Philippe Jeanty abruptly closed his Downtown San Francisco bistro Jeanty at Jack’s last Friday, citing the high cost of doing business in the city. While he’ll shift his focus back to his Yountville mothership, Bistro Jeanty, the Buzz has learned that there are signs of life for the historic FiDi hostelry, which has operated as a restaurant since 1864. Former GM Luc Chamberland tells us that he and the current management staff (sans Monsieur Jeanty) plan to put in a bid to revive the space within 60 days.
The new concept, to be called Jack’s Oyster Bar, would be a scaled-down, seafood-centric bistro featuring a daily stocked raw bar (plucked from Hog Island shores hours before) and locally sourced lunches and dinners, topping out around $20 and served well into the night. Chamberland knows a thing or two about shucking – he was the general manager of Hog Island Oyster Co. before coming to Jack’s.
– Meesha Halm