Le Club Cooks!

I did not fall off a cliff. It might appear that way considering my last post ended somewhere in Alabama. But I made it through Texas, New Mexico, and Southern California with the aid of bottomless coffee and a bounty of other energy beverages.

I’ve been working so hard and having so much fun that writing has become a two-year old tugging on my coattails and begging for attention. And the more that happens at Le Club the less I know where to begin. A whole novel has flown by, the pages scattered all over the city of San Francisco.

I mean how do I tell you now about the crazy St. Patrick’s Day party at Le Club or the regular customers who take over my kitchen late night and help me wash dishes and sometimes help me cook and send food? Or the fun patrons who send flowers and wine to the kitchen because they know I’m all by myself and can’t join the rest of the guests.  Or the private parties for various San Francisco elite including power women like Meg Whitman?

I am having too much fun. Working 16 hours a day feels like a walk in the park. I just don’t know how I got this lucky. Yes, I’m mostly alone as chef, cook, and dishwasher but honestly I am so darned happy just to have my own restaurant.

I play music in the kitchen and dance around while preparing my mise en place. I take phone calls during the day – something I haven’t been able to do for at least 6 years. I have a window in the kitchen that allows me to at least glimpse the sun if not feel it. Really, life is good. Friends and neighbors pop in throughout the day to give me a hand or just keep me company.

So be forewarned, if you come into my kitchen you will be put to work!

Gina and I have not updated the website yet, and we both feel that the pictures don’t really give an accurate portrayal at our very special somewhat private club. So let me paint the picture for you…

To me, Le Club is a rare mixture of San Francisco speakeasy meets Paris Bistro in the 1930’s. It is impossible to walk into the candle lit club and not feel like a character in a colorful cast. It is an intimate environment and a glamourous yet affordable one.

Dorothy Parker would have loved a dirty martini at Le Club and I believe that Hemmingway probably would have written a novel or two here if he knew it existed. Our clientele is eclectic, local, artistic, professional, intelligent, sexy, and often eccentric. We love them for it.

Despite this crazy mix of artists (including ballet dancers from SF ballet, models, and tight rope walkers) to gifted finance and computer people (including owners of major California hotels and well known computer companies), Le Club has somehow managed to not be pretentious. Perhaps it is the private club experience that allows clientele to be themselves, relax and enjoy….

At present Gina and I are in start-up mode. Our regular customers have been asking for food for quite sometime and so we created a bar menu that represents to us what Le Club is: affordable luxury.

Drawing upon French technique and California cuisine we have come up with a late-night menu (that is served until 1 A.M.) that is sure to satisfy the snackers and the heartiest appetites. In the next few weeks we will officially open the dinning room and offer a pre-fixe dinner that changes nightly. It will be seasonal, affordable, and feminine.

So far the regulars are raving about the Shortribs and the Hiramasa Kingfish. Favorite snacks include the smoked salmon croque monsieurs with caviar and the pork sliders.

Gina and I have tasted our way through California and French wines including delicious and affordable options and our cocktail list combines French liquers with Classic American standards. We both love champagne and offer a wide selection for you (and for us) to sip.

Come by our très chic Nob Hill venue and relax with a glass of bubbly. And definitely come say in the kitchen!