SAN FRANCISCO —Presaged by the imminent openings of EPIC Roasthouse and Waterbar as the first newly built waterfront restaurants here in decades, a wave of culinary-star-studded dining spots is building here over the next two years.
In a clear sign that San Franciscans have rebounded from the local bursting of a technology economy bubble some years ago, the epicurean influx is being inspired in part by several new or planned luxury residential units in the city. —Presaged by the imminent openings of EPIC Roasthouse and Waterbar as the first newly built waterfront restaurants here in decades, a wave of culinary-star-studded dining spots is building here over the next two years.
One closely watched development is by restaurateur-designer Pat Kuleto, who teamed up with his chef-partner in San Francisco’s popular Farallon “coastal cuisine” restaurant, Mark Franz, to create the two-level, 200-seat seafood-centered Waterbar on the bayfront side of San Francisco’s Embarcadero neighborhood, between Folsom and Harrison streets. —Presaged by the imminent openings of EPIC Roasthouse and Waterbar as the first newly built waterfront restaurants here in decades, a wave of culinary-star-studded dining spots is building here over the next two years.
Next door, EPIC Roasthouse, another 200-seater that also would open late next month, is a collaboration between Kuleto and noted chef Jan Birnbaum. He formerly was proprietor of the “new-South” Catahoula in the wine country town of Calistoga, Calif., and has been chef-partner at Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group’s Sazerac restaurant in Seattle since 1997. —Presaged by the imminent openings of EPIC Roasthouse and Waterbar as the first newly built waterfront restaurants here in decades, a wave of culinary-star-studded dining spots is building here over the next two years.
Other local chef-restaurateurs with national renown, among them Gary Danko, Charles Phan, Michael Mina and Nancy Oakes, are planning new concepts along the city’s waterfront, where developers aim to revitalize various neighborhoods with high-rise condominium towers. —Presaged by the imminent openings of EPIC Roasthouse and Waterbar as the first newly built waterfront restaurants here in decades, a wave of culinary-star-studded dining spots is building here over the next two years.
Developers are touting the award-winning chefs’ restaurants as an amenity, with some planning to provide private-dining services to residents. —Presaged by the imminent openings of EPIC Roasthouse and Waterbar as the first newly built waterfront restaurants here in decades, a wave of culinary-star-studded dining spots is building here over the next two years.
“They’re selling culinary experiences as part of your lifestyle and part of your image,” said Aaron Noveshen, a restaurant consultant here and president of Pacific Catch Fresh Fish Grill, which recently opened a third location in downtown San Francisco. “They’re hoping people are going to want to say, ‘I live where this person cooks every day.’” —Presaged by the imminent openings of EPIC Roasthouse and Waterbar as the first newly built waterfront restaurants here in decades, a wave of culinary-star-studded dining spots is building here over the next two years.
The trend in such restaurants is part of an overall rejuvenation of the waterfront-dining scene, Noveshen said. —Presaged by the imminent openings of EPIC Roasthouse and Waterbar as the first newly built waterfront restaurants here in decades, a wave of culinary-star-studded dining spots is building here over the next two years.
“San Francisco is heating up right now in a big way,” he said. —Presaged by the imminent openings of EPIC Roasthouse and Waterbar as the first newly built waterfront restaurants here in decades, a wave of culinary-star-studded dining spots is building here over the next two years.
“Expectations are running high,” Birnbaum acknowledged of the internal and external buzz about EPIC Roasthouse, which will feature dry-aged meats, game and poultry cooked over wood fires and served with side dishes such as risotto with chanterelles and pork belly. In addition to guests’ appreciation for his food and Kuleto’s bayfront-focused design, Birnbaum’s goal is to have guests marvel that “this is what 30 years of experience and all these big guns can do.” —Presaged by the imminent openings of EPIC Roasthouse and Waterbar as the first newly built waterfront restaurants here in decades, a wave of culinary-star-studded dining spots is building here over the next two years.
Kuleto said his group’s total development costs for the interiors of the two new eateries are expected to exceed $12 million. The $7 million or more in structural expenses is being picked up by the Kuleto group’s partner in the project, San Francisco real estate developer JMA Ventures. —Presaged by the imminent openings of EPIC Roasthouse and Waterbar as the first newly built waterfront restaurants here in decades, a wave of culinary-star-studded dining spots is building here over the next two years.
“We’re projecting both [restaurants annually] to each do over $10 million in sales,” said Pete Sittnick, managing partner in both EPIC Roasthouse and Waterbar, where average per-person checks at dinner are expected to run about $75-$80 and $60, respectively. —Presaged by the imminent openings of EPIC Roasthouse and Waterbar as the first newly built waterfront restaurants here in decades, a wave of culinary-star-studded dining spots is building here over the next two years.
Meanwhile, the chef whose namesake Gary Danko fine-dining restaurant opened in downtown San Francisco in 1999, has signed a lease to open a casual brasserie-cafe venue in the city’s Ghirardelli Square, just below Fairmont Heritage Place, a 53-unit fractional-ownership condominium complex. —Presaged by the imminent openings of EPIC Roasthouse and Waterbar as the first newly built waterfront restaurants here in decades, a wave of culinary-star-studded dining spots is building here over the next two years.
Scheduled to open in mid-2008, the yet-to-be-named restaurant would be moderately priced and “a cross between an American diner and a seafood bar,” according to a Danko representative. —Presaged by the imminent openings of EPIC Roasthouse and Waterbar as the first newly built waterfront restaurants here in decades, a wave of culinary-star-studded dining spots is building here over the next two years.
The 7,000-square-foot space would include seating for about 150 in the dining room, with another 50 or more in a 1,500-square-foot patio. —Presaged by the imminent openings of EPIC Roasthouse and Waterbar as the first newly built waterfront restaurants here in decades, a wave of culinary-star-studded dining spots is building here over the next two years.
Danko said he wasn’t looking for a second location, but a space in the city’s cherished Ghirardelli Square landmark was simply too appealing to pass up. —Presaged by the imminent openings of EPIC Roasthouse and Waterbar as the first newly built waterfront restaurants here in decades, a wave of culinary-star-studded dining spots is building here over the next two years.
Also scheduled to open in 2008 is Soma Grand, a 22-story tower on Mission Street owned by AGI Capital, TMG Partners and Joie de Vivre Hospitality. Phan, owner and chef of the acclaimed Slanted Door in the city’s Ferry Building, would open a new concept there. —Presaged by the imminent openings of EPIC Roasthouse and Waterbar as the first newly built waterfront restaurants here in decades, a wave of culinary-star-studded dining spots is building here over the next two years.
Phan’s spokeswoman, Faith Wheeler, said the new, casual restaurant and lounge will not have a Vietnamese-accented menu, like those of Slanted Door and Phan’s more casual Out the Door adjunct. Instead, the Soma Grand spot will have a “minimal” menu with a focus on high-end cocktails. —Presaged by the imminent openings of EPIC Roasthouse and Waterbar as the first newly built waterfront restaurants here in decades, a wave of culinary-star-studded dining spots is building here over the next two years.
Early next year Phan also plans to open a third location of his Out the Door concept, in San Francisco’s Fillmore area. It would have a full-service, neighborhood-oriented format, marking an evolution from the Ferry Building original and the second Out the Door, which opened last year in the Westfield Centre mall downtown. —Presaged by the imminent openings of EPIC Roasthouse and Waterbar as the first newly built waterfront restaurants here in decades, a wave of culinary-star-studded dining spots is building here over the next two years.
Phan is also collaborating with San Francisco chef Loretta Keller, owner of Coco500, to create two new eateries at the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. Those concepts would open in the fall of 2008. —Presaged by the imminent openings of EPIC Roasthouse and Waterbar as the first newly built waterfront restaurants here in decades, a wave of culinary-star-studded dining spots is building here over the next two years.
For Mina, whose San Francisco-based group operates upscale concepts in Southern California, Las Vegas, Detroit and Atlantic City, N.J., the planned opening in San Francisco is somewhat of a return home. In addition to his Michael Mina restaurant in the city, Mina plans to open rn74, a French restaurant and wine bar on the ground level of the 60-floor Millennium Tower, a 419-unit residential development under construction on Mission Street. —Presaged by the imminent openings of EPIC Roasthouse and Waterbar as the first newly built waterfront restaurants here in decades, a wave of culinary-star-studded dining spots is building here over the next two years.
Scheduled for a 2009 opening, rn74 is named for Route National 74, the highway that passes through France’s Burgundy region. The restaurant would feature a wine list created by Rajat Parr, the Mina Group’s wine director, and would showcase red and white Burgundies and wines by the glass dispensed from a special machine. —Presaged by the imminent openings of EPIC Roasthouse and Waterbar as the first newly built waterfront restaurants here in decades, a wave of culinary-star-studded dining spots is building here over the next two years.
In addition to the restaurant, Mina will also offer private dining services on the building’s 20,000-square-foot club level, which will be exclusive to residents. —Presaged by the imminent openings of EPIC Roasthouse and Waterbar as the first newly built waterfront restaurants here in decades, a wave of culinary-star-studded dining spots is building here over the next two years.
Oakes, chef-owner of the San Francisco restaurant Boulevard with partner Kuleto, has signed on with new partners to open a restaurant at the Infinity condominium complex under construction south of Market Street. Oakes, Pamela Mazzola, Kathy King and Ravi Kapur are planning the restaurant for the SOMA-area building, which is scheduled to open in mid-2008 with 650 residential units. —Presaged by the imminent openings of EPIC Roasthouse and Waterbar as the first newly built waterfront restaurants here in decades, a wave of culinary-star-studded dining spots is building here over the next two years.
Other local chef-restaurateurs are eyeing the hoped-for influx of residents downtown. Brothers Mitch and Steven Rosenthal and partner Doug Washington are scheduled to open a third concept in the Rincon Hill area of the financial district, called Anchor and Hope. The “urban fish shack” would open in early 2008 near the trio’s Town Hall and Salt House restaurants. —Presaged by the imminent openings of EPIC Roasthouse and Waterbar as the first newly built waterfront restaurants here in decades, a wave of culinary-star-studded dining spots is building here over the next two years.
Also in Rincon Hill, the restaurant Local Kitchen and Wine Merchant was scheduled to be opened this month by chef Ola Fendert, who also owns the restaurant Oola. Described as a Cal-Italian, three-daypart eatery and wine bar, Local Kitchen would feature a wood-burning oven and a rustic menu focusing on locally sourced, organic ingredients. —Presaged by the imminent openings of EPIC Roasthouse and Waterbar as the first newly built waterfront restaurants here in decades, a wave of culinary-star-studded dining spots is building here over the next two years.
Nearby, Steve Weber, owner of the fine-dining restaurant Mecca, is scheduled to open a new, casual takeout spot called Best-O-Burger, featuring iron-skillet-seared gourmet mini burgers and gelato. The 15-seat place would open in late January or early February. —Presaged by the imminent openings of EPIC Roasthouse and Waterbar as the first newly built waterfront restaurants here in decades, a wave of culinary-star-studded dining spots is building here over the next two years.