Safire — Restaurant in California

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY THE BEST PLACE TO EAT IN ALL OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA!!! I do not say this lightly and it takes quite a bit for a restaurant to impress me.

In my travels and adventures over the past 20 years or so I have eaten at many fine establishments and "five star" restaurants throughout Northern and the Central Valley.

Whether it be from San Francisco to Eureka or Burney to Fresno. From Marin to Santa Cruz or from Paso Robles to Truckee. I have tried it all!

I am a foodie from way back and I must say I am also quite the home chef. That being said, I am a very hard to impress patron when it comes to fine dining. If I could have made it better myself at home I feel like I just got ripped-off for the cost of the meal and wasted my time waiting.

I will not complain. Oh no no no. I will not request a refund or a discount. I will not even leave a comment in the suggestion box! I simply will not come back and if asked by friends, family, or even a stranger how a place is I will give my honest opinion good, bad, or indifferent.

I have only felt inclined to promote or recommend a place twice in my life. The first one was a hole in the wall pizza place where they made pizza from scratch using an old family recipe and this hole in the wall pizza place happens to be at a bowling alley in San Rafael.

Safire is the second place I have ever felt inclined to recommend to anyone! I don't care if it's a complete stranger and they're trying to decide on a place to eat in a conversation with somebody next to me. I will recommend this Safire with enthusiasm and delight! Because I know they will love it and because if they were a guest in my home I would serve them something prepared with just as much love, consideration, and attention to detail as the staff and chefs at Safire.

Many people whom I have recommended eat at Safire are first timers. Hands down every single time I have seen that person again they take the time to approach me and thank me for the recommendation!

I highly recommend the Ahi Nachos it is an appetizer that is sure to please! My husband had never tried Ahi before and I suggested we try the Ahi nachos. From that moment on we were in love...

The service was and ambience was exceptional .... the one star isn't a mistake tho. We were so excited to see that the restaurant was finally re-opened to find out that the food was beyond terrible. What I initially wanted to order wasn't available, so I settled for hand made angel hair pasta and sauteed prawns ... what I got was a pile of homemade, hard & barely cooked fettuccini noodles piled high with what seemed like out-the-the bag precooked shrimp. The Cesar salad dressing was so bitter, I could barely eat it, some of the lettuce had brown edges (also most likely out-of-the bag). My husband had a steak that was supposed to be marinated in a red wine, what he was was something that tasted soaked in cheap Gallo wine. The "chef" really needs to get a clue or they need to hire someone that knows how to cook a good meal. Seriously ... this used to be an awesome restaurant with really good food. Now the prices has darned near doubled and the quality is in the toilet. Sorry to post such a terrible review but sadly, we wont be back - feeling really deceived...

We’ve been to Safire multiple times on event nights, and our experiences have usually been fantastic. The ambiance is lovely, and the food is typically top-notch. However, our recent visit fell short. The menu was extremely limited, with just a few options primarily focused on steak, shrimp, and a burger. We ended up settling for the burger, but it was way overpriced for what we got, which added to the disappointment. The meat patty was very thin.

Service, has always been a highlight here, but also didn’t meet expectations this time. The staff seemed overwhelmed, and the attentiveness we’ve come to appreciate was missing. We noticed we weren’t the only ones feeling this way—a couple across from us seemed unhappy with the limited menu and ended up ordering just a salad.

That said, we know Safire is capable of better, and we’re hopeful this was just an off night. We’ll likely return for another chance to experience the great meals and service we’ve loved...