We first heard about The Progress (1525 Fillmore) — the planned spinoff of State Bird Provisions that is headed for a space just two doors down from the restaurant, in the same building — almost a year ago now. This week we get a small update from husband-and-wife co-chefs Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, who say that the new restaurant will be a fair bit bigger than State Bird, both in the size of the space and size of the plates. “We are fortunate to be in a century-old building that has enough space to house two restaurants,” they tell the James Beard Foundation. “The Progress will work in a way that’s different [from] and yet symbiotic with what we’ve learned at SBP.”
The new space will boast a full bar, and a 25-foot ceiling with a mezzanine — it occupies what was originally The Progress Theater, a movie house that opened in 1911 and closed fifteen years later. (See a historic photo here.) We’re curious though about the status of Hapa, which would be in between State Bird and the Progress at 1527 Fillmore, and which hasn’t seen much progress in recent months. The brick-and-mortar project from Hapa Ramen chef Rickie Nakano has been much delayed since the original announcement about it in late 2011.
Brioza won’t discuss any dates for The Progress just yet, but tells Grub Street simply that it is progressing they are “getting excited” about the project. So, we’re hoping maybe we’ll see it happen before the end of the year. Meanwhile, State Bird continues to be “slammed” as he and Krasinski prepare to head to New York next month for the James Beard Awards, where they’re up against another S.F. restaurant, Rich Table (and three others we need not mention) in the category of Best New Restaurant.
As the couple says in the interview, “It has always been a dream to have this kind of setup where we can [have two different restaurants and] share elements of each kitchen and limit our commute.”
Q & A with Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski of the JBF Award-Nominated State Bird Provisions [JBF]
Earlier: State Bird Provisions and Rich Table Head Up Strong Showing for S.F. in This Year’s Beard Nominations
State Bird Provisions is Bon Appétit’s Best New Restaurant
