2 Best Restaurants in Rancho Santa Fe, North County and Around

Named for Rancho Santa Fe’s visionary architect, Lillian Rice, this swanky restaurant hits all the right notes with coastal California cuisine-meets-local purveyors with fresh fish, grass-fed meats, and seasonal ingredients. Although breakfast and lunch are offered, splurge for dinner with starters like tuna tartare, Peking duck tostada, and Osetra caviar. Open up that appetite for Baja striped bass from the sea, eggplant parmesan from the garden, and New York strip from the land. Arrive early for a drink at the attached Bing’s Bar, an English pub-style clubhouse inspired by the golden age of Hollywood.

Despite the rotation of chefs over the years, those who have dined at this elegant Rancho Santa Fe eatery since 1985 can always count on haute cuisine of sophisticated comfort classics. Menu favorites include starters like deviled eggs and beef tartare and mains that range from Wiener schnitzel to mallard duck breast; other dishes rotate with the harvest from farms and purveyors. The elegant dining rooms are decorated like a French villa, adorned with vintage Delft-style tiles imported from Portugal. In summer, the romantic courtyard under the 100-year-old Chinese Oak Tree is the preferred dining spot. Visit on a Friday or Saturday evening for live piano.