Radius

This lunch café is everything a café can be. Little café’s dream of growing up to be like Radius. Lesser café’s stand in it’s shadow.
With it’s free wifi, delicious quiche, perfectly dressed salads (with a hint of spice in the dressing), draft beers, unique flavor profiles and did I mention the lovely rose’ to be had on the sunny porch (?) — Radius is holding down amazingness for Folsom St. A colleague has requested that the amazing lunch company be included as part of the ambiance of this wonderful review but I’m pretty sure the rose’ precipitated my enchantment.
To top it off and start it off — the staff is incredible! I would have a glass or three with any any of them. Friendly, funny and professional.

When looking for a good New American restaurant in SOMA, I stumbled upon this place, heard it was closing and decided to check it out. Too bad I didn’t come across it sooner!
The menu focuses on fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Most appetizers and desserts are under under $ 10 and entrees in the $ 20s, but I ordered from the «Neighborhood Menu»…a starter, main, and dessert for $ 37. Not bad. I picked the Cauliflower soup, Braised Lamb Shoulder (normally a separate menu item, but added to the set menu during their last few weeks) and Vanilla Cheesecake.
All of them were good, but OMG the Lamb Shoulder… it’s up there with the best lamb I’ve had. It was presented in two boneless bricks and was tender and juicy, perfectly spiced with very subtle gaminess. The garnishes had a mediterranean flair… jam, baba ghanoush, squash and watercress. The portion of lamb was generous, too — oddly, I think there was actually more lamb than vegetables!
The bartender was telling me they weren’t actually closing per se, but they were changing to a tapas-​style restaurant with an expanded bar. So I’ll be back to check out the new place, but I’m glad I got to visit the former incarnation once!

Wins:
— The food was delicious!
— Wild mushroom ravioli, kale & brocolini
— Beautiful plating
— Inviting atmosphere and décor
Opportunities:
— Waiter — was rude enough for me to possibly not go back
— Keeping wines in stock that are on that evening’s menu
Overall: The food is delicious and I am sure you will have a wonderful time, if you do not get the same waiter my friends and I had that evening.

Radius has the best ceviche I have ever had. I ate at the bar and the bartender was delightful and attentive. The wine list was good and it has a nice vibe in the dining room. Next time I am going back to try the ravioli.

Pas plus convaincu que ça par Radius, un resto américain situé dans SoMa et à l’apparence et l’atmosphère plutôt cool.
Certes le service (assuré par un serveur français ! ça donne tout de suite un certain prestige à l’endroit) est agréable et rapide, mais c’est la bouffe qui déçoit: salade riquiqui (au pays des portions XXL, ça fait drôle) et sans goût, rôti de porc pas super tendre et arrivant à peine tiède… finalement c’était le milkshake à l’huile d’olive qui était le meilleur moment du repas.
Rien de vraiment scandaleux mais une certaine déception à la sortie. Pas sûr que j’y retourne, il y a mieux dans le secteur…

Awesome location, even better experience!
Wanted to show my sisters from out of town a good time so we decided to come to Radius. This place has been on my list of places to try for a long time and boy I am glad we stopped by.
We sat at the bar where our bartender Chris was incredibly attentive and totally on his best A game. He noticed I said my coco wasn’t incredibly sweet (just in observation by the way, no shade intended) but he promptly decided to bring me another one which was indeed sweeter and just perfect for the chilly weather outside.
Ordered the: Cauliflower Soup: Divine!
Petaluma Farms fried Chicken
Broccolini: amazing-​just the right amount of spice!
I don’t remember the dessert we had but it was like having heaven melt in your mouth and I am not a dessert person at all!
I can’t wait to come back and try more items on the menu.
Radius will forever stay on my radar!

Came again recently for dinner and we all were very hopeful given the great reviews and the good meal I had a few years ago. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a mixed bag.
Positives:
— My friend really liked the smoked beet & endive salad as well as the bone marrow with its egg and frisée side («roasted to perfection» apparently).
— Another friend thought her pork chop dish was «terrific, juicy and delicious», and she loved the sweet potato purée.
— Great space (albeit a bit empty for a Friday night)
— Our server was friendly, the bus boys were fantastic and my water was always filled.
Disappointing:
— The oysters (tiny)
— Mussels (not plump and I didn’t like the aioli spread on the crostini)
— Steak (cooked too rare for my friend, although she thought the farro and mushroom side was tasty)
— Flourless chocolate cake dessert (small and far too dry)
It’s probably worth going back again and perhaps not ordering the seafood… the flavors generally seemed great otherwise.

We had an hour to kill for our table to open up at Citizen’s Band across the street, so we stopped here.
This is a review mainly of the bar. Everyone here was really attentive, especially the dude with the bear and french accent. He brought us all chairs to sit at the bar, even though we were low on room. The bartender was very gracious and kind and got everything to us in a timely manner.
The appetizers we had were all great, especially the cheese balls. Everything was top notch which is just the way I like it. Overall, I have zero complaints in my time here. The atmosphere was also perfect. Thumbs up.

I no longer know what to make of Radius. Over the span of 1.5 years my view and opinion of Radius has taken a nose dive. My first experience in early 2013 was a a solid 4 stars. The interior was simple and modern, the rib eye was tender, portions were just right, and to boot, their menu (locally sourced within a 100 miles «Radius») was the proverbial cherry on top.
However, my most recent experience, a large birthday outing, stood in stark contrast. The interior and ambiance was exactly how I remembered it. I would call it understated, which is to say neither fresh nor visually impressive. I had setup a prix fixe menu for our guests and the cauliflower soup was bland, the rib-​eye was severely under-​cooked, also bland, and tasted like the equivalent of particle board wood. The vanilla & olive oil milkshake was decent (although the accompanying chocolate cookie tasted like compressed black chocolate dirt).
To be fair, our waitress deserves 5 stars for her fantastic, warm and attentive service throughout the evening. In the end, I hope Radius reviews their «California meets French cuisine» menu from top to bottom and takes some bold risks with more adventurous flavors, textures, and unifying dishes.

What can I say about this place? Except, that I was very disappointed. I was expecting a lot more because it was a four star restaurant with 600+ reviews. And it was a 3 $. Walking into this restaurant, it was very chic and looked pretty elegant. And I came here for a friend’s large birthday party. It was a good touch that the prefix menu had the birthday girl’s name on it. However the goodness of this restaurant stopped there.
The soup that started the meal was mediocre. Nothing very memorable. And then it was downhill from there. Been a steakhouse, I expected the steak to be spectacular. in the strictest arrived in front of me, it looked pretty. But that’s all it was just a pretty picture. The first bite into the piece I was horrified. It was dry and had no flavor. It was so dry that I had trouble swallowing it without extra liquid. I wish they had some steak sauce and to make it better. The little amount of sauce that came with the dish help to make it less try. However, the sauce was just mediocre. The vegetables it was pretty flavorless as well. However, it was much better than the steak. My friends at the party told me that their steak tasted dry and flavorless as well. But the piece that I offered them they had mentioned it tasted even worse.
Onto the dessert. The chocolate ending to the meal was okay. It was very rich and pretty sweet, which I did not care for. However after having such a horrific experience of the steak as the main course, I was willing to eat anything for the dessert. The meal over all was edible. I rated the way that I didn’t mainly because the price was expensive as well.
It’s very disappointing how everyone at the large party had a bad experience with their meal.

Part café, part restaurant and a small patio area with big screen TV (go giants!), Radius is an amalgamation of sorts. It’s nice to have this much space in SF and have it available for different purposes.
We celebrated Angela L’s bday here on a Saturday night and lots of kudos to the staff for handling our group well. We had a pre-​fixe menu priced at $ 45 for 3 courses (additional $ 6 if you’re ordering the ribeye) which is a fair price for the amount of food you get. I had a delicious cauliflower soup to start, but I wish they omitted the raisins and added some garlicky croutons instead. My ribeye was cooked as requested (medium rare) but it was bland and stringy. The dessert was probably the best part of the meal, with the deconstructed dark chocolate torte living up to its richness; while the vanilla milkshake with olive oil was a hit.
I love the space and the fact that it’s stumbling distance to Raven, a really cool, intimate lounge. Foodwise, they need to improve on some of their dishes.

Back when Radius opened in SoMa, I went there a few times and it was good. Nice happy hour menu, solid dinner choices, even a back patio.
I hadn’t heard much about the place for years, nothing good or bad, and was in the ‘hood looking for dinner. Why not? It had served me well in the past, let’s have dinner here.
Meh is about all I can say. Here’s the thing, it’s not bad or offensive (I’ve had way worse!) but it doesn’t look like many improvements have been made to the space itself or the menu over the past few years. The chairs and tables are a little wobbly, curtains worse for the wear and the overall vibe is kinda sad. Even with the sun shining through the plate glass windows it felt like there wasn’t much love happening inside.
The service definitely saved the night! Our waitress was bubbly, funny and offered some suggestions for wine pairings with the meal. She was awesome.
Fried chicken? It was OK. Definitely better than anything I could make at home. The gnocchi was much better. And of course, the wine was the best part. But hey, you’re talking to a wino, so not sure if that opinion counts for much ;)
Oh, I wish they would freshen the place up! It’s such a great location and concept, just needs a little TLC, both with the food and overall décor. Put some good energy out into the universe and it’ll come back two-​fold, yes?

Had dinner here last Saturday with a group of approximately 19 for a birthday. We all ordered from the prix fixe menu. Three courses for $ 45. If you got the steak, it was a $ 6 supplement.
3 course tasting menu ($ 45) — Choice of one dish from each course.
Appetizer:
–Mixed lettuces: red wine-​dijon vinaigrette, shallot, fennel
–Cauliflower soup: macerated raisins, parsley pistou
Entrée:
–Poppy seed gnocchi: summer squash and blossoms, green olive tapenade
–Local wild king salmon: blistered peppers, tomatoes, fennel, romesco
–Petaluma farms fried chicken: fried breast & leg, grilled little gems lettuces, house smoked bacon, citrus «ranch»
–Schmitz ranch ribeye: foraged mushrooms a la grecque, potato croquettes, hydrocress (add $ 6)
Dessert:
–Vanilla & olive oil milkshake: double chocolate cookie
–Dark chocolate torte: cocoa nib meringue, candied hazelnuts, vanilla pudding
I tried a little of every dish except for the Gnocchi since no one around me ordered that. My favorite dishes we the Mixed greens and the Milkshake. The greens were fresh and dressed well. I loved the vinaigrette and fennel. The milkshake was creamy with great vanilla flavor. I do wish the cookie was softer since it was very hard and crumbly.
The rest of the dishes were okay. The Soup had great flavor, but I didn’t like the addition of the raisins. The entrees were a big disappointment. The Steak was chewy and stringy. A ribeye shouldn’t be that hard to cut with a steak knife right? And the ranch just overpowered the Fried chicken. I wish they had the sauce on the side. Instead the chicken was swimming in it.
Drinks wise, I got a glass of Pinot blanc and tasted a little of a friend’s Reisling:
–Elizabeth Spencer pinot blanc, mendocino, 2012 ($ 13)
–Claiborne and Churchill dry reisling, edna valley, 2011 ($ 10)
Radius was a fun space. I had a great time having dinner with a bunch of friends. But none of the dishes were on point for me. All the elements didn’t really come together. I can’t comment on their normal menu, but their Prix fixe menu left me with a little something to be desired.

Stumbled in here late on a Wednesday night after comedy at Brainwash. Farm-​to-​table, that NorCal mantra, is in play. It’s not as unique as it used to be but I’m a sucker for it. The steak was perfectly cooked and tasty. The oysters were not as cold as I expected them to be and I was surprised that the only hot sauce option was Tabasco (which I hate). I know Scoma’s is not the hippest place in town but some Radii should head over there to get a primer on how to serve oysters.
So, 12 oysters, one steak, two glasses of moderate wine for about $ 92. We’ll be back when we’re not so rushed.

Good place for a casual quick bite.
* Deviled eggs — $ 3 for 3 halves
Ordinary but tasty.
* Mac and cheese — $ 7
Creamy and made with elbows, the way I like it.
* Kale and kabocha salad with red grapes, pumpkin seeds — $ 10
A bit small, but I liked the combination of ingredients and textures.

Our group of 10 had a reservation made via Open Table and everything was ready to go when we arrived. The waitress came by quickly and the rest of the night was smooth sailing.
We shared the fingerling potato chips with whipped shoyu scallion dip and the potato was thinly sliced and the texture was just perfect, not soggy and not too crunchy. Fried gougeres were also ordered. They were lightly fried to provide a guarded exterior to the melted smoked cheddar.
I had ordered the trout and it was soft, fresh, and tasty. The fish was naturally «sweet,» but the entrée was balanced well with the seasoned potatoes.
I had a sip of the vanilla & olive oil milkshake and it was like heaven. I wished I ordered one for myself. I also had a bite of the lemon tart and that was also yummy.
I like the concept of the restaurant, all ingredients come from x# of miles. guess you can say within a certain radius!

I celebrated my birthday here and the food was just okay.
PROS:
–oysters were really fresh and creamy
–ribeye steak was cooked just right with the right amount of flavor
–excellent service
–nice décor and ambience
–tasty chocolate mousse dessert
CONS:
— I did not like the soggy grilled piece of frisée served with your entrée
–the gnocchi entrée was NOT good. Its served in a bland soupy pea base, until you bite into a super salty piece of pesto gnocchi. Really disliked this dish the waiter recommended to us.
–The mushroom grits lacked flavor and wasn’t good.
I’ve been to many restaurants that serve organic and locally produced dishes, but the flavors here were either too bland or overly salty. :(

Went here for dinner last Saturday night. It had as many highs and lows as Magic Mountain.
SERVICE: Excellent. Our server was patient, polite and very accommodating.
ROASTED BONE MARROW ~ 2 stars ~ $ 16 for a pair: The marrow was cooked perfectly — buttery and creamy. Prepared with confit garlic, fines herb, dehydrated olive and toasted levain. However, the dehydrated olives took the saltiness to the next level. It was essentially inedible without the crostini. If I could do it all over again, I’d tell them to either lighten up on the olives or don’t include them at all.
DUCK LIVER MOUSSE ~ 3 stars ~ $ 9: Presentation was awesome. The beautiful placement of the pickled carrots and crostinis was simple and elegant. The glass jar had a fat layer of duck liver on the bottom and a smaller layer of some sort of jam/​jelly. The duck liver mousse was awesome but the red jam concoction was a bit odd. It threw off the whole thing. We ended up removing the top layer.
LOCAL OYSTERS ~ 3.5 stars ~ $ 26 for a dozen: They had Kumomotos and Miyagi oysters on hand this past Saturday and we were excited because those are our two favorite species of oysters. They were fresh, briny and shucked very nicely. I’m knocking on this because they tried to get cute with the cucumber mignonette, which didn’t go well with the oysters.
Fried Chicken ~ 4.5 stars ~ $ 23: I personally loved their take on fried chicken. In a lot of ways, it reminded me of of Wayfare Tavern’s version of it — crispy and moist. Much like WT, they throw lemon into the mix. The chicken is served over a lemon infused ranch sauce. Try to imagine the flavor experience you get when eating calamari with lemon splashed on top. That’s pretty much what you get. If you enjoy deep fried goodness with lemon, you’ll enjoy this entrée.
Overall, I wasn’t in love with Radius but I wasn’t underwhelmed. It was just whatever. Nothing great and not that bad. The fried chicken was excellent while the bone marrow fell flat on its face. With such a huge gap between their best and worst dishes, it does become very frustrating to dine here. It won’t be a memorable place and I highly doubt you’ll plan a return visit.

The radius of delicious food spots is certainly expanding within San Francisco! Before last night I have never partook in any Dine About Town or Restaurant Week meal outings (for shame right?!). When an out-​of-​town friend was visiting for a few days, it provided the perfect opportunity to check off an item on my to-​eat list.
RESERVATIONS were easily made via the Dine About Town Website. Originally our time slot was at 6:30pm on Friday night but we were running late and didn’t make it until almost 7pm. We were worried our spots would be canceled but the host welcomed our party with open arms and seated us immediately upon arrival — superb service!
Frederic (with a wonderful French accent) was our waiter and recommended a few specials of the night (oysters and squid). However we chose to go with the PRE FIXE MENU that came with an appetizer, entrée, and dessert for $ 36.95/person.
{appetizers}
SUNCHOKE SOUP — light, airy, and puréed to perfection. The crispy chicharron style chips added a nice texture to the soup.
HOMMAGE À SAN FRANCISCO — salad with raw and roasted squash topped with a tangy vinaigrette and sweet pumpkin dressing. Raw squash had the consistency of thinly sliced carrots, which I personally was ambivalent about, but it still tasted good. And on a random note, two mini macarons were added atop my salad. I wonder of their adjacent café sells them because they were a sweet and tasty surprise!
{entrees}
SACRAMENTO STURGEON — very decently sized filet of fish that was moist and flaky. It came with a side of mini fried potato balls that reminded me of mashed potato puffs from Gregoire’s in Berkeley, CA.
PETALUMA FARMS FRIED CHICKEN — two large pieces of chicken breast and a drumstick were fried with an herbed batter that made the skin both crispy and moist. The pieces of chicken were extremely tender and juicy. It came with roasted mushrooms and romaine lettuce cooked in a marrow vinaigrette. However, the real star is the «green goddess» sauce, which tasted like a creamy mint chutney that paired extremely well with the fried chicken.
LONG & BAILEY FARMS ROASTED PORKCHOP — my favorite entrée of the night! The porkchop was extremely tender and juicy (like all the meats here) and was marinated well with a sweet root beer spice rub. Pickled chiles added jut a hint of spice and the Brussels sprouts were roasted to perfection (I think this is my new favorite veggie!)
{dessert}
VANILLA & OLIVE OIL MILKSHAKE — very creamy and rich with a strong vanilla flavor. It came with a side of chocolate shortbread (a little dry) but tasted great when mixed with the shake. They also cut a straw in half so you can share with someone (how cute and thoughtful!)
LEMON CURD TART — I ate every bite of this sweet and tangy treat, even though I was positively stuffed from the earlier courses. The creamy lemon mousse paired amazingly with the crispy graham cracker crust, dark chocolate sauce, candied pralines, and topped with toasted meringue (like little mountains of sweetness).
All the dishes made our tummies extremely happy and it was nice to know that the ingredients came from fresh, local sources.
I really loved the chic, wooden décor at Radius. The dim lighting and intimate tables make this a great potential date spot (definitely saw couples here!). And it’s not too noisy to have conversations with a small party.
I’m keeping Radius in mind when I want to splurge on a delicious meal in the city!

Luck was with us the moment we entered Radius, one of the 20 most underrated restaurants in San Francisco (Eater SF). Radius specializes in locally sourced, organic and high quality ingredients, procured from within a 100 mile radius of the city. Without a reservation at 7pm on a Dine About Town Night, my boyfriend and I were expecting to wait. We waltzed in, found there was a recent cancellation, and were seated right away!
The ambiance of Radius is immediately cozy and inviting with the soft glow of dim sphere lamps and a handsomely curved bar counter. We were seated at a four person table, but my boyfriend quickly scooted over to the table end to accommodate quiet conversation in this lively, bustling restaurant. Our plan of attack for the night was to try as many dishes as possible, so we essentially ordered one of each dish, except for the main course, which had four possible choices. In that case, we opted for what tickled each of our fancies. Our menu included the following (asterisks** denote my favorite courses):
FIRST COURSE
— Sunchoke soup: Very light and airy. Added texture from the crispy chips.
** Hommage a San Francisco: A light and refreshing salad with squash and kohlrabi. There were even two sweet micro-​macarons! So cute and unique to add macarons to a salad.
SECOND COURSE
** Potato gnocchi: Pan-​fried gnocchi with crispy skin, browned edges, and a pillowy inside. Apples, pork belly, and mushrooms round out the dish in a light miso sauce. My boyfriend exclaimed, «I just ate the most delicious gnocchi in the world!!!»…to which I must agree.
— Petaluma Farms fried chicken: Fried chicken with a green sauce that enhanced the flavor of the meat so well! A very well prepared dish, but the gnocchi truly stole the show for us last night.
THIRD COURSE
— Lemon curd tart: A lemon tart with Italian meringue dollops, chocolate, and candied almonds. Definitely a crowd pleaser because of its fanciful presentation and lush lemon taste. The almonds added just the right amount of crunch as well!
** Vanilla & olive oil milkshake: A duo of pistachio & chocolate chip cookies accompany the unlikely combination of olive oil and vanilla ice cream. It was surprisingly refreshing and tasty! I loved this one because of its uniqueness.
Service was simultaneously welcoming and cordial. Our dishes were whisked away after finishing each course. Our servers deftly swapped out dirty utensils for clean ones, and in spite of my boyfriend’s efforts to hoard all of his utensils (just in case he needed them for later), he always ended up with clean ones. :)
For $ 36.95 per person, there was not a huge savings for our Dine About Town Menu. I calculated it to be around 10% savings per person for the dishes we ordered. However, we were quite pleased with our experience at Radius and appreciate the care with which they procure their ingredients. The quality of each dish is evidently a direct result of the ingredients they use.
TIP: If you are looking to maximize your savings, opt for the Sacramento Sturgeon ($ 26) or Long & Baily Farms Roasted Pork Chop ($ 27) second course. Each of these dishes cost more on Radius’ normal dinner menu than the Petaluma Farms fried chicken ($ 23) or Potato Gnocchi ($ 22).

Radius is a consistently delicious choice for dinner in SF. It’s especially nice when you can save a few dollars (literally just a few dollars, but better than nothing) when a Gilt City offer pops up.
I enjoy the concept of locally sourced food and while it isn’t quite like Farmstead in St. Helena, it’s still impressive.
I’ve eaten here with 1 other person before as well as with a group of 8 and service is always quite good.
The food is a perfect portion and always fresh. If you are dairy free, they can accommodate! And it’s super delicious! You can’t go wrong when the fried chicken entrée is available, and the bone marrow appetizer is rich and satisfying. The wine list isn’t super extensive but does the trick in finding multiple choices to pair with your meal.
Parking isn’t terrible in this area, and I keep finding myself wanting to come back. Perhaps it’s because of the intimate and modern atmosphere — makes me feel cosmopolitan (but not pretentious).

Even though I live criminally close to Radius, it has taken me well over three years to return to try the fine dining side of the restaurant, and it took my friend Stephanie, who just moved from New York into my own neighborhood to cajole me. I liked the café when it first opened but thought it rather overpriced and somewhat contrived. I actually had to drink a Diet Shasta Cola instead of a Diet Coke because they were sticking to their 100-​mile radius rule. But she praised her first culinary experience there, and then I saw the «Check, Please! Bay Area» episode where it received a trio of raves, so clearly it was time to pay heed to that decaying Julie’s Supper Club sign (.I still miss those martinis:
) and give it the old college try. We came quite spontaneously and were able to score one of the center tables with ease on a Thursday evening.
Right away, we received an amuse-​bouche of Beet Mousse with Chives on a housemade wheat thin (photo:
). Quite tasty for a quick chomp. And instead of a designer soda, I decided I needed a $ 12 glass of the Broc Cellars Rosé of Counoise & Cinsault from the Santa Ynez Valley (photo:
). Hey, wait a second… doesn’t that violate the 100-​mile radius rule? Shhh, don’t tell anyone since it was refreshingly crisp on a coolish summer evening. Die-​hard pâté fan that she is, local ban be damned, Stephanie ordered the next best thing, the $ 9 Duck Liver Mousse with Crostini, Pickles and Mizuna, which came on a plank with the fat separating from the liver mousse in a wide-​mouth jar (photo:
). Creamy and just barely decadent enough to cause dietary angst.
Just as predictably, I chose the $ 12 Pork Belly and Clams with Broccolini, Kimchi and Garlic (photo:
). Combining pig fat and shellfish may sound like a dicey proposition, maybe not, but they worked well together with the crunch of the vegetable acents making a nice contrast. Entrees were only slightly less entrancing but still quite tasty. Stephanie enjoyed her $ 25 McFarland Springs Trout, which was nicely filleted with sliced roasted baby beets, apple & celery root remoulade and a petite herb salad (photo:
). A fresh and abundant marine dish. My order was the $ 18 Roasted Spring Vegetables, which were quite good and healthy even with a creamy mushroom veloute and tarragon, although I found the fry bread a bit of a miss (photo:
).
Stephanie fondly recalled the $ 6 Brown Butter Roasted Potatoes the last time, and she repeated the order there (photo:
). They were comfort food delicious, even if we were getting genuinely full at this point. However, I was so affected by the video of the luscious desserts on «Check, Please!», I felt a need to push aside reason for one last indulgence, the $ 8 Lemon Curd Tart with little dollops of Italian meringue torched to a golden tan, chocolate shavings, and bits of candied almonds (photo:
). We shared it quite easily and heaved a post-​meal sigh of satisfaction over what was a locovore’s delight of a meal under the aegis of executive chef Chris Geremia. The place never got overly crowded, so we took our time going through our multiple courses. The relaxed vibe made me realize I am indeed within radius of Radius.
FOOD — 4 stars… local ingredients creatively executed and quite tasty to boot
AMBIANCE — 4 stars… relaxed SoMa vibe permeates the renovated space that was once Julie’s
SERVICE — 4 stars… quite nice and attentive
TOTAL — 4 stars… happy to patronize a well-​done local business that’s truly local

A Special Note From Radius: Hey on your way to Radius, can you stop at Trader Joe’s and pick up some English peas, French Carrots (with the stems still on them please), and some butter-​cream? Yeah, we are going to throw them all on a plate and call it an appetizer and charge you three more dollars as well. You can handle the stems.
Dreary opening dish and dreary staff. Getting a description of the wine or food was like asking a teenager how their day went and if they had any homework. I was just about to start in on my 1 star review when, everything took a turn for the best…
The Rainbow Trout came out. I was even skeptical when I saw it, but as soon as the skin of the most amazing fish in the world touched my lips, my perception of Radius changed. Ahh… This place isn’t so bad. I can deal with it. Wow. If you get a chance, and you’re in the neighborhood, stop in. It’s on the menu as
McFarland Springs Trout — Roasted baby beets, apple & celery root remoulade, petite herb salad, rye
It’s hearty, like salmon, wild. fresh. amazing. perfectly proportioned, cooked at just the right temperature and amount of time. Deliciousness. Fabulousness, Amazingness. ;-)
Once I got over the mundane staff and was absolutely tickled pink by the main dish, I started to notice all the other better seats in the house, other than ours. If you can, request seating towards the wall or at the bar (not in the middle). Our table felt big enough for one and a half people with me being on the end big enough for the half :-(No bueno!
There are some funky matrix-​looking art pieces on the wall as well… and a few big windows overlooking Folsom street, which doesn’t really give you that much to look at, but strangely our table and both of our chairs were facing the windows.
Also take note, they only serve beer & wine!
Pinot Noir Rose was great on that hot summery night we were in… No use in telling you what kind, apparently there menu is constantly changing (according to their website)! It was tasty, but we probably could have found a better pairing for the fish.
All in all, Radius was like going on two dates with the same guy. If the first date was the appetizer and we would have stopped there, it would have been over for sure. No way anything else would have gone on between us! Luckily, Radius got a chance to redeem itself (we didn’t walk out and go somewhere else), and Radius gained a returning customer (a third date.)