San Franciscans can soon visit six floors of French pastry and cuisine as the initial phase of the ambitious ONE65 project is set to open its doors on May 16th at 165 O'Farrell Street (across from Macy's). The first glimpse will be the lavish ONE65 Patisserie which will bring the soul of the French bakery including high-end bonbons and traditional croissants in the Bay Area.
As the Chronicle reports, the patisserie will be home for petit gâteaux, unique pastry, quiche, lunches, and morning coffee.
ONE65, reported on numerous times by Eater SF, is a grand project driven by the award-winning chef Claude Le Tohic in partnership with Alexander's Steakhouse. The team is moving into a six-story building in Union Square which will be a reflection of the sophisticated French cuisine inside.
Every floor will display a different dimension of French food culture. While the ground floor will house the patisserie, the second floor will be a production space that is open to guests to see how the heavenly confectionary is prepared, courtesy to the glass-walled chocolate room. As Chef Le Tohic tells the Chronicle, “Chocolate is something people like to see.”
The third floor will have the ONE65 Bistro & Grill which will be the haven to "local, seasonal fare minimally prepared to allow the ingredients to shine," as described on the official website of ONE65. The bistro will have an open kitchen and serve Californian-French comfort food. The fourth floor is designed to have a lounge and bar called Elements that will pour cocktails, fine wine, and spirits, and pair them with some interesting snacks.
The fifth and sixth floors will be home to O’ by Claude Le Tohic — which may become the most opulent French fine-dining restaurant in the Bay Area. The restaurant takes inspiration from the themes of earth, fire, and water.
The most challenging aspect of the project has been renovating the old Orpheu Annex Hotel built in 1908, which is chosen to be the abode to this splendid project. D-Scheme Studio is the architectural mind behind the multi-million dollar project and has been redesigning the tall, narrow building which had a beaux art exterior. The infrastructure and the interiors should support luxurious interiors, production, transportation, and the dumbwaiter system. From functional aspects to sourcing every component for the restaurants, the owners have spared no expense. From tableware and porcelain to stoves, the items are shipped from across the world including Italy, Spain, Portugal, Japan, and of course France. ONE65 is surely going to be a magnificent representation of Chef Tohlic's passion and the spirit of the French gourmet.
After ONE65 Patisserie welcomes its guests, the fourth-floor lounge, Elements is slated to open the next. As the beverage director Trevin Hudgins tells the Chronicle, Elements will be “darker, sexier, and more metropolitan."
