Dining

Going, Going...

This Program Has Been Pre-empted; Good Help; Gone Fishin'; Pretty in Pink

A A A Comments By Harry Coverte Wednesday, Jul 26 2000

This Program Has Been Pre-empted
At the same time that Jaime and Yasmine have taken their leaves from S.F.'s contribution to the world of nighttime TV -- Nash Bridges -- some key players have taken their leave from Ana Mandara, Don and Cheech's contribution to the S.F. dining scene. General Manager Tim McGuire took his bows, as did Executive Sous-Chef Patrick Mullin. The fat lady hasn't started singing, but she is doing her vocal warm-ups ....

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More Nob Hill/ Russian Hill/ Fisherman's Wharf Restaurants

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Ana Mandara

891 Beach (at Polk)
San Francisco, CA 94109

Category: Bars/Clubs

Region: Nob Hill/ Russian Hill/ Fisherman's Wharf

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Good Help
South Park's new The Butler and the Chef Cafe is a cute little space with a cafe counter and table service. The menu offers a small collection of classic bistro dishes that never fail to please. I mean, who can say no to a croque monsieur or a niçoise sandwich on (but of course) a baguette? But more impressive is the colorful collection of antique French furniture that fills the small space. If you like the old theater chairs or advertisement tables, you can take a short trip after lunch to The Butler and the Chef store on 25th Street near Third, which sells all sorts of cool stuff for the Francophile within.

Gone Fishin'
The hard-working opening team of the new Paragon Restaurant has left the building after only four months of business. Chef Brian Lewis, who took major hits in the Chronicle and these pages, has been replaced by Spencer O'Meara, formerly of Scala's. The new toque has already reworked the lunch menu and is busy testing new dishes for the dinner card. Fiona Muir, the general manager, has also moved on, but has yet to be (and will be hard to be) replaced. Sources within the restaurant say the new Paragon tried too hard to distance itself from the pub-with-grub reputation of its former and other outlets. So I would expect a more familiar American menu and a more casual approach to service.

Pretty in Pink
The opening of the new Brooks Brothers store was a fun culture mash. The old staid look of this preppy palace has been given a nice tweak on the nose. DJ Kevin from Bulletproof spinning cool secret agent themes didn't hurt the modern vibe either. The apps were provided by Asia SF and the juice was from Byron Winery, all to benefit the Yerba Buena Center Young Artists at Work Program. The best bit, however, was the door prize: Everyone got a bright pink dress shirt when he or she left the party, and I've been seeing them walking around all over town ever since. Nice marketing.

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