As announced last summer, executive chef and owner Daniel Patterson has decided to step away from the kitchen at his flagship, Michelin two-star restaurant Coi in order to focus on his family and on his growing restaurant empire. Taking his place at Coi is chef Matthew Kirkley, formerly at the two-Michelin-starred L2O in Chicago and also a former chef at Robuchon in Las Vegas, and this past weekend marked Kirkley's first public meals with his new seafood-centric menu at Coi.

The menu is a definite departure from the vegetable-centric aesthetic Patterson created, wherein one of the longtime centerpieces was a "rose" made of beet "petals" and served over rose-flavored ice. Like he did at L20, Kirkley is introducing SF to his take on high-end, modern seafood, with a 12-course menu including things like slivers of raw ocean trout served with tiny spheres of lemon confit mousse and Chartreuse powder; and a "ribbon" of fish and lobster roe in a lobster consommé.

The only current dish in fact that has any ingredient that is animal-based and not seafood is an abalone dish, the final savory course, in which tender, slow-cooked bits of abalone meat were nestled atop a bone marrow custard, and beneath some black truffles (pictured below).

The star of the night, and clearly one of Kirkley's show-piece, signature dishes is a piece of turbot decorated with "scales" of colorful root vegetables, creating an intricate rainbow effect — but the highlight of the dish is actually the traditional beurre cancalaise served beneath it, a perfect, buttery complement with a mire poix of shallots and dill.

To cap off Kirkley's work each evening are four pastry courses by talented pastry chef Nick Muncy, who's been in the kitchen at Coi several years now — the highlights being an almond custard-cake with caramel and preserved lemon, and an impressive presentation of sweets at the end (see below).

Kirkley tells the Chronicle he was "taken aback" after getting approached by Patterson, but, he said, he realized they definitely had a work ethic in common. "We’re both working chefs," says Kirkley. "Daniel is in that kitchen every day. He’s not just a chef in name. He’s going to do it 100 percent or zero percent. I’m a similar mentality. I want to be in the kitchen every single day."

The new menu at Coi is $225 per person exclusive of service charge or wine.

Coi - 373 Broadway - Open Thursday to Monday, starting at 5:30 p.m., closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Reservations here.

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Abalone (not visible) beneath shaved black truffles, served over bone marrow custard. Photo: Jay Barmann/SFist