The Castro is gaining one more food option in a spot where there was none before this evening, and that would be Beso (4058 18th Street), the new Spanish spinoff of four-year-old Bisou (2367 Market Street). The restaurant is taking a space on the ground floor of sober hangout the Castro Country Club, and as Tablehopper reports, Bisou chef-owner Nicolas Ronan brought in consulting chef and partner Anthony Lemortellec of Boqueria in New York to help with the tapas-style menu. Oh, and the name, in case you didn't get it, means "kiss" in Spanish, just like "bisou" means "kiss" in French.
Dishes on the menu include beef tartare, patatas bravas two ways, steamed mussels with chorizo, seasonal paellas, and plenty of jamón serrano. Also, there's lots of Spanish wine to choose from, but unlike Bisou, no full bar.
And it should be noted that this is the second Spanish restaurant to come to the Castro in the last couple of years, after Canela on Market Street and the Spanish thing is kind of trending, with Traci Des Jardins' Commissary recently open in the Presidio, and Shakewell just open in Oakland.
As Ronan told Eater back in May, he was inspired to go the Spanish route after a meal at Spanish-run Cambio de Tercio in London. Also, he hails from the south of France and spent a lot of his childhood in Spain.
Beso will open early for late-afternoon snacking and wine-ing, starting at 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and serving until 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday they'll be open for brunch, too, from 10 a.m. Here's the full menu.
[Tablehopper]
[Eater]
[Urban Daddy]