The much anticipated new Lower Nob Hill project from chef Ravi Kapur (Boulevard, Prospect) and two of the partners behind Nopa (Allyson Jossel and Jeff Hanak), which we first learned about last fall, finally has a name: LihoLiho Yacht Club.

At the beginning of the conceptualization process, it sounded like Kapur was leaning away from replicating the Hawaiian/pan-Asian food he'd been doing at his popular pop-up of the same name in the last couple of years, but now he and his partners have changed their minds, as Tablehopper reports.

The name has personal significance to Kapur, who was raised in Hawaii and whose uncle had a pop-up of sorts with the same name 30 years ago on Maui. And as the Lady 'hopper adds, "the name helps reference the Hawaiian elements in his cooking style — it’s a nod to his heritage and the lens he now uses to view food and handle ingredients." It's great news for everyone who tried and liked the pop-up, myself included, which featured some refined and unique takes on Hawaiian, Korean, and Japanese flavors with the best California produce and protein he could find. (See some of his earlier dishes here.)

Also in the good news column: Kevin Diedrich, who manned the bar program at Jasper's Corner Tap before creating a great opening menu for Gaspar Brasserie, has been recruited as bar manager — and he also has personal ties to Hawaii, which will find its way into the drinks.

LihoLiho Yacht Club will be located in a two-story space at 871 Sutter Street between Jones and Leavenworth, and they're aiming for a late fall, early winter opening — which likely puts them in January, but it's always hard to say.

Meanwhile, Kapur will be doing a much more casual version of his former pop-up, dubbed Paniolo Social. Those will be every Thursday in August at Bloodhound (1145 Folsom Street), with Hawaiian drinking snacks to go with your drinks starting at 4 p.m., and ending when he sells out.

[Tablehopper]
[LihoLiho Yacht Club/Facebook]

Previously: Chef Ravi Kapur To Open New Sutter Street Restaurant With Two Nopa Partners