Fillet

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Dan Schuman

     Jardiniere
     300 Grove
     San Franciso's Financial District
     (415) 861.5555

Jardiniere opened the other day. The latest hot spot from designer and restaurateur Pat Kuleto teams him with Chef Tracy Des Jardins. Both are stars in the San Francisco eating scene and they're a natural match. Kuleto seems to own or have built every great restaurant in the city: his rep is large. Des Jardins brings a long pedigree and a stout resume, last place of employment: Rubicon. I had the good fortune to attend the grand opening with Fillet producer Adam Powell, a lavish event to say the least.

When a normal business has a grand opening, it's usually nothing more than balloons and streamers, maybe an ice cream cake if you're lucky. But when a restaurant opens it's a chance to get dressed to the nines, drink some fine booze and chow down - for free! We here at Fillet never pass up an opportunity like that.

When you walk in to Jardiniere the first thing you notice is a huge circular bar (well, that's the first thing I noticed, anyway). The bar dominates the first floor. It's big and beautiful, an homage to all things alcoholic. It is a space to clear your conscience and cloud your mind and my mind was down right foggy by the end of the night. I have Rebecca Chapa to thank for that. A Rubicon defector herself, Chapa is the sommelier for Jardiniere.

Above the bar is open space reaching to the ceiling on the second floor. The openness lets you spread out and enjoy the live music drifting down from upstairs. Jardiniere promises to have live music on a regular basis, always a nice touch.

The overall design of Jardiniere is low-key with an early 20th century feel. Exotic light fixtures blend with marble, wood and exposed brick to create a beautiful and comfortable space with that old time-ritzy feel. You get the sense that you've stepped back into a time when dining out was as much about elegance as eating. We didn't get to do too much eating but a look at the menu gets the imagination going. The lobster Strudel and the Vegetable Plate Jardiniere caught my eye... Lobster always woos me but the vegetables grabbed me because at $19.00 they're the cheapest entree on the menu ($19.00 !).

We also got to see the staff in action. The service looked top notch. The waiters were gliding around the room handing out champagne and pastries. Oh, did I mention the champagne? How about the red wine and beer? I told you, it's a grand opening, they give this stuff away! And the pastries were delicate and delicious, I just wish I knew what I was eating. A full 100 proof rating to the bartender for getting me a refill before I could even ask. We stumbled out excited and impressed and we didn't break anything while we were there.

Situated around the corner from the newly renovated Opera House, Jardiniere seems a can't miss. What were those three laws of real estate ... oh yeah. And don't expect the black tie crowd to bat an eye at the prices come show night. Kuleto has assembled the New Cali Cartel and everybody in town better take notice. A lot of thought and hard work obviously went into this restaurant and the results stack the deck firmly in Jardiniere's favor.

Dan Schuman is a freelance food and travel writer who really knows how to party.