Dennis Leary, chef-owner of Canteen and The Sentinel, has a new baby (but this space is quite a bit bigger than his usual MO for spaces): the century-plus-old HOUSE OF SHIELDS SALOON, which is just next door to The Sentinel. Leary, who has adored the historic space for some time, is looking forward to giving it some TLC and restoring it. His design team consists of designer Charles de Lisle, and Jason Langkammerer, who heads up At-Six Architecture. They intend to update the lighting and refinish the wood, plus restore the chandeliers, the statues, and fix up the floor, plus replace some of the upholstery on the booths—but nothing else will really change. Leary is planning to close it on July 1st, and reopen in mid-September. He’s debating about the food offering, if at all, and if he does something after all, he says in an email to me, “I will focus on simple regional dishes with some sense of historical reference. And by the way, I have decided not to serve any froyo, pizza, offal, cupcakes, or pretentious/fascist coffee.” Ha. But one au courant component that he’s integrating is that he’s talking to several high-profile bartenders around town (and is interested in talking to more). It’s gonna be a beaut. 39 New Montgomery St. at Mission.
As if this wasn’t enough on the Leary fire, he is getting close on opening his new takeout shop in the Financial District, the ~GOLDEN WEST~. He’s going to serve to-go lunch, pastry, and the like. A peek at the preliminary menu includes such potential dishes as butter kuchen or a baked egg with spicy pork and beans for breakfast; sandwiches like pickled herring with sour cream and dill on rye, or a croque-madame; soups; and larger entrées like pork goulash or cheese fondue with mushrooms. And dessert? How about mascarpone macaroons? I’m also hanging on for cassoulet Fridays. His head baker for the project is Rita “flowers” Williams, who opened the baking department at Orson, and is currently at Michael Recchiuti (she last worked for Leary at Rubicon). And true to Leary form, it’s located in an alley, Trinity Place, at Sutter and Montgomery. It’s set to open at the end of June, and Jason Langkammerer and Charles de Lisle are also the architect and designer for this space. 8 Trinity Pl. at Sutter.
Flickr photo by bstorage.
