As you may have noticed or heard, the 28-year-old Fog City Diner on the Embarcadero decided to close for a major revamp this past spring. Once upon a time it was a shiny, cool, kind of edgy retro-upscale-diner concept that opened in the shadow of the Embarcadero Freeway. After spawning dozens of imitators around the country — and even leading to a mini-chain with locations in Atlanta and Las Vegas — and after losing its sheen and relevance over the years, the owners at Real Restaurants decided to bring it into the 21st Century and drop the diner schtick.

The new Fog City (1300 Battery Street) will debut with a grand opening party on September 19 that is open to the public, but it comes with a steep pricetag of $125 per person (tickets available here). Proceeds will benefit Raphael House, which works to help at-risk children and their parents achieve stable housing and financial independence.

There will be music, cocktails, and tastes of chef Bruce Hill's new menu. The menu will focus around a new wood-fired grill and oven, and Hill has said that the dishes will be "an eclectic mix of things I personally love to eat," like oysters, burgers, wood-oven-roasted chicken, wood-grilled meats, and seafood. Hill, a partner in Real Restaurants, also runs Bix and Zero Zero, as well as Picco in Larkspur.

The building has gotten a total overhaul at the hands of Bay Area architect Michael Guthrie, including new, less chrome-y siding. And there will be new outdoor seating as well. Advance reservations can be made at 415-982-2000.