Welcome to FOUND SF

Bar Sprezzatura, Cow Hollow, Spring Restaurant Rush, Mere Mortals, Nightbird, Calistoga, The Jay, MORE

Apr 17, 2024

RESTAURANTS • FOUND Table

Bar Sprezzatura in bloom

With a dining room of colorful banquettes, towering globe lamps, and floor-to-ceiling windows that look out onto Jackson Square’s skyscrapers, Bar Sprezzatura doesn’t feel like any other restaurant in San Francisco. Just getting here is an act of discovery: The entrance is tucked away at the end of a long garden terrace on the second floor of One Maritime Plaza.

Clearly, the secret’s out. At 530p on a recent Thursday, the wait for a table at the (year-old) restaurant stretched past the two-hour mark. The bar was also packed, but thankfully, it didn’t take long for two seats to shake loose. And really, the bar’s where you want to be, as it’s where co-owner Carlo Splendorini runs the show. A veteran of Michael Mina’s restaurant group, Splendorini is both skilled barman and great host, welcoming guests with gratis prosecco, fielding questions about the menu, and making plates disappear as soon as they’re empty.

Carlo’s cocktail list at Bar Sprezz — a place so good it’s already earned a nickname — is a mix of Italian classics and quirkier creations, including a $50 “vintage” Negroni and a martini made with white-truffle-infused vodka and truffle-stuffed olives. The big hit on my visit (and the drink seemingly on every table) was the “I Bought Myself Flowers,” a citrusy, gin-based concoction with mauve-colored foam. This is a strong contender for Drink of the Spring (possibly Drink of the Summer, too).

Dinner features an array of Italian small plates and a few pastas and entrees. The spring vegetable agnolotti, tuna carpaccio with preserved tomatoes, and stracciatella with pistachios were all light, bright, and pretty. But it was two heartier, monochromatic dishes that really blew us away: whipped salt cod on toast, and guanciale meatballs in a dark red ragu. It’s a unique thrill, enjoying the rustic flavors of Italian home-cooking in such a glamorous setting. –Greg Morabito

→ Bar Sprezzatura (Fidi) • One Maritime Plaza • Mon-Wed 11a-9p, Thu-Fri 11a-10p • Reserve.

RESTAURANTS • The Nines

Spring Restaurant Rush, San Francisco

Alora (Embarcadero), Mediterranean from ROOH Progressive Indian team, reserve
Four Kings (Chinatown), Cantonese gastropub from Mister Jiu’s alums, reserve
Z&Y Peking Duck (Chinatown), reservable Peking duck (w/caviar supplement), reserve
Quince (Jackson Square), reopened contemporary fine dining classic, reserve, one month out (or walk-in at the salon and bar)
Saluhall (Mid-Market), Ikea’s new vegan-centric food hall w/bakery from Noma co-founder Claus Meyer
7 Adams (The Fillmore, above), 5-course prix fixe from former Marlena husband-wife team, reserve
Bar Jabroni (Lower Height), lively wine bar from the Palm City crew w/ caviar-topped gnocchi
Elena’s Mexican (West Portal), buttoned-up Cal-Mex from the Original Joe’s family, reserve
Komaaj Mazze Bar (Bernal Heights), new Northern Iranian food and wine bar, reserve

Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@itsfoundsf.com.

SF RESTAURANT LINKS: Dominique Crenn reopening Petit Crenn in May, but restaurant will close for good in September • SoMa action: Kaiyo Restaurant and Bar opens today in Hyatt Place Hotel, Filipino restaurant Mestiza reopens tomorrow • Michelin starred chef returning to SF to open Le Parc Bistrobar in Galleria Hotel Parc this summer • San Francisco’s smallest bar is in danger of closing.

REAL ESTATE • On the Market

Moo-ving on up

In 2023, 24 houses and 36 condos sold in Cow Hollow, for median prices of $6.313M and $1.475M, respectively, per Compass. Today, only a handful of listings are active in the sliver of a neighborhood, including 2848 Union St. (above).

Rising three stories just east of the Presidio, bougainvillea climbs the facade to the top level, where the primary suite and a roof deck feature panoramic views. Inside, there’s a renovated open kitchen, which can be closed off with sliding panels. The first of two lower levels has its own kitchenette; the second is technically finished storage, but is outfitted for entertainment. The property’s been off and on the market since May ‘22, when it was listed for $9M (vs. today’s $6.75M), but at the very least, remains a very good listing photo scroll.

→ 2932 Baker St (Cow Hollow) • 2BR/2BA, 1510 SF condo • Ask: $1.795M • Monthly HOA fees: $600 • two-story property with arched windows on tree-lined street • Days on market: 9 • Agent: Christopher Stafford, Compass.

→ 2303 Filbert St (Cow Hollow) • 3BR/3BA, 1776 SF house • Ask: $2.995M • corner lot, contemporary design in an original Edwardian shell • Days on market: 12 • Agent: Michael Greenberg, RE/MAX Gold.

→ 2848 Union St (Cow Hollow, above) • 5BR/4.1BA, 4724 SF house • Ask: $6.75M • 4 decks with Golden Gate, bay, and Alcatraz views • Days on market: 55 (and earlier) • Agent: Janet Feinberg Schindler, Sotheby’s.

→ 2535 Union St (Cow Hollow) • 4BR/4.1BA, 4065 SF house • Ask: $8.495M • fully detached and remodeled, with assignable 2.75% loan • Days on market: 50 • Agent: Pattie Lawton, Sotheby’s.

SF WORK AND PLAY LINKS: Who’s buying up the buildings in this Pacific Heights commercial corridor? • SF housing market dips, with 20% of sellers taking a loss… • …but number of homes on market in SF keeps rising • For first time in two decades, Downtown’s Hyatt Regency rooftop restaurant ready to spin again • Why has Temescal’s mysterious pink house remained vacant for past decade?

WORK • Wednesday Routine

Beautiful chaos

CAROLINE LIZARRAGA • decorative painter • Caroline Lizarraga
Neighborhood you work in: Potrero Hill
Neighborhood you live in: Piedmont

It’s Wednesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
My Potrero Hill studio is usually a pit stop since most of our projects require us on-site, but I still come in every morning. Stan Getz is probably playing in the background while one of our ladies is painting beautiful project samples. I’m grabbing gold leaf, crushed brass, and different plasters. We’re all chatting about concepts for current and future projects as we throw ladders and scaffolding into my truck. I call it beautiful chaos.

What’s on the agenda for today?
We’re working on the new space for Kim Alter, chef behind the acclaimed restaurant Nightbird in Hayes Valley. Because I’ve worked with Kim for so long, she said, "Do whatever you want, I love everything you do." It’s my job to translate the beautiful stories she tells with food to the walls of the restaurant. We wanted to create mood, layers, and a handcrafted feel. Since Kim is so drawn to nature, we decided to do a layered, drippy landscape that can be read as an abstract painting. At the top, we’ll have gold leaf and bronze plaster to give it a glam sheen.

Now that we’ve launched the wallpaper collection with Parete, we’re getting ready for SF’s Decorator Showcase and wrapping up projects with designers Drew McGukin (highlighting inlaid metallic plaster in modern shapes and a plaster, curry-colored dining room) and Noz Nozawa (a gorgeous over-scaled botanical photo-realist powder room on a black background). Next week we head to Montana for a large project, and my Italian Curiosare painting classes in Puglia are in April and May. It’s a busy year for us!

Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
The perfect weekend night: Walking Filoli’s private gardens followed by dinner at the new Robin restaurant in Menlo Park, which I was lucky to work on. It’s omakase and absolutely spectacular. They’re like family to us, so while my husband and I eat their gorgeous sushi, one of the staff brings our daughter into the back to help with dessert.

How about a little leisure or culture?
I bring my family with me when I travel for work, and we always try to immerse ourselves in the place. We stayed at Moose Creek Ranch when I worked in Jackson, Wyoming, and rode horses and hiked the Tetons.

Any weekend getaways?
Since we have a 3-year-old, we combine fun stuff for families with a sophisticated night for adults. Indian Springs in Calistoga is casual and great for families. Their hot springs are magic, especially in the winter months. My daughter is obsessed with camping. We’re terrible campers but love glamping, and Costanoa in Half Moon Bay is a happy medium. She gets the tent experience — with marshmallows by the campfire that someone else made — and we get heat, electricity, and cappuccinos. We also love to drive down to Monterey and Carmel. We take our daughter to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, walk on the beach, and spend time shopping and eating in downtown Carmel.

What was your last great vacation?
I married an Italian, so we go to Italy a lot. We recently spent a few weeks in Puglia (above), where I hosted my Curiosare classes. We stayed in a beautiful palazzo in Lecce, (aka "The Florence of the South"). It has the most stunning Baroque architecture. All the buildings are limestone, so the city has this beautiful light. I recommend La Fiermontina for a chic, fancy stay at Palazzo Sant'Anna. Just get lost in the city, and take day trips to the sea or other lovely towns, like Otranto or the Valle d'Itria.

CULTURE & LEISURE • FOUND Shows

MUSIC OF THE GODS: The San Francisco Ballet's 2024 premiere, Mere Mortals, is a wildly exciting production all-around. But mostly, it was the composer who got me there: Floating Points (aka Sam Shepherd), one of the most compelling musicians alive and a ballet first-timer.

Mere Mortals got the kind of rave reviews most arts institutions dream of and is being remounted for an encore run, today through next Wednesday. As at the last run, Shepherd will be in the orchestra pit performing his brilliant, electronic-heavy score. And after Saturday’s performance, he’ll DJ a separate show, where he'll get on stage around midnight. It’s a Saturday night bang-bang you won’t want to miss. –Foster Kamer

→ Mere Mortals, SF Ballet, War Memorial Opera House (Hayes Valley), Sat @ 730p, orchestra premium, $245 per
→ Floating Points / Avalon Emerson / MOZHGAN - Secret Underground, underground location TBA, Sat @ 10p, GA, $40 per

CULTURE & LEISURE • Into the Night

Yoasobi, The Warfield (Theater District), Sat @ 830p, loge, $633 per
Dbacks vs Giants, Oracle Park (SoMa), Sat @ 105p, section PFC108, $213 per
Canellakis Conducts Strauss & Ravel, SF Symphony, Davies Symphony Hall (Civic Center), Sat @ 730p, orchestra, $169 per

GETAWAYS • Staycation

A new downtown nest

Old school San Franciscans remember 433 Clay Street as the Park Hyatt, or later, Le Méridien. Now, the brutalist hotel has reopened as The Jay, part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection, after the company spent millions in an effort to revive downtown’s luxury lodging scene.

It just might work. The years-long renovation by design firm AvroKO introduced 360 brighter, lighter, and sexier rooms than at any other hotel in the area. The penthouse, nicknamed “The Nest” due to frequent visits from the city’s wild parrot flock, is stunning, a 1,660-square-foot space with a bathtub that might be the wildest place to ride out San Francisco’s next big earthquake.

The Jay’s restaurant and rooftop terrace also take big swings, intended to lure locals to mingle with the out-of-towners. The Omakase Restaurant Group, also behind Michelin-starred sushi spot Omakase and steak and whiskey destination Niku, is hoping for similar cred at The Third Floor, the hotel’s all-day offering. The menu is a work in progress, but echoes the group’s overall East-meets-West vibe. Highlights so far include a duck dumpling soup and a truly ambitious passionfruit Pavlova.

Next up: a concise “power lunch” menu and afternoon tea service. Until then, there’s always a “Here’s Johnnie” cocktail (Scotch, apple brandy, carpano, and Earl Grey) at the sky-scraping bar. –Eve Batey

→ The Jay (Fidi) • 433 Jay St.

GETAWAYS LINKS: Napa Valley’s Press prepping Napa food marketplace for summer debut • Yosemite’s High Sierra camps to reopen this summer • Collapsed Highway 1 in Big Sur to partially reopen by Memorial Day • Someone’s trying to make LA-to-SF overnight train happen again.

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