The much anticipated rooftop bar and lounge at the soon-to-open Proper Hotel at Market and Seventh now officially has a name: Charmaine's.
We just learned a few weeks ago that they had hired a chef and culinary director in Jason Franey, who has a properly sophisticated resume that includes stints at New York's Eleven Madison Park — which has three Michelin stars — Seattle's Canlis, and more recently Restaurant 1833 in Monterey.
And this week the Proper Hotel theme sent out a release announcing names and a few more details of what Franey will be in charge of at the hotel, which includes the rooftop bar, a ground-floor upscale restaurant, and an all-day cafe the former two of which will include the collaboration of the Bon Vivants/Trick Dog team on the cocktail side.
The downstairs restaurant, which will open first, is called Villon, and we don't yet have an explanation for the name, but I've reached out to inquire. Occupying part of the hotel's main lobby, the restaurant will include a pair of main dining areas: a "European-styled lobby salon" with furniture arranged in several "living room vignettes" and we can hopefully get to see some of designer Kelly Wearstler's flair for luxe and dramatic here. There's also going to be a 14-seat private dining room as well.
"Our aim is to create the ‘living room’ of the neighborhood," says Franey. “We’re serving classic dishes in fun and approachable but subtly refined ways what I like to call ‘comfort geek’ cooking." Villon will be open, like most hotel restaurants, for three meals a day.
For Villon, the Bon Vivants, operating here on the BVHospitality moniker, have created a "7x7" cocktail menu referencing SF's famed dimensions, which will feature seven thematic sections with seven cocktails each which is a lot of cocktails! Also, there will be a locally focused beer and wine list to go with Franey's Cal-international cuisine.
Separately, they're doing a cocktail list for Charmaine's up on the roof that sounds like it won't be as long, however it will feature large-format drinks (think: punch bowls and pitchers) as well as "highball service" (which is just a fancier way of saying "bottle service"). Up there, in keeping with the al fresco vibe, the cocktails will lean toward "bright" flavors, and the wine list will focus on rosé and bubbles.
Charmaine's will also feature a bites menu focused around "reimagined nods to crowd-pleasing bar snacks."
Lastly, in the flatiron tip of the building at street level, there will be an all-day cafe called La Bande featuring pastry, coffee, tartines, sandwiches, salads, "and other casual bites."
The hotel, and Villon, are expected to open sometime next month.
Update: From the team we've learned the inspiration for the names. "Villon is inspired by Jacques Villon, a French Cubist painter and printmaker at the turn of the 20th century. Charmaine’s is named for a legendary resident feline, in the tradition of refined urban hotels past, and also embodies the essence of the hotel and San Francisco charm."
Previously: New Mid-Market Hotel Lands James Beard-Nominated Chef Jason Franey