The transformation from Bambuddha Lounge into the spiffy ~CHAMBERS EAT + DRINK~ is now complete: Sean and Isabel Manchester’s groovy new bar and restaurant opens tonight for business. Chef Trevor Ogden (Mission Beach Cafe) has crafted a menu that’s a bit gastro-pubby, with some California seasonality, and a bit of Asian flair in a few dishes. Dishes on the opening menu include 13 small bites, like artichoke hearts ($9) with baby beets, Meyer lemon, olive oil, garlic, mache, sunchokes; and braised pork croquettes ($13) with mustard emulsion, smoked grits, baby greens, apple jus. A few dishes that show more Asian inspiration include the P.B.L.T. ($10), crispy braised pork belly, baby romaine, and heirloom tomato, rice paper roll, house sambal, and Champagne aioli. Larger plates include suzuki bass ($25), beech mushrooms, baby bok choy, ramps, potato noodles, hot and sour consommé, pink peppercorn; and smoked beef short rib ($18)—there’s also a Prather Ranch burger on a challah bun with fries for $12. The full menu will be served until 11pm, with a smaller bar menu until 1am or 1:30am (TBD).
Cocktails were designed to be quickly executed and simple, like a Paloma, Martinez, and Blood and Sand, all for $10—there’s a list of 10 specialty cocktails in all. The space looks aaaamaaaaazing (Sean Manchester worked with Charles Doell of Mister Important Design); look at my last piece for descriptions of the décor, and Grub Street has this nice slideshow of the interior and the patio. And check out the vinyl count: 7,000 LPs are lining the shelves, and they’re collecting another 2,000 more. The music will be rock-influenced (like the look of the place), spanning classic to indie.
Please note that even though Chambers is open tonight and Wednesday, starting Thursday, it will actually be closed to the public for the kick-off of ArtPad, a three-day event at the hotel and restaurant. So your best bet is to visit starting next Tuesday May 24th, when they will be able to run their regular hours. Can’t wait. Let’s rock.
Photo by Brian Smeets for Grub Street.
