Dirty Habit. Is the name clever, cutting edge,
disgusting or simply unappetizing? The fact that we even asked the
question means it works on at least one level: It's not easy to forget.
The
restaurant is a redo of the Fifth Floor in the Hotel Palomar. From the
minute the owners, Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants, announced the new
name, people were talking. And when people talk, it often leads
to action.
The concept is very much of the moment, following the
growing trend of the complete mashup of dining and drinking, led by such
places as Bar Agricole, Trou Normand, 25 Lusk and Trick Dog.
Is it a bar or a restaurant? That's another question that's becoming increasingly hard to answer.
Several incarnations
It's
clear Dirty Habit is embracing the more free-form, casual trend. Even
without the name change, Fifth Floor has been through several
incarnations, starting with
George Morrone, who earned the place four stars for highly crafted, precisely formulated combinations.
After he left in 2001, it was home to other chefs recognizable to those who follow our food culture:
Laurent Gras,
Melissa Perello,
Laurent Manrique, Jake des Voignes and
Charlie Kleinman.
For the last three years, David Bazirgan did the restaurant proud. He
decided to stay on with the new concept, as did pastry chef
Francis Ang, wine director
Emily Wines and bar manager
Brian Means.
As
talented as this group is, the restaurant obviously wasn't performing
as well as it should. Not to be left in the dust, Kimpton decided to
completely transform the space.
The bar, always a strength, has
been lengthened. The lights have been dimmed, and the walls now have a
patina of charcoal gray metal. Parts of the ceiling are covered with
metal framing studs, which further drives home the industrial theme. But
unlike a real warehouse space, these elements have a refined edge.
Tables
at the entrance have a lounge vibe and floors are carpeted, which still
doesn't do much to subdue the noise on a busy weekend. Opposite the bar
are long booths that are designed to host larger parties. A narrow room
in back has a contemporary dining room feel, with round tables and
upholstered chairs. What was once the main dining room is partitioned
off by what looks like rolling barn doors to make private rooms, always a
good option for a hotel.
Rooftop patio a draw
The
biggest change is the addition of a rooftop patio surrounded by the
higher floors of the hotel. The patio seats 45 - the same number as in
the dining room and a few more than in the bar. It's a combination of
low sofas, cocktail tables and more traditional patio dining tables. On a
recent visit early in the week, when tables inside went wanting, the
patio was full.
Bazirgan's compact menu includes 21 Bites and
four Sweets. The selections are arranged so bar nibbles are at the top
of the single page - spiced nuts ($3), warm olives ($5) and thick-cut
fries with harissa aioli ($6), destined to become a signature.
Subsequent dishes move closer to a traditional dinner menu, ending with
two full-size plates - a good rib eye ($35) with bearnaise, asparagus
and those excellent fries, and a chunk of halibut ($32) with tapenade
and whatever vegetables are in season.
The mix-and-match menu
includes a chewy pretzel topped with sausage, and mezcal-cured salmon
($14), which has a subtle smoky bite from the spirit. Thin slices pave
the plate strewn with cubes of pickled cactus, shavings of chiles, bits
of mint and wisps of dill, and play into the cocktail theme in a
sophisticated way.
Cocktails, and an extensive spirits list, are
clearly highlighted with such items as an Oaxacan Negroni ($12) where
mezcal is substituted for gin, and Leather and Lace ($12) with rye,
sherry, a touch of fruitiness from Licor 43 and an herbal quality from
tobacco bitters. Many are served in vintage cocktail glasses, adding to
the celebratory theme.
The wine list is extensive -
nearly 30 pages - but on my visits just about everyone went for a
cocktail, beer or one of the more than 30 by-the-glass selections. On a
busy Friday night, in fact, I was hard-pressed to find a table with a
bottle of wine nearby.
Chicken wings ($12) are just what you
might want when you need a little food to balance the liquor
consumption. The thick, crunchy batter glistens with a wash of sweet soy
and spicy chile vinaigrette; the bold flavors cut through an
alcohol-numbed palate. I also fell for the "up in smoke" fondue ($14),
where a puddle of warm, smoky cheese is surrounded by cubes of brioche,
radishes, whole baby carrots, squash, snap peas, purple and yellow
cauliflower and cherry tomatoes.
Moving more to the dinner side,
Bazirgan offers lettuces with feta and honey ($10) and four kinds of
cucumbers ($12) cut, chunked, sliced and shaved on a bed of seasoned
yogurt, pink from sumac. They're tossed with plums and cubes of bread,
creating another bold but refined combo. Also bridging the divide
between drinks and dinner are the PEI mussels ($16) heaped in a broth
with saffron, pastis and tarragon, which supports the licorice notes of
the spirit.
For the sweet tooth
Ang,
who was known for his innovative desserts at the Fifth Floor, has made
his concoctions (all $8) at Dirty Habit more approachable.
Vanilla cremeux spreads over the mouth, the vanilla becoming more
intense with each bite, punctuated with the surprise of the olive oil
drizzle that enhances the effect; a few strawberries add fresh relief.
On another visit, however, the dessert was flavored with corn and had a
firmer consistency. It was topped with tart pickled blueberries, shreds
of stale-tasting phyllo and a scoop of Parmesan ice cream. He might have
created the dish by asking "Why not?" but I would ask "Why?"
Bread
pudding is presented like a crusty loaf in a cast iron pan, next to
four small containers - cashews, thyme creme anglaise, whipped cream and
marinated blueberries. Another item that clearly illuminates Ang's
talent is the churros, not only for the miso caramel and lychee
accompaniments but also for the surprise of raspberries buried inside
the crisp sticks of dough.
While it's clear that Bazirgan, Ang
and Means are a well-oiled team and are growing comfortable with the new
format, the service can be a little disjointed and detached, especially
at the host stand. The ability to provide proper attention in a
drinking environment is a challenge, and it's going to take a while to
get it right.
Still, even with much going for it, the question
remains: Can the restaurant actually become a local habit? Time - and a
few more cocktails - may tell.
The Hotel Palomar's Dirty Habit opened as the
Fifth Floor 15 years ago. The restaurant's three dramatic design
transformations represent broader changes in dining trends.
1999:
--
When Fifth Floor opened, many of the city's best restaurants were in
hotels. The Kimpton group hired George Morrone as the chef. He had
earned four stars as chef of Aqua, and repeated the feat at this new
high-end restaurant, appropriately named because it was on the fifth
floor of the hotel.
The surroundings were luxurious, offering an
almost womb-like environment. Windows were covered with two layers of
draperies. Floors were carpeted in a chic zebra pattern, a trend still
in vogue. Accent walls had a Japanese flair, and each table was covered
in Frette linens and set with Bernardaud china and had vases filled with
flowers. That style lasted through two successive chefs who continued
to support the fine-dining tenor of the space: Laurent Gras and Melissa
Perello, who now owns Frances.
2008:
--
When Laurent Manrique took over the kitchen, the restaurant took on a
French accent and underwent another remodel to bring it up to date and
signal a new direction.
The carpet was removed to display dark
wood floors; the curtains at the windows were pulled back to showcase
the outdoor rooftop with a few containers planted with bamboo. The
Frette linens were replaced by fabric runners, which showed the corners
of the dark wood tables - this was still fine dining and the designers
obviously didn't feel comfortable baring all. As for the staff, the
waiters abandoned their suits for vests and white shirts and aprons.
Brown
leather banquettes and beige barrel-shaped chairs replaced the
upholstered seats. A glassed-in wine rack along one wall helped give the
room a sleeker look, but in the process it lost some of its intimacy.
2014:
--
Is it a bar or a restaurant? That's the question I'm continually asking
in today's dining scene. Clearly, management is fueling that conundrum
not only with the name Dirty Habit, but also with the design.
In
this reincarnation, the bar has been extended, the lights dimmed, and
the refined edges scrapped in favor of dark walls the color of gunmetal,
galvanized tabletops and other industrial metal elements. Distressed
barn doors, with handles made from galvanized plumbing pipes, separate
the seating areas. The rooftop atrium has been converted to a dining and
drinking patio.
The fine-dining approach - and the tasting menu -
has been scrapped for bar-friendly offerings with just two traditional
main courses. Waiters are dressed entirely in black - pants, T-shirts
and aprons, the latter accented with red straps.
- Michael Bauer
Rating: TWO STARS 1/2 Dirty Habit
Food: Rating: TWO AND A HALF STARS
Service: Rating: TWO STARS
Atmosphere: Rating:
THREE STARS
Prices: $$$$
Noise rating: Noise Rating: BOMB
12 Fourth St. (at Market Street, in the Hotel Palomar), San Francisco
(415) 348-1555.
www.dirtyhabitsf.com
Dinner
5:30-10 p.m. Monday-Saturday (bar menu served later). Full bar. 4% S.F.
surcharges. Reservations and credit cards accepted. Valet $15.
RATINGS KEYRating:
FOUR STARS ExtraordinaryRating: THREE STARS ExcellentRating: TWO STARS
Good Rating: ONE STAR Fair Noise Rating: BOMB Poor
$ Entrees $10 and under
$$ Entrees $11-$17
$$$ Entrees $18-$24
$$$$ Entrees more than $25
Noise
Rating: ONE BELL Pleasantly quiet (less than 66 decibels) Noise Rating:
TWO BELLS Can talk easily (65-70) Noise Rating: THREE BELLS Talking
normally gets difficult (70-75) Noise Rating: FOUR BELLS Can talk only
in raised voices (75-80) Noise Rating: BOMB Too noisy for normal
conversation (80+)
Article, Photos, and Review are sourced from:
http://www.sfgate.com/restaurants/diningout/article/Restaurant-review-Dirty-Habit-in-S-F-5601093.php#page-3
