From shops and showrooms that spark creative inspiration to product drops, dining hotspots and luxe lodgings, these new design-forward destinations and resources are not to be missed.
Shops and Showrooms
Emily Joubert
Larkspur
Judy Sieber founded venerable home and garden shop Emily Joubert, named for her grandmother, in Woodside in 2004. Since then, she’s expanded to San Francisco, Montecito and Larkspur — her newest location that opened this fall at Marin Country Mart.
Evoking the brand’s signature blend of rustic Provençal and relaxed California style, the new shop offers a treasure trove of European antiques, heritage décor, copper cookware, French linens, hand-thrown ceramics, artisanal pantry goods sourced from around the world and garden goods. Shoppers will also find private-label collections designed exclusively by Emily Joubert.
Restaurants
Bar Panisse
Berkeley
In the space formerly occupied by tapas restaurant César, Alice Waters has opened a companion bar to neighboring Chez Panisse: warm, bustling, walk-in only Bar Panisse. Chef Amelia Telc, formerly of San Francisco’s Tartine and New York City’s Mission Chinese Food, is at the helm in the kitchen, serving a tight menu of small bites crafted from locally sourced ingredients, including fluffy gougères, butter beans and oysters prepared two ways. On the beverage front, Dylan O’Brien of Prizefighter Bar in Emeryville created the menu of classic cocktails with signature touches, like a spritz spiked with quince liqueur and a house martini enhanced with lemon verbena, while French, Italian and California wines; local beers and ciders; and a few ABV-free options round out the rest of the offerings.
Berkeley-based architecture firm Studio KDA relied on many local makers and artists to transform the space. For example, angled black walnut panels handcrafted by Oakland’s Pacassa Studios and cut-glass pendants by Napa artist Erika Huether shelter the French pewter-topped bar; the exterior neon sign is by Oakland-based Neon Works; and the menu features artist and longtime long-time Chez Panisse collaborator Patricia Curtan’s signature font work. At the back of the space, guest get a glimpse at the lively kitchen.
Equal Parts
San Francisco
In the heart of North Beach, newcomer Equal Parts serves up a fresh perspective in a neighborhood better known for pasta and pizza with an inventive menu of craft cocktails and contemporary California cuisine in a space that merges Mexico City’s modern design aesthetic with Tulum’s effortlessly chic style. Behind the concept are San Francisco hospitality veterans Victor Pichardo, Jacob Cortes and Richard Yu. In the kitchen, BravoTop Chef alum and noted San Francisco chef Melissa Perfit turns out an array of sharable dishes featuring locally sourced ingredients, including braised pork shank with butter beans, pork jus and salsa verde and kanpachi crudo accented by basil purée, pickled cucumbers and chiles, while agave-forward drinks such as Carpe Diem, featuring jalapeño and habanero infused tequila with fresh cucumber syrup, cilantro, agave and cucumber foam, are a highlight of the full bar menu, created by Pichardo.
Guests pass through a long, tunnel-like outdoor walkway under a canopy sculpted from willow branches before entering the open, spacious restaurant, located in the historic Old Spaghetti Factory building. Inside, San Francisco-based firm Sean Carino Design infused the space with sophisticated warmth, employing natural textures, lush greenery, warm wood tones, sculptural lighting, and vintage and modern furnishings. Adding to the ambiance, rotating guest bartenders visit quarterly from cocktail hotspots like Mexico City, Paris and Tokyo, and an evocative soundtrack ranges from mellow tropical house during weekdays to Ibiza-inspired beats on the weekend, when Equal Parts keeps the party going until 2 a.m.
Lotus Abrams has covered everything from beauty to business to tech in her editorial career, but it might be writing about her native Bay Area that inspires her most. She lives with her husband and two daughters in the San Francisco Peninsula, where they enjoy spending time outdoors at the area’s many open spaces protected and preserved by her favorite local nonprofit, the Peninsula Open Space Trust.
