Amy Murray, the chef-owner of Venus in Berkeley, is opening her latest venture, REVIVAL BAR + KITCHEN, in the former Downtown Restaurant location on Shattuck. Michael Brennan designed the spacious 130-seat space, which features lots of reclaimed wood, recycled arches rescued from the Julia Morgan building next door to Venus, cherry red barstools for the 20-seat bar, and many vintage and turn-of-the-century touches, including cool plastering effects. There’s also a sexy saloon-meets-bordello vibe, with atmospheric lighting.
Murray has been “cheffing with a farmers’ market perspective” since 1994, and she opened the organic and farm-to-table Venus in 2000. She will be the executive chef, and Alicia Jenish, formerly of the The Academy Café at the California Academy of Sciences, will be the chef de cuisine. The menu will be “snout to tail, root to shoot,” mixed with a “‘lil kitchen on the prairie” vibe, making it all from scratch. They also hope to make their own tonic, sodas, plant a garden, and use every part of the animal. Murray says the name was inspired by the history of the building (which dates back to 1901), the local revival of back-to-the-land values, and is also excited by the revival of restaurants in the area (Gather, and the new Locanda in the old Zax space).
The dinner menu includes fried baby artichokes; local bay shrimp with avocado, hearts of palm, shaved fennel with a tarragon vinaigrette; asparagus and beef marrow flatbread; halibut cheeks with asparagus, potatoes, and morels; goat braised with za’atar; and a Long and Bailey Farms pork chop. Revival will stay open all day, starting with a morning program of third wave coffee off a La Marzocco machine, bombolini, unique muffins and scones, homemade Irish brown bread, and fresh-churned butter. There will also be lunch, happy hour, and an afternoon modern tea with charcuterie, sandwiches, and cocktails—and dinner until late. The bar will feature a modern, California cocktail program, with drinks made from seasonal local fruit. The restaurant is slated to open for dinner on Tuesday May 25th after a couple friends and family events. Breakfast and lunch will start three weeks later. And in case you’d like a sneak peek before the opening, come to the book launch party on Thursday May 20th for the new book, Farmer Jane. 2102 Shattuck Ave. at Addison, Berkeley, 510-549-9952.
Photo provided by Revival Bar + Kitchen.
