Radius Restaurant and Café: Reviews [now Carafe]

Radius Restaurant and Café: Reviews | restaurant info + video | full episode video

Name: Scott
Occupation: Corporate Tax Consultant
Location: Sausalito
Favorite Restaurant: Radius Restaurant and Café
Reviewed Radius Restaurant and Café: Thursday, February 28, 2013

You will find Radius in an up-and-coming section of San Francisco’s SOMA neighborhood. Radius is a neighborhood restaurant which has a local and sustainable approach to using the freshest ingredients available. The concept of the restaurant is one where they source all of their product from a 100 mile radius of San Francisco. All meats and vegetables are either wild or obtained from local sustainable practice farms. Getting to Radius is fairly easy as there is plenty of neighborhood parking available -- either free-metered spots on Folsom or neighborhood parking on the side streets. Radius has a café which is open for breakfast & lunch, but their pride & joy is truly Radius Restaurant which is only open for dinner. The dinner selections vary by the time of year as their focus is on high quality seasonal ingredients which are locally sourced. The result is a winning combination of outstanding food paired with exceptional wine and excellent service to boot. The dinner menu is filled with options from appetizers to desserts -- for vegetarians and carnivores alike. If you’re a meat-eater, get the fried chicken -- it’s to die for. The décor is modern, clean and simple. Radius let’s its food do the talking. Some entrée selections are above average in price, so don’t bring a cheap date here. The service is very accommodating and knowledgeable. They do make you feel at home. Overall, this is a great date restaurant or one to bring a group of friends. Come hungry and leave satisfied from Radius.

Name: Emily
Occupation: Senior Food and Wine Account Executive
Location: San Francisco
Favorite Restaurant: Hunan Home's Restaurant
Reviewed Radius Restaurant and Café: Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Radius Restaurant is a lovely neighborhood spot located in the SOMA district of San Francisco. My boyfriend and I dined during the week, securing an early 5:30 P.M. reservation. We took advantage of their pre-fixe menu, which featured three courses for $38, which offered a small savings vs. ordering a la carte. We started with the Jerusalem Artichoke Soup with sunflower, tarragon and lemon. The soup was lovely, perfectly pureed and had a very clean, fresh flavor. The sunflower sprout garnish was delicious and reminded me of watercress, although with more of a crisp texture. In addition to the pre-fixe we ordered a few extra items, including the Seasonal Flatbread with Soubise, Oyster Mushrooms, Dry Jack, Chili Flake and Sherry Vinegar. The soubise was thick and sweet and paired well with the tangy sherry vinegar. The jack cheese provided a nice savory backbone to the flatbread along with the meaty mushrooms. The flat bread itself was thin and crispy—a perfect dish for sharing. I ordered the Petaluma Farms Fried Chicken, Fried Breast & Leg, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Kabocha Squash and Ham Hock for my entrée. The Brussels sprouts were perfectly cooked and the sweet squash complimented it nicely. The diced ham hock was also a nice addition—and this was definitely my favorite bite of the night. The chicken was very moist, however the exterior crust was too thick, similar more to a chicken tender vs. fried chicken. My partner ordered the Long & Baily Farms Roasted Pork Chop, Butterbeans, Wilted Dandelion Greens, Oyster Mushrooms and Bacon White Chocolate Gastrique. There were too many opposing flavors in the bacon white chocolate gastrique. Butter beans have a delicious natural flavor, but were masked by the sauce. However, the pork chop was well cooked and very moist. We enjoyed two side dishes, the Roasted Broccolini, Crushed Red Pepper and Garlic Chips and Brown Butter Roasted Potatoes. The broccolini was cooked perfectly, nice bright green color and crunch, topped with toasted garlic chips. The potatoes were surprisingly sweet, lacked salt and were overly garnished with tarragon. The desserts were plated beautifully. We enjoyed the Lemon Curd Tart, Italian Meringue, Chocolate, Candied Almonds, and Dark Chocolate Cake, Salted Caramel, Whipped White Chocolate Ganache, Coco Nib Streusel. The lemon curd was thick, and wonderfully tart with a tender, buttery pastry crust. The chocolate cake was light and spongy, and the textural contrast of the tiny cocoa nibs along with the rich salted caramel made this dish quite memorable. If you’re in the SOMA area, check out Radius restaurant.

Name: Lyrics Born
Occupation: Rapper/Author/Producer/Songwriter
Location: Kensington
Favorite Restaurant: Guerilla Café
Reviewed Radius Restaurant and Café: Friday, March 1, 2013

Radius is a great restaurant! Locally-sourced Cali cuisine with a French influence, all of our dishes were presented thoughtfully and beautifully. The courses were well proportioned and well-paced. The sardines were extremely fresh; the escarole was very light and crisp. While my trout was very fresh and the rye on the side was excellent as were the beets, the remoulade was a bit sweet for my taste, but still enjoyable. The lamb however, was utterly fantastic! Tender and juicy, it was sooo soft on my fork. The lemon curd tart was a great finish, had great texture and wasn't too sweet, and again, was presented extremely well with dots of sweet cream around the plate. We had reservations, so there was no wait. The staff was extremely friendly and attentive. The server, who was French, was very knowledgeable about the menu, and all his recommendations were spot on. The atmosphere was very nice and quiet. The restaurant was spotless and very appealing. All the portions were "just right," and came at the right times. This is by no means a cheap dinner, but if you want a great night out with one or more friends that you will remember for years, this is the place.