New French maximalism in SF
JouJou opened in San Francisco’s Design District this week with a French maximalist approach to its menu and dining room, joining other high-profile openings in the city (x.com). Coverage emphasized bold, ornate design and a menu aimed at indulgent French classics in a neighborhood-facing concept (x.com).
JouJou, a new French brasserie from the Lazy Bear team, opened on March 6 at 65 Division Street in San Francisco’s Design District. (sfist.com) The restaurant comes from David Barzelay and Colleen Booth, the partners behind the two-Michelin-starred Lazy Bear, and it serves an à la carte menu instead of a tasting menu. (sf.eater.com) JouJou is open Tuesday through Sunday, with the bar starting at 4 p.m., the dining room at 5 p.m., last seating at 10 p.m., and Sunday last seating at 9 p.m.; the restaurant says it also keeps space for walk-ins. (joujousf.com) The menu centers on French seafood and brasserie staples, including oysters, shellfish plateaux, escargot toast, French onion soup, steak frites, tarte tatin, baba au rhum, and bananas foster. (exploretock.com) Coverage of the opening has focused on scale as much as food: reports describe a roughly 6,500-square-foot space with multiple dining rooms, two bars, a raw bar, booths, bar stools, and an enclosed patio. (foodgal.com) The room was redesigned by Jon de la Cruz, and SFist reported details including a dark-veined marble chef’s counter, cane-backed bistro chairs, and a zinc-topped bar. (sfist.com) Barzelay told local outlets he wanted a lively, “scene-y” restaurant in the mold of Balthazar in New York and the former Stars in San Francisco, with seafood towers, tableside service, and a packed bar from early evening. (sfist.com) That pitch lands in a city where Barzelay and Booth are better known for Lazy Bear’s tasting-menu format, and Chronicle coverage said they see JouJou as a way to break from the multi-course model that has defined much of San Francisco fine dining. (diningandcooking.com) JouJou had been in the works for years: SFist reported Barzelay had been developing the idea for about six years, with the seafood concept dating back to 2009. (sfist.com) The restaurant’s own booking page describes it as “seafood-focused but not exclusively so,” framed through a California lens and built for both quick drinks and larger nights out. (exploretock.com) In the first wave of local reaction, writers have described JouJou as part of a renewed run of French dining in San Francisco, with the new room betting that glamour, raw bar service, and classic dishes can still draw crowds in the Design District. (foodgal.com)
