An Investment in the Financial District

SAN FRANCISCO--Jack’s, the historic San Francisco chophouse that dates from 1864, has a new owner. He’s Philippe Jeanty, the French native who led the kitchen at Domaine Chandon in the Napa Valley until a few years ago when he opened his own place, Jeanty’s, in Yountville. His cooking went from haute to bistro fare and his fans followed.

Now he’s turned the restaurant that withstood the great San Francisco earthquake and fire into Jeanty at Jack’s. The narrow, four-story building on Sacramento Street in the heart of the financial district was coveted by a number of restaurateurs, but Jeanty got the prize.

It’s a wonderful space, with a small bar at the far end, banquettes downstairs, a mezzanine with tables overlooking the action and more seating upstairs, including several private rooms.

I’m a huge fan of Jeanty’s and so couldn’t wait to try the new place. Waiting at the bar for our table some 45 minutes, I watched a table of four women seated at a banquette pass plates back and forth with gusto. The oysters from Point Reyes up the coast disappeared in the blink of an eye. Then came a coarse rabbit pate and frisee salad with bacon and a poached egg, the way they like to serve it in Lyon. One woman kept digging her fork into the oval casserole that held crusty gratin dauphinois. I made a mental note to order that. And the cassoulet served in a deep terracotta bowl. This they totally demolished, leaving only a thin ring of breadcrumbs at the edge of the bowl.

To start, I had the pieds de cochons persilles, basically parsleyed pigs’ feet served cold with its wonderful gelee and a few green beans. Now that’s a real bistro dish. Someone else at the table had the foie gras au torchon, a small, thick slab of rosy foie gras rimmed with delicious yellow fat. We each got a bite of it on warm toasted brioche. And we shared the mustardy potato and lamb’s tongue salad I remember from Jeanty’s in Napa Valley.

The cassoulet, when it came, was everything it should be. The beans had soaked up so much flavor from the duck confit, coarse-textured pork sausage and applewood smoked bacon, I could have happily just eaten that. They were juicy and fork-tender, redolent of garlic and those wonderful meats. To get at it, you had dig through a fragrant coverlet of buttery breadcrumbs and parsley. Outside, it was gusty and cold, perfect cassoulet weather. Needless to say, we didn’t leave a bite. And we never made it to dessert.

Jeanty at Jack’s, 615 Sacramento St., San Francisco; (415) 693-0941; fax (415) 693-0947. Appetizers $6.50 to $16; main courses $15.50 to $24. Corkage $15. Open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.