San Francisco's Saison To Open More Casual Offshoot Angler In SF And LA

Three Michelin-starred Saison has announced that a sister restaurant, Angler, will open in both San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Acting as raw bars and grills, the restaurants will be similar in space and design, focused on maritime vibes with live seafood tanks, mermaid tiles and more. Unlike Saison's tasting menu, Angler will feature a seasonal seafood-focused a la carte menu.

San Francisco's Angler will open summer 2018 with Los Angeles' outpost scheduled for fall 2018.

Chef Joshua Skenes recently stopped by our podcast studios to discuss the trajectory of his projects. Give a listen below and scroll down for the full release about the new restaurants, along with sample dishes.

San Francisco, CA – As Saison celebrates its eighth year in business, Chef Joshua Skenes and Wine Director Mark Bright have announced plans to open two new American restaurants, a raw bar & grill named Angler. Skenes' team has compiled a wealth of research and development for over a decade. Together with Terra Ventures, they founded the Saison Hospitality Group to further innovations and initiate expansion. Their flagship Saison has garnered accolades through the years, and is the sole restaurant from California to make the cut in the World's 50 Best Restaurants list for 2016 and 2017.

The restaurants will each have a capacity of approximately 100 seats designed with the guest experience in mind, with several spaces available for private parties. Both outposts will evoke a rich maritime setting, with rusted steel beams, exposed brick, elements of copper with a saltwater patina, mermaid tiles and natural materials such as American walnut. Each will feature an entry room with a fireplace, full bar and an inviting salon for diners to gather before and after their meal–or just stop in for a glass of wine, cocktails and a quick bite. Angler will have an elegant and warm environment with an expansive and diverse wine cellar with a focus on Burgundy, Rhone and Loire Valley.

The center of the Angler kitchen will be a 32-foot hearth with eight different zones for the various types of fire cooking Saison has developed over the years and where every dish will take form. Being seafood-focused, live tanks will house fish and shellfish sourced by Saison's fisherman, directly from the ocean to the plate.

Angler's menu will be an a la carte collection of the local bounty, cooked simply and carefully. Each day's inspiration will be drawn from the products themselves and will be an articulation of their natural flavors, served at their peak taste.

Sample dishes include:

Raw bar items such as ice-cold oysters and clams

Mendocino sea urchin on grilled bread

Cured rockfish with meyer lemon

Simple salad of lettuces & herbs

Tomatoes & peppers preserved over the fire with honey vinegar

Spot prawns grilled over a bed of seaweeds

California King Crab steamed with drawn butter from our cows

Hopi corn bread baked with wild boar fat in skillet near the fire

Elk T-bone roasted over the embers with coffee beans & chilis

Wild strawberry soup

Ember ice cream & espresso granite

Angler restaurants will share cohesive cuisine and design elements, and each location will convey its own relevance to the area and reflect each city's unique character. The San Francisco outpost will boast of majestic views of the San Francisco bay and the Bay Bridge, while the Los Angeles restaurant will reflect a relaxed Southern California feel. Opening dates are slated for summer 2018 in San Francisco and fall 2018 in Los Angeles.

Notes Skenes, "We seized these incredible opportunities to expand in these communities. We look forward to sharing a different and special kind of Saison experience with them."