Treasury bar set for downtown
Bartender Carlos Yturria’s resume reads like a Hall of Fame ballot for San Francisco cocktail bars of the last two decades — Harry Denton’s Starlight Room, Rye, Cantina, Absinthe, Bacar and Range, among others.
At long last, Yturria is opening his own place: the Treasury, a stylish bar and lounge to be located in San Francisco’s Financial District.
He won’t be tackling the new project solo. In fact, he’ll be joined by two of his former bosses, who also happen to be two of the city’s most respected chefs: Arnold Eric Wong ( Bacar, Eos, E& O Asian Kitchen) and Phil West, chef/ coowner of Range.
A fourth partner, Steven Werney, will lead the build-
out of the space on the street level of the historic building at 115 Sansome St., built in 1912 as the headquarters of Standard Oil Co.
With the Treasury, the quartet aims to create a user- friendly bar with a hospitable, welcoming ambience.
“We want to appeal to a broad spectrum of people,” says West, who also owns Third Rail, a cocktail bar in Dogpatch. “As I think most bars are trying to do now, we’re going to make sure cocktails can be served in a quick fashion.”
Wong concurs: “We’re trying to be a very friendly bar.”
That means having something for everyone, whether it be rosé on tap, a strong selection of bubbly, seasonal cocktails, an affection for mezcal, and perhaps even some pre- bottled cocktails. A food menu heavy on bar snacks will also be offered.
The building, which recently acquired new owners with a goal of activating the ground floor, features two highceilinged ground- floor spaces across from each other, divided by a public walkway almost like a mini version of the Ferry Building promenade.
Blue Bottle Coffee is opening a cafe on one side; the Treasury will take the other side.
“It’s a gorgeous building that’s just been sitting around,” says West. “I’m from New York originally, and this is old school. This building could be in New York. It struck a chord with me.”
Geremia Design ( Citizens Band, Hogwash, Churchill) will craft the look for the Treasury, which takes its name from the alley alongside the back bar.
They hope to open in the fall. Fizz goes flat: San Francisco never got a chance to raise a goodbye toast to the Bubble Lounge ( 714 Montgomery St.), the once- trendy Champagne bar that closed after 17 years of business.
The Bubble Lounge was a throwback to the 1990s, when trendy bars came with cover charges and dress codes. We’ve come a long way since then, but it’s probably fair to say that a lot of San Franciscans have a memorable Bubble Lounge story.
The location at the intersection of the Financial District and North Beach will not stay dark for long: Owner Eric Benn plans to reopen it as a new concept later this year.
The new name? That’s still a secret, he says. Name games: The Embarcadero’s emporium of meat, Epic Roasthouse, has renamed itself Epic Steak.
The move makes some sense, given San Francisco’s dearth of steak houses ( at least compared with brethren big cities).
So what’s new? Not a ton. The chef will remain Parke Ulrich, who is also the chef next door at the seafood half of the Kuleto- designed surfandturf duo, Waterbar.
This summer, Epic Steak will unveil an alfresco bar on its scenic patio, but what the name change really symbolizes is the bayside restaurant’s transition to a full- fledged, grill- loving steak house, a gradual evolution over the past two years.
Speaking of Epic’s moniker, if you really want to entertain yourself for a few minutes, check out the plethora of Yelp reviews that make cringeworthy references to the name. It’s straight out of a “Saturday Night Live” skit.
For example, take the elegantly creative wordplay from Patrick W.: “Epic Roasthouse? Epic FAIL more like it.”
Or Nance W.: “This restaurant needs to rename itself to a more suitable name: “EPIC FAIL- HOUSE.”
Or John G.: “Labrador Retriever managed to steal the steak for her breakfast. Epic Fail!”
Oh, Yelpers. How did the restaurant industry survive without you? Adventures in names: And the award for worst restaurant name of the month goes to Mooseknuckle, a Canadian pop- up dinner that took place last weekend in the Mission.
And in a town that just welcomed a new Mexican restaurant named Tacorgasmico, that’s saying something.