Three new eateries opened last fall in Potrero Hill. Restaurant and hospitality management company, Bacchus Management Group, is offering an upscale Italian trattoria, a classic counter-style burger joint, and a coffee shop featuring gourmet doughnuts. The three establishments are nestled side by side on the corner of Carolina and Mariposa streets at the base of the Mason on Mariposa apartment complex.
According to Bacchus founding partner and president Tim Stannard, the restaurants have been conceptualized for years.
“We love building neighborhood restaurants and had been looking for just the right place to put them,” said Stannard. “La Connessa, Louie’s Original, and Magic Donuts all bring together the things that we love in great local neighborhood spots; simple, perfectly prepared seasonal food; great cocktails in a beautiful bar; a well-curated wine list full of well-priced gems from small, family-owned producers; great coffee and fun snacks and donuts; and a great burger. Who doesn’t love a great burger?”
La Connessa aspires to be a “modern take on the classic trattoria,” with a menu consisting of traditional Italian cuisine like pastas and pizzas, an array of wines, and vintage Italian liqueur, according to an announcement from Bacchus. The dim-lit restaurant delivers a moody, upscale ambiance, seats about 86 patrons, and employs an in-house sommelier to uplevel the dining experience.
La Connessa’s bill of fare is hyper-seasonal.
“Right now, we’re at the end of tomato season, so you should get those while you can, but also the local Jimmy Nardello peppers—simply roasted and drizzled with a lemon vinaigrette—are incredible,” said Stannard. “Same for the end of summer squash which we are doing as a raw vegetable salad with basil, mint, pistachios and caprino. The pastas are all handmade here, with my current favorite being the “Spaghettino al Limone,” a very simple pasta done with fresh lemon, black pepper, a little butter, and grana padano.”
Bacchus manages award-winning restaurants throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, including Michelin-starred Spruce, which features a version of its well-known Spruce Burger at Louie’s, dubbed the “Big Sister” burger, served on a toasted, house made English muffin with melted cheddar and pickled vegetables, along with its own house burger, the “Louie’s Original,” with American cheese, bread and butter pickles and a secret sauce on a brioche bun.
Louie’s has a dozen counter seats overlooking an open kitchen and 17 table seats. Its menu boasts a fried chicken sandwich, chicken tenders coated in corn flakes, vegetarian sandwich, waffle fries, milkshakes in flavors like Bananas Foster and strawberry shortbread, and custard ice cream cones.
“At Louie’s, the focus is obviously on the burgers, and the Big Louie – two patties – is the current favorite. We had a guest ask for a triple-patty burger, which the team is now referring to as the “King Louie.” But for me, it’s the milkshakes and soft serve that steal the show. The Cracker Jack custard cone is not to be missed,” said Stannard.
Magic Donuts, which offers a selection of coffee drinks brewed with Bacchus’ own beans roasted in Oakland, as well as doughnuts created with modern approaches like using fermented sourdough and Japanese-inspired baking techniques, prides itself on producing moist, soft doughnuts that have longer shelf life compared to the traditional fried and oily versions of the past, according to its pastry chef, Jerry O’Brien.
Inspired to transform fine-dining desserts into doughnut form with flavors like cheesecake, dark chocolate sea salt, lemon meringue pie, hojicha – roasted green tea – and pumpkin spice, O’Brien said the doughnuts taste just as good at room temperature as hot out of the oven.
“I wanted to come up with a doughnut that I would be happy with and solve the issues I always felt I had with doughnuts,” said O’Brien.
“At Magic Donuts, you really can’t go wrong with anything you choose. I have a donut every day and still struggle to decide which is my favorite,” said Stannard.
Stannard remembers playing with his cousins growing up at Jackson Park across the street from the new eateries and believes they will help serve the neighborhood’s needs.
“I guess ‘coming home’ to Potrero Hill put me in a nostalgic mood, and that led to a conversation with our team about food from your childhood that still triggers those happy memories. As a born and bred San Franciscan, I want to continue to invest in what I think is the greatest city in the U.S. And this location, in the middle of one of the great neighborhoods in San Francisco, facing Jackson Park, was almost too good to be true. In building out the trio of restaurants, we played around with the type of food that just makes you smile. We hope the neighborhood feels the same way.”
