Cheers to A Decade of Good Drinking

the tablehopper | 10:34 am | May 28, 2008 | Foodie 411

San Francisco’s original gastropub and a local favorite for artisan ales, owner Dave McLean’s Magnolia in the Upper Haight has undergone some recent changes in honor of its ten years of being in business. First, there’s a change in the name: Magnolia Gastropub & Brewery, signaling a new focus on food. Then there’s the new executive chef, Brandon Jew, whose background includes working under Judy Rodgers at Zuni Café, two years at Quince, eight months in Shanghai at the Shanghai Museum of Modern Art, and Pizzetta 211 in the Richmond. Look for four–six house-made sausages (available solo or with a choice of two sides) and charcuterie, including Scotch eggs made with quail eggs and house-made sausage. Other pub-meets-California dishes include Wolfe Ranch quail with dandelion greens; beer-brined pork chops; fish and chips from local, sustainable fish; and a chocolate stout cake with dulce de leche ice cream.

Freshening up touches include replacing the mural with a gold leaf wall treatment, new bar and table tops, and a just-added communal bar table built with Douglas Fir salvaged from the original Levi Strauss building in the Mission District. Booths have been upholstered, custom light fixtures installed, restrooms tiled, and the entire place has been repainted. Here’s looking at you. Open for lunch Mon–Fri, noon–5pm; dinner Mon–Sat 5pm–midnight (until 11pm on Sunday); brunch Sat–Sun 10am–2:30pm, with late lunch 2:30pm–5pm.

• 1398 Haight Street at Masonic, 415-864-7468, www.magnoliapub.com

Marcia Gagliardi writes a popular weekly e-column about the SF dining scene, “the tablehopper.” Subscribe for free at www.tablehopper.com and get it in your inbox every Tuesday. Got news? Email Marcia at taste@sanfrancisco.travel.