First Look: Dinner on Ramble Room's Patio at Snider Plaza

A couple of months ago we got a quick peek inside Ramble Room at Snider Plaza, the newest offering from Jon Alexis (TJ’s Seafood Market, Malibu Poke, Escondido.) TJ’s was voted one of the Observer’s 100 favorite restaurants of 2023, and the culinary director and partner chef for this newest venture is Stan Rodriques of Nick and Sam’s, Sixty Vines, Whiskey Cake and Neighborhood Services. With a pedigree like that we couldn’t wait to try it out for ourselves, especially given Alexis’ hook: A restaurant you go to when you don’t feel like going out.

Parking was a breeze given that they validate for an attached underground garage. With that out of the way, we were seated on the outside patio in a cozy little two-top where we could fully enjoy the refreshing breeze and watch the sun set upon the Snider Plaza environs.
We got the ball rolling with a couple of craft cocktails, a Midtown and a Filthy Martini. The midtown was mixed with Redemption rye, dry vermouth and amoro and was attractively presented in a Champagne coupe with a cherry. The filthy martini had the requisite olive brine as well as a pair of bacon and bleu cheese-stuffed olives.
Our starter was the French onion dip: a creamy green onion concoction served with porcini potato chips. It was a decent amount, and the chips, despite their descriptive name, did not really call to mind porcini, but that was fine with us.
A burger is always a good test of a new place, so we selected the Plaza burger, a beef patty topped with Gruyère, au poivre sauce, aioli, crispy onions and tomato on a brioche bun, served with fries and a side of ketchup. Large enough but not overly so, which made it easy to manage. The au poivre sauce was the star of this burger, and our only complaint would be we need more au poivre, please.

The pasta dishes are available in both full and half orders, an option we love since it allows us to try more things on the menu. We went with a half order of Italian sausage rigatoni and a bowl of mushroom bisque to sate the mushroom craving we now had due to the porcini chip tease.
The rigatoni was properly cooked and was served in a bourbon cream sauce with flash-fried kale, sage and grated Parmesan atop all. It was rich, and a half order is just about the perfect amount.
The mushroom bisque arrived in a large bowl: a mushroom and cream combo topped with a swirl of herb oil and some micro greens. It had a nice texture and full umami flavor.
As the sun was setting it began to get a bit chilly out on the patio, but the staff immediately started lighting several patio heaters. We took that as a sign that we should stay a bit longer for dessert. There was no more coconut cake, so we went with the lemon cheesecake. It ended up being a great choice, sweet and tart, not too dense and the perfect amount.

For a restaurant that offers classic dishes when you don’t feel like going out, the patio offers a lot of charm that one simply doesn’t get at home. And the service is better.

Ramble Room, 6565 Hillcrest Ave., No. 150. Sunday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.