Chef Spread

CHEF
MARIO
Food Review In San Francisco
Chef Mario travels the country looking
for the best restaurants to visit and what
foods to order. Mario has experience as
a chef for over twenty years and knows
what’s good and what isn’t. Mario goes to
San Francisco to find that special place so
if you ever plan to go know where to eat.
By Christopher Mathews
February 2012 Flavor 31

MARIO’S TOP RESTAURANTS
Acquerello 5A5 Steak Lounge EPIC Roasthouse Cotogna
I’ve dined at hundreds of Bay Area
restaurants, and I want to share with
you the very best restaurants in San
Francisco. Whether you are looking
for the highest-rated San Francisco
area restaurants when it comes to
food. Here you can discover the best
restaurants in San Francisco.
Acquerello Restaurant, named
for the watercolors that line the
walls, Acquerello’s food is anything
but delicate. Instead come here for
rich representations of Italy’s finest
cuisine. The menu changes often,
but if available, begin with a delicate
Parmesan budino, a custard-like dish
studded with spinach and zucchini,
then move on to the warm salad of
frisée and pancetta topped with a
seared squab breast. Among the
the many pasta dishes is the Swiss
chard and ricotta gnocchi tossed in
brown butter and sage, the perfect
accompaniment to a glass of wine
on a chilly evening. Filet of branzino
served with a warm artichoke and
potato salad thrills with it’s balance
of delicate and savory. The large
bottle wine list features a notable
selection of Italian options as well
as a number of premium California
entries. Co-owner Giancarlo Paterlini
and the accommodating staff will
help you choose. For dessert, the
gold-dusted chocolate cake with
toasted almond praline cream is a
royal end to the evening.
EPIC Roasthouse has a majestic Bay
views and moneyed allure, this contemporary
San Francisco restaurant
on the Embarcadero is as impossible
to resist as chef Jan Birnbaum’s
N’awlins charm. Formed from a
collaboration between heavy-hitters
Birnbaum and designer Pat Kuleto,
the restaurant is an oversize, dreamlike
pump house.
Prodigious steamship components
within the soaring dining room and
second-floor bar are juxtaposed
against vast windows framing Oldenburg’s
“Cupid’s Span” and the iconic
Bay Bridge. Yet the feel throughout is
cush, detailed and pampering, with
beautifully appointed tabletops and
smooth and knowledgeable service.
Birnbaum’s seasonal American menu
presents all kinds of big, appealing,
wood-fired options, from lobster to
whole fish to, yes, prime rib.
An accessible local and international
wine list is an instructive joy to peruse,
and features roughly 30 choices
by the budget-friendly “splash” or
full glass. Brunch offers a no-lessindulgent
way to drink in the restaurant,
either inside or on the sweeping
bayside terrace. Along with
steaks, burgers and other hearty
fare, fresh options include elegant
soups and bright salads, including
heirloom tomato with house-made
mozzarella. Cornmeal waffles are
draped with fruit and thick bacon,
maple syrup poured tableside.
Cocktails are creative, green pear tea
infused gin, Lillet Blanc and Chartreuse.
Large, innovative desserts
from pastry chef David Thompson
provide epic but balanced endings.
5A5 Steak Lounge Restaurant This
modern and elegant American-
Japanese steakhouse effectively
blends classic with contemporary, as
evinced by its enormous overhead
focal point, a saucer-shaped light
fixture outfitted with swirls of red
and orange tinted recessed lighting.
The adjacent lounge, comprised of
sleek and stylish leather booths and
ottomans, is a hip spot for after-work
cocktails and bar bites. Cream-colored
booths encircle the perimeter
and fill the central area to allow for
comfortable seating, while simple
and modern table settings preserve
a sense of sophistication. Starters include
delicate fried shishito peppers
and tender hamachi shooters.
Pea soup features puréed snap peas
and a rich dollop of Dungeness crab,
and steak-cut fries are seasoned with
truffle. Diners can choose to stay
with traditional cuts of meat, such
as bone-in filet or New York strip,
or sample the A5 Wagyu cuts for
which the restaurant is named. Of
the American-style Kobe choices,
we recommend the buttery A5 NY.
Desserts, such as house-made matcha
tea donuts, are bland despite
sounding creative. Wines are mainly
Californian, with a smattering of
interesting French selections. Saturday
nights after 10:30 p.m. the place
becomes a full-fledged nightclub.
February 2012 Flavor 33