The Big Four in the Huntington Hotel in Nob Hill reopened last month, and I had a late lunch there on Sunday. They opened in 1976 but have been closed since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.
Here’s some more info on the reopening from SFGate:
The Big Four is named after the “Big Four” railroad tycoons / robber barons of the Central Pacific Railroad. Fun fact: Nob Hill is also named after these tycoons, who were also called nabobs shortened to “Nobs” (thanks Google). The interior is dark and swanky with lots of wood and brass. I got a seat at the small bar without a reservation. The bar and the tables with glass tops around the bar are first-come first-serve.
There’s live piano music nightly.
The cocktail list and food menu. The cocktails here are a bit expensive.
To drink I started with an off-menu Paper Plane ($22), which was well made.
NONGRONI ($16)
LYRE’S LONDON & ITALIAN
ORANGE, THE PATHFINDER N/A
Later on I had a Nongroni ($16) which is a n/a Negroni-like drink. It was also quite good.
FIREBRAND PARKER HOUSE ROLLS ($9)
Straus Cultured Butter, Fennel Pollen,
Hog Island Sea Salt
For food, I started with some Parker House rolls ($9) which were two rolls split in half with butter. The rolls were good - warm and fluffy.
CHARBROILED HOG ISLAND OYSTERS ($29)
Rockefeller or Smoked Chili Butter & Lemon
I also had the Oysters Rockefeller. These were also quite good. The oysters, which were perhaps Sweetwaters, were plump and juicy and just cooked with a topping of a lot of Parmesan cheese and minced spinach.
THE BIG FOUR ORGANIC CHICKEN POT PIE ($35)
Peas, Carrots, Pearl Onions, Potato, Chicken Velouté
For a main, I had the chicken pot pie, which is a classic Big Four dish. It’s quite impressive looking with a puff pastry crust. It’s not overly heavy though, the filling didn’t go up all the way to the brim of the “pot.” This was good, but not great. The puff pastry crust was very nice and flaky and buttery, and there were large chunks of chicken in the filling along with some small pearl onions, celery, peas, carrots, and potato swimming in a creamy chicken velouté sauce. The velouté was not as heavy and thick as a typical pot pie filling and was quite flavorful, like a creamy chicken soup. The chicken itself was a mix of dark and white meat I believe, and the white meat pieces were not the most tender.
Interior closeup.
