Epicure Fine Food & Drink

She said:

Upon entering this restaurant, I was a bit confused about what it was trying to be. It was simultaneously casual and sophisticated, with its terra cotta tile floors, crown moldings, contemporary artwork on the walls, and dark wood credenza in the corner that held live plants and wine bottles.

Anyway, about the food. We decided to order flatbread, hummus, and three-olive tapenade. The waiter said he enjoyed it with their Martinez dressing, so we accepted some on the side. For the price, it was pretty good. I would have preferred crispier flatbread, and I could have done without the dressing. The latter was far too sweet and reminded me of donair sauce. What is donair sauce, you ask? Stay tuned. I'm going to write a blog article devoted to donairs. In the meantime, just know that it is a Nova Scotia variation of doner kebabs (also known as gyros), served with a sweet sauce.

My entrée was the Atlantic Salmon. It was properly prepared, as it was crispy on the outside edges and moist on the inside. I was pleasantly surprised. It was served with fresh tomato caper butter. The capers stood out in lending the fish some flavor.

The shallot herb mashers were whipped into smooth creaminess, but I couldn’t discern any actual herbs or shallots in the potatoes. The sliced carrots and asparagus spears on the side rounded out my meal.

My experience at Epicure was pleasant and I enjoyed the food. However, service was a bit slow and we sat at our table for a while before our waiter noticed that we were done with our lunch. He apologized profusely and offered us a discount. Despite our telling him that it was unnecessary, our bill reflected a generous discounted price.

Hey, I would have settled for a slice of chocolate cake!

He said:

As Kathy suggests, Epicure has a curious mix of sophistication and informality. I don’t think it’s because they can’t decide what to be. I think they are trying to be both. The question is, do they succeed? It definitely feels casual. I don’t think it quite feels like a fine dining establishment, but it does possess enough air of elegance to elevate the experience from the ordinary. I guess they have successfully found a careful balance.

Our waiter quickly brought our drinks, but left again, as we were still looking over the menu. He stayed away a bit too long, then finally returned to take our orders. We didn’t see him again for some time. More on that in a bit.

We began with the hummus and tapenade with a flatbread sprinkled with herbs and parmesan cheese. I expected a doughy bread, cooked flat like a pizza crust. Instead, the bread was even flatter. I wasn’t sure it even had any leavening in it. However, while I would have preferred a doughier bread, Kathy thought she might have preferred it a bit crispier, like a cracker. Still, it made an enjoyable base for the chickpea hummus and olive tapenade.

I ordered the Pork Tenderloin entrée. The pork came thinly sliced, cutlet-style, smothered in caramelized onions and a Sherry Sage Demi-Glaze. That was a delicious pairing, albeit a bit sweet. I might have expected the sweetness, given the sherry and the onions, but I didn’t expect the Au Gratin potatoes to be just as sweet. I’m not sure what they put in their creamy sauce to make it so. I think I would have appreciated a bit less sweetness, but even so, I enjoyed every bite of my meal, leaving nothing on the plate.

As Kathy mentioned, we finished our meal and then had to wait for some time for our waiter to return with our check. He offered an apology for having been tied up with a large group in another section of the restaurant. Unbidden, he offered us an unnecessary discount and left to process the check. This left me in a bit of a quandary. I didn’t feel right about accepting his discount and still feeling offended at the quality of service. I mean, the discount is supposed to make us whole, right? So I briefly wondered if I might prefer to pay full price and hold a grudge for a while longer. But no, there was no harm done; we enjoyed our time at the restaurant and gratefully accepted the “Family Discount” he put on the check. (Note that we are still reporting the undiscounted bill, so you can make fair comparisons and form realistic expectations).

Conclusion:

Epicure strikes a nice balance between casual and sophisticated. Its reasonable prices and elevated fare without pretention offer an accessible path to good food. Epicure—formerly known as Epic Casual Dining—is one of the quartet of local restaurants from Chef Ken Rose¹.