One of our city’s top cocktail slingers, Daniel Hyatt, is finally going to be running his own show at STARBOARD SF. The space was previously a taqueria, Doña Mago, and is just next door to the bar and club Slate, where Hyatt has been working during the past year (he was especially known for his years behind the stick at The Alembic).
Hyatt is partnering with Patty West (owner of Slate Bar) and Suzanne Ray (who used to bartend at The Alembic) on the project, which will be a 49-seat hofbrau, serving a variety of meats, like open-faced turkey sandwiches, French dips, and meaty plates with a variety of sides. It will be similar in format to Tommy’s, but with a bit of a NorCal spin on the ingredients and sourcing. As Hyatt puts it, “It’ll be upscaley but punk rock too.” (Don’t expect things to be too spendy or precious—he wants people to be fed and feel taken care of.)
There will also be special dishes available each night of the week, and “big and friendly” dishes like cassoulet will make appearances at Sunday suppers. Takeout and a late-night menu (like until 3am Thu-Sat) will be available too.
While Starboard will just have a beer and wine license, Hyatt is excited to have a very rosé-centric list, with lots of sparklers (sounds right up my alley) and quality beer too. They are planning to have a window between Slate and Starboard, so they can serve food in the bar in case you really want to get your drink on. Hyatt has been making his mark on the cocktails at Slate (quality drinks that can be executed quickly), and they are tweaking the format as well: it will be less clubby, and moving to in-house DJs and some soul in time (and private events). It’ll be a more comfortable space to hang out in, but still a bit edgy.
Back to Starboard: Hyatt is lining up a consulting chef of note (he can’t reveal who it is just yet) and is considering formatting the staff into an all-kitchen crew who will rotate as servers, kind of like Nojo and Schwa in Chicago (he wants everyone to get paid, and it will help to build a familial vibe).
Timing is looking like late July or early August. We’ll keep you posted on more details as things take shape. 2919 16th St. at S. Van Ness.
Demolition is definitely under way for the upcoming location for Starboard SF. Photo via Facebook.
