Acclaimed cocktail team opens new bar
The team behind the acclaimed cocktail spot Trick Dog is opening another bar in the Mission, and this one celebrates European aperitivo culture. Chezchez will serve spritzy cocktails, lots of sparkling wine, tinned fish and other appetite-whetting bites starting on Tuesday.
Visitors to Chezchez, which is taking over the space that formerly housed Bon Voyage, will find “a lot more simple things,” said Josh Harris, who is opening the new bar under his Bon Vivants Hospitality group umbrella.
That’s notable, because simplicity is not a word that most people would associate with Harris, who became known for exceedingly complicated, culinary-inspired cocktails at Trick Dog, a perennial placer on the World’s 50 Best Bars list. That bar’s seasonally changing menu often seemed designed to shock, with drinks that could include ingredients like cream cheese-washed gin, honey mustard and mushrooms.
Chezchez, on the other hand, is a place where you’re likely to order a classic cocktail like a martini, a daiquiri or an Old Fashioned. Most of them do have some kind of proprietary, playful twist to them, like a Negroni that’s put through a slushy machine ($13), or an Alpine Daiquiri that includes an herb-infused yellow chartreuse. Still, the overall mood, Harris said, is meant to feel “familiar.”
While aperitivo-style bars typically specialize in spritzes — a low-alcohol template of sparkling wine, bitter liqueur and soda water — those drinks make up only a portion of the Chezchez drink selection. They’re interpreting “aperitivo” more broadly, to include anything that feels refreshing and high acid, the sort of thing you’d want to drink before a meal.
So in addition to some requisite spritzes, there’s also an entire section of the menu devoted to Bloody Mary riffs (all $14). Each has the same base — a proprietary Bloody mix — but the spirits and te garnishes vary, from Sherry to aquavit. All are intensely savory and served with a small glass of Estrella Galicia beer. One gets topped with a piece of shrimp, another with a skewer of explosively flavorful anchovy-stuffed olives.
“We think of aperitivos as the stretch before the race,” said Drew Record, operating partner and sommelier. Awardwinning bartender Jennifer Colliau, former beverage director of the Interval and former owner of Here’s How, is the beverage director. The wine list is heavy on sparkling wine, especially Champagne.
On top of the main wine list, there’s a special list that Harris calls BVintage, comprising hundreds of older bottles he purchased at an estate sale. It includes Champagnes from the 1950s and ’60s, midcentury Napa Cabernets from wineries like Beaulieu, Charles Krug and Louis Martini, and some oneoff curiosities like a 1976 white wine from Bordeaux’s MoutonCadet. Harris has purchased private cellars before — he’s a big collector and reseller of all sorts of antiques, not only wine but also art, furniture and other objects — but had never been able to find a place for the bottles at any of his previous bars, until now.
There are several mocktails available, and they’re not separated out into their own section of the menu — something that was especially important to Harris, who doesn’t drink.
“I’ve been on a quest for a long time for people who don’t drink to not feel marginalized in bars,” he said.
One is the Nah’liato ($13), a booze-free version of a cocktail called a Negroni Sbagliato, featuring nonalcoholic sparkling rosé, two different virgin aperitifs and bitter lemon.
The food strikes a similar tone: simple, familiar and snacky. Most of the dishes are things that can be smeared onto bread — in this case, Acme Pain d’Epi baguettes — like porchetta shaved into ultra-thin, melty rounds ($13) and giant white beans dressed in herbs and Meyer lemon zest ($8). All but three food items (fritto misto, crispy potatoes and broccolini) are served cold.
The food menu was partially devised to fit with Chezchez’s simplicity concept, but the team also had logistical concerns in mind. It’s hard to find workers right now, said chef Timmy Malloy, and they wouldn’t want to crowd too many cooks in a kitchen while COVID-19 transmission remains active in the community. Having so many easy-to-prepare dishes, especially all of the specialty tinned fish, means that Chezchez can get away with having only two people on the line during a shift. Each tin ($16-$39) is served with lemon slices, sea salt, chile flakes, a salad of pungent herbs and a baguette.
Chezchez replaces Harris’ previous venture, Bon Voyage, at 584 Valencia St. After the initial COVID-19 shutdown in March 2020, Bon Voyage never reopened, Harris said, partly
because “it was not a concept that was suited for outside.” That bar was an homage to a global travelogue, with drinks inspired by Asia and Africa and a Chinese food menu. It was “escapist, trying to take you off Valencia Street,” Harris said.
Much of the Bon Voyage décor remains — including animal wood carvings above the bar, which are built into the wall — but it’s been pared down and lightened up. Abstract paintings hang on the walls, and large windows that can open onto the street were added to the front of the bar. There’s also a parklet outside, one-third of which will be kept for reservations every night.
Harris’ other bar, Trick Dog, is still operating as a takeoutonly concept called Quik Dog, with burgers, hot dogs and fries and to-go cocktails. It will eventually reopen as a full bar, but he has not yet announced a timeline.