The consistently successful husband-and-wife team behind State Bird Provisions and The Progress next door is expanding for the first time outside of their Fillmore environs.
The as-yet-unnamed restaurant at 799 Haight Street will serve vegetarian food, says chef Stuart Brioza, but "from a carnivore palate... something based in a love of good food." Details are few at this point, but as Eater reports, Brioza and wife/pastry chef Nicole Krasinski are hoping to have the new spot open by fall 2020 — with a second expansion spot in the works that is still TBA.
First, there will be a host of approvals to get from the city — not only are Brioza and Krasinski seeking a change of use for the former corner market and bicycle shop, but they're also planning for a full bar. Menu planning has begun, and Brioza says that while there will be vegan options on the menu, there will be plenty of dishes that use cheese, dairy, and eggs.
Brioza and Krasinski had an instant hit on their hands when they opened State Bird back in late 2011. But it wouldn't be until Bon Appetit critic Andrew Knowlton called it the Best New Restaurant in America in August 2012 that things really took off, with lines outside before opening that continue to this day. From the start, the chefs embraced an international style, drawing influences from Asia and North America as much as the Mediterranean. But the gimmick that sold everyone — based on Brioza and Krasinski's catering work after departing the kitchen of Rubicon downtown — involved dim-sum style service with new dishes circulating the room on carts and trays all night.
The pair then opened the more spacious, family-style restaurant The Progress in 2014, which has enjoyed similar high praise and consistently full reservations. And they jointly won the Best Chef: West category at the James Beard Awards in 2015.
Stay tuned for more details on the vegetarian spot, and their other upcoming secret spot, as soon as we have them.