Jeanty at Jack’s is still one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco. Is it a 5 star? Not really. Is it over produced food that gets written about in Gourmet Magazine? No. It’s just a great place to have really wonderful French Bistro food. Phillippe Jeanty has two other restaurants in Yountville, which is in the Napa region North of San Francisco. I heard that people who loved his food would drive from the city (San Francisco) to Yountville for dinner and complain about the drive. I also heard that friends frequently pleaded to him to open a restaurant in SF; so they could have his fare more often. Well, he did. He took a space that had been Jack’s Restaurant on Sacramento. It had been famous for many of it’s diners, including Alfred Hitchcock, Herb Caen, and many of the mayors of San Francisco. I heard that the top two floors, above the cute downstairs bistro, was a full blown brothel. I hope it’s all true because it adds fun and flair to the ambiance of going there. The first time we went, we were not dressed for dinner and after arriving (and seated, in spite of our jogging clothes), we were shocked to see Chef Jeanty walking around chatting with diners. I secretly wished we could hide and miss his approach, but no such luck. He came over to our table to chat and all I could think about was how we weren’t dressed for the occasion (even though it was only Saturday afternoon lunch). I apologized for not being dressed better, and he immediately said, “NEVER apologize for how you’re dresses in any of MY restaurants!”. I loved him immediately. But, I still don’t recommend going there quite that casual. If you must, don’t let it stop you, but given the choice, we like to go there dressed nice, but never stuffy.
Try the tomato soup, with the puff pastery, but don’t plan to eat a lot more … or split it with a loved one … and fight over the last few pieces of pastry. Ask about the pitcher of wine special. The steak tartre is as good as any I’ve had in Paris. The rib steak is one of the best I’ve had anywhere in the city … honest! It’s just all good.
Here is a recent photo of us having fun in the mezzanine dining area … low ceiling and cozy. At Jeanty, you have choices galore. Enjoy!
