cityhouse
Photo: courtesy of the restaurant
After fading from view in light of the recession, the high-end lunch seems to be coming back. To wit:
Newly appointed Aqua executive chef Jason Pringle – who previously worked with Michael Mina and former executive chef Laurent Manrique before leaving for EPIC Roasthouse – plans to reinstate the FiDi restaurant’s lunch service Tuesdays–Fridays after slashing service in January due to the waning economy. Beginning Tuesday, September 22, the new menu will feature standbys like tuna tartare and oysters with a trio of mignonette, as well as a slate of new surf 'n' turf entrees ranging from king salmon with sourdough gnocchi and cockles with black garlic to pork chops with quince, chard and chanterelle mushrooms. For the more frugally minded, the restaurant will also unveil a two-course $27 "business" lunch featuring dishes like veal terrine with pickled cherries, mustard fruit and grilled branzino with root vegetables (11:30 AM–2:30 PM; 415-956-9662; reserve online).
Another bastion of business lunching, the Huntington Hotel’s Big 4, will be reinstating its lunch service on Thursdays and Fridays starting September 17. Also on Fridays, the restaurant's redwood paneled bar will remain open all day for those yearning for the days of the three-martini lunch (11:30 AM–3 PM; 415-771-1140; reserve online).
Earlier this spring, Downtown’s Parc 55 Hotel launched its first public formal restaurant in years, cityhouse, which overlooks Market Street from its second-floor perch. In addition to breakfast and dinner, the New American steakhouse serves lunch daily from 11 AM–2 PM, offering fare like a 16-oz. bone-in rib-eye steak with béarnaise ($32) and garlic prawn stir-fry ($14), complemented by an extensive wine and microbrew list made up almost exclusively from local labels. An additional bar bites menu is available all day from 11 AM–midnight (55 Cyril Magnin St.; 415-392-8000).
– Meesha Halm