Spanish food, drinks on tap in North Beach
A new lowproof cocktail bar and Spanish restaurant opens in North Beach this Friday with 100 outdoor seats, a rolling bar cart and creative takes on classic tapas.
Called Red Window, it’s the sitdown companion to Little Red Window, a takeout spot that’s quickly grown a following for empanadas during the pandemic. Both restaurants come from Elmer Mejicanos, who is also bar director at nearby Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, and Adam Rosenblum, who is also the chef and owner of American comfort food spot Causwells.
The restaurant aims to stand out among San Francisco’s tapas scene by balancing shareable small plates with pintxos, little snacks such as tuna conservatopped crostini or ham croquettes that can be ordered by the single bite. Armed with just a beer and wine license, Red Window aims to feel like a fullfledged cocktail bar with as much ambition as one of San Francisco’s top drinking destinations. Starting out with outdoor dining, bartenders will roll out a bar cart to diners and finish some cocktails tableside.
Perhaps the best example of Mejicanos’ vision is the restaurant’s Sherry cobbler ($14). Mejicanos hopes it not only becomes Red Window’s most popular drink but that it gains a reputation as the best Sherry cobbler in the Bay Area — he even bought a separate ice machine just for the cobbler in anticipation of demand.
“I usually create bar programs within a week. It took me three months to come up with the final recipe for this cobbler,”
he said.
Mejicanos went through more than 40 samples of Sherry from Spain to come up with the right blend, which he combines with local peaches and figs that he pureed and froze at their peak.
“I think we found that perfect balance between sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami and a little bit of warm spice,” he said. “It’s a celebration drink, unlike another vodka soda you can make your
self at home.”
Fans of Rosenblum’s cooking at Causwells will find a similar style at Red Window — a mix of familiar, nostalgic dishes imbued with the chef ’s personality. Prices will start at $3 per pintxo and rise to $27 for a larger plate like squid, shrimp and mussels with brothy rice.
“I don’t want to just put someone’s cookbook on my menu, but I think it’s important to have dishes people can relate
to,” Rosenblum said.
The restaurant’s Spanish tortilla ($12) was inspired by Rosenblum’s prepandemic research trip to Spain, where he tried an incredible version in San Sebastián. Instead of serving the potatoandegg dish in its traditional, bytheslice format, he opted to make individualsized versions garnished with caramelized onion puree, chives and spices “to add a little more depth of flavor but also not froufrou up a classic,” he said.
Similarly, he serves a version of patatas bravas ($6) with familiarlooking cubes of crispy potatoes under a peppery sauce. A closer look reveals intricate layers: Rosenblum thinly slices potatoes and slowly bakes them into a 50layer potato cake, then cuts that into cubes to fry.
Eventually, the owners hope to open Red Window indoors for the intimate, lively experience they originally envisioned. But they don’t feel any rush, having lucked out with a prime corner locaton — the former Caffé DeLucchi space — and the ability to seat 100 people outside on two streets. Look for a reservations link on Tock, set to go live Wednesday.
Red Window. Opening Friday. Dinner only WednesdayThursday, lunch and dinner FridaySunday. 500 Columbus Ave., San Francisco. theredwindow.com