After 24 years at what was once an under-populated, pre-Web 1.0, media-saturated corner of the Mission/Potrero border, The Slow Club is calling it quits this fall to make way for a new restaurant from Frances/Octavia sommelier Paul Einbund. The name of the new place will be The Morris, named for Einbund's late father, and Einbund has enlisted the help of former Coi chef de cuisine Gavin Schmidt to elevate the cuisine and the vibe a bit, updating the former Media Gulch clubhouse for a new era of dining — and an era when the neighborhood isn't even called that anymore. "We are thrilled to become part of Potrero Flats' vibrant restaurant community," says Einbund, "and [to] carry on Slow Club’s tradition of being one of the neighborhood’s great haunts."

The Slow Club's closing date is still up in the air and a couple months away, since the liquor license will still have to transfer before Einbund and Schmidt can take over. They hope to have The Morris open by year's end — and it will join what is now a more bustling neighborhood, three blocks from Heath Ceramics and the new Tartine, and four blocks from Trick Dog and Central Kitchen.

Opened in 1991, The Slow Club was "ahead of its time," as Michael Bauer says in a mini eulogy today, offering a short, casual menu — and one of the town's most respected burgers — with cocktails and California flourishes in a bare-concrete-walled, industrial environment that automatically became a magnet for hipness and youth. Owner Erin Moody says today, "We are so very grateful for all of our loyal regulars and devoted staff over the past 24 years. It is a wonderful community and we look forward to seeing Paul and his team become a part of it."

Einbund tells Bauer that he hopes to bring the place to "the next level of neighborhood dining, much like Frances," and the new menu will have a Cal-Med slant, with a good burger, and some whole-animal stuff as well.

Einbund, prior to serving as beverage director for Frances and getting written up in the New York Times for his innovative dollar-an-ounce wine program, was a partner in Coi with chef Daniel Patterson, and previously worked with George Marrone at his restaurant Tartare. He will remain consulting beverage director at Frances and Octavia.

Like Frances, he wants to make the food and wine accessible at The Morris, but he says there will be some rare wines on offer too.

You can expect more updates on this exciting project in the coming months, including who they recruit to cover the cocktails.

The Slow Club / The Morris - 2501 Mariposa at Hampshire - 415.241.9390