Sunday, February 28, 2010

passion cafe adds charm and vitality to sixth street






I
was lucky enough to meet Steve Barton and Jacques Andre in early December when they where finishing their construction and getting ready to fine tune the business side of their restaurant venture, Passion Cafe at 28 Sixth Street, San Francisco. Introduced by my friend Tracy Everwine from Urban Solutions, who, knowing my past restaurant experience, thought I might be able to assist them with a little information about the interview and hiring process (and other questions) and I was only to glad to help.

They didn't need much. The truth is Steve, a contractor with a vision and Jacques, a talented French pastry chef, already knew what they wanted and what they needed to do and had set in motion a two year journey on a much anticipated project adding to the revitalization of Sixth Street.
With the layers and layers of past businesses stripped away, a cafe-bistro emerged. Original brick and reclaimed redwood, lighting, fixtures and a restored store front create the feel of stepping back in time, but a roof top deck painted with their signature rich orange color and wrapped with white lights brings it squarely into 2010 and will surely be the IT place to sit and sip champagne, enjoy a coffee or throw a bash!

But the food, the food! I stopped in during a wine tasting and Jacques sampled a couple of the house specialities. Jacques nails it with the creamiest of custards in both the vegetarian and classic quiche lorraine and a croque monsieur the likes of I've only tasted in the city limits of Paris. Jacques's garnish of caramelized onions is to die for. The full menu is still to come, but the tarts, pastries, soups, stews and other bistro fare will be worth the wait.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

sweeping views for sale at 207 sheridan in oakland


As you know, if you read my blog occasionally, I have been very excited about the breakout restaurant scene in Oakland and other parts of the East bay. I'm lucky, a couple of my best friends live in Oakland so I get first hand information on the renaissance that is taking place.
Recently I have been helping one of my real estate friends, Fritz Hochfellner with Pacific Union in Montclair, get organized for 2010. This has opened my eyes to another great market that Oakland has to offer and that is great values on homes and condos. While you may have read that the home prices in SF have risen in recent months, Oakland, with its unique hillside neighborhoods and outstanding architecture has a lot to offer in lifestyle and the real estate market.
One such property that Fritz and his associate Sandy have listed is 207 Sheridan, in the Rockridge district, a three story, new construction beauty with sweeping views of the hills, 4 bedrooms, 3300 sq. feet and a private elevator to take the pain out of hauling groceries. Offered at 1,025,000, this is a lot of house for the money. Give Fritz (DRE 00869381) a call at 510.8137489 if you would like to know more.