The new concept for the long-empty Frisee space goes live today in the form of Panam, a “neo-French Fusion” restaurant and bar. If your’e wondering what, exactly, neo-French fusion is, owner Mickael Azoulay explains. “[Chef Laurent Guillaume] travels a lot. His technique is very French, but some of his influence is from Africa or Asia. There are always some seeds or spices that he’d use that wouldn’t be common in French Cuisine.”
On the menu (PDF), that translates to a lot of small plates such as the Crab Mimosa (Dungeness crab and prosciutto di parma with acra cilantro and garlic) and a shorter — but no more modest — selection of full dinners (think filet mignon, lobster and black truffle, and “moscovic” duck breast). There’s also a late-night bar menu with burgers, oysters, and a smoked trout salad. They’ll do brunch on the weekends and stay open till 1 a.m. every night. Guillaume comes from the kitchen of Azoulay’s other restaurant, Chouquet’s, where he’ll stay on as executive chef. “It was natural for us to partner together on this,” Azoulay said. Find out if that partnership works when they open tonight at 5 p.m.
Panam, 2367 Market St., Nr. 17th St., San Francisco; 415-556-6200
