap opens tomorrow, centered around the Bay Area’s superior produce, with meat and seafood fitting in where they make sense.
Madcap is a follow-up to Siegel’s year-long stint at Marin’s Rancho Nicasio; previously, he was executive chef at Michael Mina, The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton, and other luminary Bay Area restaurants like Masa’s. Now Siegel has landed closer to his home in San Anselmo, where he hopes to deliver the same level of reverence for food and service, but in a more neighborhood setting with room for walk-ins.
The menu includes dishes with the Japanese influences for which Siegel is known, like king salmon with dashi and pickled radish ($15), and shima aji with kombu, melon, and radish ($16), as well as homier dishes like Sonoma duck breast with blackberries and purple beans ($32).
“We wanted to be more of a place where we do a really nice job and are serious about food and service, but not a price point that’s prohibitive to people coming once a week for dinner,” said Siegel. “I loved what I did in the city, but I just didn’t want to be in the city anymore.”
Combined with the growing staffing issues and labor expenses in the city, it made more sense to Siegel to stay closer to home. And after 20 years of commuting, he’s ready to dig in. “I love this business still. I still have this itch that I can’t shake, so I’m rebooting.”
That reboot includes a tasting menu, something Siegel thought he was sick of after years of crafting them in San Francisco. At Madcap, the entire table must participate in the eight courses, which could play off the menu or vary completely.
Check out the menu for opening day, Thursday, August 17 below.
The restaurant (198 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, San Anselmo) will open Monday through Thursday from 5:30 p.m.- 9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 5:30 p.m.- 10 p.m., and Sunday from 5 p.m.- 9 p.m. Reservations can be made here.
- Chef Ron Siegel to Open Solo Restaurant in Marin [ESF]
- Madcap [Official]