Super Mensch, the latest venture by Causwells chef-owner Adam Rosenblum, is a labor of love and a return to his roots for Rosenblum, and it opened Wednesday next door to the Presidio movie theater.

Today is opening day for Super Mensch, in the space at 2336 Chestnut Street that was formerly home to Lilah — next door to the Presidio cinema and Causwells. As SFist noted briefly last week, the cozy restaurant — with just 17 counter and communal table seats and three booths that seat 4 to 6 — brings some new, contemporary Jewish deli flair to the Marina 'hood, complete with housemade bagels, latkes, housemade pastrami, and matzo ball soup.

The menu has a few contemporary twists, including a stunner of a watermelon-feta salad (see below), a halibut crudo with preserved lemon and sesame tuille, and a trio of dips that's dubbed on the menu "When I Dip, You Dip, We Dip." A twist on chicken liver mousse, dubbed WAICL (what am I, chopped liver?), also features a celeriac-sumac relish.

"This food is a product of my heritage, my East Coast upbringing, and my family recipes,” says Rosenblum. "I have fond memories of going to Harold’s New York Deli in Edison, New Jersey, and sitting at my family’s dining room table in Silver Spring, Maryland, enjoying my mother’s home cooking."

He adds, "It means a lot to me to bring this full circle."

As seen above, the plating of the latkes gets some flair as well, with swirls of creme fraiche, dollops of apple butter, and topped with chives and wild salmon roe. The Super Mensch signature sandwiches, of course, are a traditional, piled-high pastrami on rye, and a Reuben.

In addition to the bagels, Rosenblum is baking his own rye bread in house, and his own flatbread for the dips.

And rounding out the menu are some highly creative cocktails from Causwells beverage manager Elmer Mejicanos, including a Bagel & Lox Martini (gin, aquavit, caper-infused vermouth, toasted sesame, heirloom tomato water, cucumber skin, wild salmon caviar-stuffed olive), a Babka Old Fashioned (babka-infused bourbon, brown butter, toasted tahini, orange blossom honey, babka crisp), and a Matzo Ball Soup Margarita — tequila, parsley, carrot tops, star anise, celery hearts, dill pollen, Persian lime, nori, orange liqueur, dill evoo, schmaltz matzo cracker.

The Marina is of course home to an extra-lively brunch scene, and Super Mensch will now provide a new destination for brunch bagels, as well as matzo brei quiche, challah French toast with homemade strawberry jam, and a pastrami-egg-and-cheese sandwich on a bagel. Also: egg creams.

And for dessert, there will be daily extra-large slices of chocolate cake, which — who doesn't love cake?

Below, a few interior and cocktail shots.

Super Mensch - 2336 Chestnut Street - Now open - reserve here