Andrea L.
Yelp
Oh, Epic Restaurant, I dream of you almost instantly when I leave your doors.
I am from Massachusetts, one of the country's bastions of snobbery and I would say that this restaurant not only fit in but prosper and have a long life...but who would want to pay those kind of taxes anyway?! But, I digress. On to the juicy stuff.
I have been here with my male half twice now for two very memorable meals in 2014. Our first was for Valentine's Day (we went the day after, but they were still doing V-Day things since V-Day was on a Friday), and the second meal was on March 15, 2014, in which I treated him for an unprecedented job promotion.
Some things about EPIC:
1. Don't come here broke. This isn't McDonald's, and this isn't Country's BBQ. This is a culinary experience. So, don't be surprised when you see the prices.
2. Wear nice clothing. The waiters and waitresses are dressed nicely and you should be matching the environment. Read the doors before you enter the building. It's business casual or above.
3. The culinary team has been educated in culinary schools such as Culinary Institute of America, Le Cordon Bleu, and New England Culinary Institute. If something is not right with your meal, please be cordial to your server team and they will take care of it.
4. Be aware that there is a prix fixe menu time that you can take advantage of to not pay full price for the meal but come out being fed like a king and that includes appetizer, main course, and dessert for only $35 base price (of course if you want to add drinks and some sides it will start getting bigger, but holy moly there are some good items on that prix fixe menu). They offer the prix fixe menu only from Tuesday-Thursday 5:30-6:30pm and Friday-Saturday 5:00-6:00pm.
Anyway, my experiences at EPIC have been absolutely amazing. They are professional in every way from cradle to grave. From the email interactions with Ms. Melissa Keating when asking for special requests (that they will do their best to accommodate) to the seating at the table and everything thereafter. I must mention that I think that it is wonderful that Chef Keating pays tribute to local Georgia products in the bread offerings with the EPIC butters which accompany the different breads. The olive tapenades and butters come from Georgia, which I think is very cool. We are a fan of the prix fixe menu because it offers a bigger bang for your buck and offers a great sampling of their bigger menu. They do not skimp on the portion sizes and we always make sure to order the truffle mac and cheese side to share. The pictures I have posted on Yelp of the meals I have had at EPIC are off of the prix fixe menu. There is nothing small about those portions! Looks at how amazing that meat looks, that artichoke bisque, that dessert, even the coffee presentation...I'm drooling just thinking about it. You know you're at a great place when they even make a big deal out of the coffee service. It's $5 for hot coffee, but it is French press and it is free refills and it is high quality coffee and you have a full array of sugars presented to you beautifully. Would you like a demitasse rock candy swizzle sugar stick, brown sugar cube, splenda, sweet and low, etc with your cream? That's what I am talking about!
On the second visit to celebrate the big promotion, we were surprised by the arrangement the Keatings made for us to visit the kitchen at the end of the meal. I had been emailing Melissa extensively since before Valentine's Day and I had no idea that they had arranged that. It was so thoughtful of them and it made that meal even more special. We got to meet the people who made the meal, got to meet Chef Keating.
Next on our list for EPIC...Chef's Table. Definitely on our list for this summer!
Bravo, EPIC for opening this location in Columbus, GA and not in Atlanta or Savannah, where they are already saturated. Obrigada, merci, gracias!