Epic Roasthouse
San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone: (415) 369-9955
- Price:
- $$$$
- Cross Street:
- Folsom Street
- Hours:
- Mon-Thu 11:30am-11:30pm, Fri 11:30am-12am, Sat 10:30am-1am, Sun 10:30am-11:30pm
Editorial Review for Epic Roasthouse – by Gina Goff
The Scene
On a patch of premium real estate on The Embarcadero's eastern side, this impeccably styled location boasts incomparable, seemingly magnified views of the Bay Bridge from both the dining room and its 5,600-square-foot outdoor veranda. Inside, a moneyed crowd of bridge-and-tunnel baby boomers shares the dining room with power-brokering suits from the nearby Financial District. Bay-facing floor-to-ceiling windows offer a framed panorama, and diners with westward-facing chairs are presented with a bustling, partially exposed kitchen seen through a white-stone archway in one corner, a small service bar in the other and a seven-feet-across flywheel-and-pulley setup that parts the dining room down the middle and reinforces the pump-house aesthetic. Upstairs, a buzzing lounge area, dubbed Quiver Bar, hosts a dressed-up after-work crowd enjoying craft cocktails, a pared-down bar menu and equally impressive views. Everything about the experience indulges the spirit of excess--from the protracted wait time for drinks and a table (yes, even with reservations) to the gigantic portions and the comfortable-yet-cumbersome oversized chairs, large, curvaceous brown-leather booths and thick mahogany tabletops.
The Food
Chef Jan Birnbaum, a 30-year-plus culinary veteran, mans the wood oven, cooking up traditional roasthouse favorites prepared with local, seasonal bounty. While the menu, particularly the entree selection, is mostly familiar, the kitchen does make an occasional foray into more adventurous fare. Well-executed starters range from smooth duck rillettes served with house-made pickles and grain mustard gelee to tomato-jam-topped roasted beef marrow boldly presented in-bone with a long, narrow utensil for scooping and garlic toast for spreading. Birnbaum also jumps on the trendy bandwagon of house-cured meats with a mostly successful nightly selection of charcuterie, including duck prosciutto, smokey ham hock and a slightly under-salted signature salami. The carnivorous crowd is also impressed--and rightfully so--by a cooked-to-perfection dry-aged New York strip with black peppercorns, coriander and coffee beans. Likewise, while the beef short rib is a quality cut prepared with skill, it's disappointingly paired with whipped truffle potatoes that lack any hint of truffle flavor. For lighter appetites, crispy pork belly drizzled in balsamic pork reduction and served over a bed of creamy, wild-mushroom-flecked risotto is a do-not-miss rendition. Desserts are passable, with flavor combinations (i.e. caramel-and-sea-salt ice cream; blood-orange curd with toffee sauce) that sound better than they taste.
Hits: Aside from Waterbar, which shares Epic's location (and management group), there isn't a restaurant in the city with a better view of the Bay Bridge.
Misses: Scattered, unapologetic service delivering food worth only a shrug of acceptance results in an experience that feels overpriced and over-hyped.
Editorial content is independent of paid advertisers. Any expenses are paid for by Citysearch.
Insider Tips
Where to SitOn sunny days, enjoy views of the Bay Bridge and the city skyline at a table on the magnificent outdoor patio, which Epic shares with sister restaurant Waterbar.
ParkingValet is offered for $12 during lunch and brunch service, $10 during dinner. In the evening, it's often worth a loop around the block, as many of the street spots in this office-heavy district are vacated.
When to GoBrunch is offered on weekends from 10:30am-3pm. On weekdays, lunch service stops at 2pm, and dinner service stops at 10:30pm (Fridays and Saturdays at midnight), but the bar menu is offered in-between and after mealtime.
What to DrinkThe wine list is as long as it is expensive. Ask the sommelier for a suggestion, or go for the Coya Malbec ($81), a crowd-pleasing choice for most order combinations.
User Reviews for Epic Roasthouse
06/09/2008 Posted by pinays
this steakhouse on the bay has beautiful views of the bay bridge and the san francisco sky line. the big windows on all the walls ensure that diners have something pleasant to look at. the ambiance was definitely leaning towards the romantic although groups can enjoy the same without any "romantic pressures" at the upstairs bar called quiver lounge, where it was loud and crowded but still blessed with the same views. word of warning, it was really dark in the restaurant and i could barely see the menu. but the darkness was necessary to truly enjoy the night views. the service here was fantastic -- at least after waiting 20-30 minutes even though you had a reservation. that being said, the staff was apologetic. once we were seated (at a perfect corner location with perfect views no matter which seat you take at the table), we were attended by an attentive wait staff who gave honest recommendations. i started off with the squid salad with chilies, beans and tomato confit. the ingredients tasted fresh and crunchy and the squid was tasty. for my entree, i had the pork porterhouse with coffee bean sauce. i thought the sauce was too rich but that the pork was definitely yummylicious. there was a nice fat cap, which in the dark, could surprise you. but, the meat next to the fat cap was rich and delicious. i tried my friend's pork belly risotto. the pork belly was definitely very fatty but the crunchiness was perfect. the server warned us about the fat cap though so that was fully disclosed. for the sides, we tried the truffled whipped potatoes (rich and creamy), sauteed spinach (great), grilled garlic brocollini (great) and mac and cheese (crunchy on top, creamy below). we also tasted a medley of dessert - a chocolate cookie, an oatmeal cookie, i think a cinnamon cookie and a peanut butter fudge, which was so sinfully good. this place was great.
03/20/2008 Posted by GaetanoSF
Another Kuleto extravaganza - overdone restaurant and bar, expensive and mediocre food, sketchy service. It took over an hour for our entrees to arrive after our salads. The meat was cold and overdone. There are no sides included with the entrees, they must be ordered separately at ten bucks a pop. My side of broccolini was limp and tasteless. We didn't bother to stay for dessert, couldn't wait to get out of there. Has there ever been a Kuleto restaurant that has made the top 100 restaurant list in the bay area? Nice location but don't waste your money. Wait for a better owner/chef to take over.
Pros: NIce view and location
Cons: everything else
