San Francisco Chronicle:
The space of the former Cypress Club restaurant in the Financial District has become 500 Jackson, one of three big-name restaurants to open in San Francisco last week.
Vacant since the Cypress Club shut its doors in late 2001, the space has taken a decidedly more subdued turn with warm mahogany-paneled walls and chocolate and copper accents in place of the old restaurant's plush velvet banquettes, colorful mosaics and ornate chandeliers.
Chef Robert Murphy, formerly of Restaurant LuLu, has put fresh seafood at the forefront of his menu, with an extensive raw bar selection plus appetizers like crispy fried calamari, fennel and onion, and Dungeness crab cake served with pickled fennel and tartar sauce.
Jennifer and I had the opportunity to have lunch today at 500 Jackson. We found the interior to be warm and inviting, while the staff was friendly and accommodating.
For starters, I thought I had a real winner on my hands with the smoked duck and andouille gumbo. That was the case until I tried Jennifer's lobster-sweet potato bisque, which we both found to be an incredibly creamy, rich combination of flavors.
For the entree, I has a salad Nicoise which was good but uninspiring. Jennifer, on the other hand, made another great choice in the grilled ahi tuna. She found that the warm arugula and wild mushroom salad complemented the tuna well - with the addition of grilled onions being a unexpected surprise.
500 Jackson is a welcome addition to San Francisco's culinary landscape. In fact, today we chose 500 Jackson as one of our "selected establishments" for our upcoming 2004 Jackson Square District guide to "rugged elegant" hotels, restaurants, shops and services.
The premier edition of this guide representing twelve San Francisco neighborhoods, as well as the "Hidden Treasures" of the city is called The Rugged Elegance Companion...Your Guide to Places of Taste.
We recommend that you try 500 Jackson the next time you are in the mood for great American seafood.
-Tim
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