New SF smash burger joint to serve the standout ‘Spruce’ burger

It’s all a part of Bacchus Management Group’s new three-restaurant concept slated to open in spring 2023, as first reported by The San Francisco Chronicle. (SFGATE and the San Francisco Chronicle are both owned by Hearst but operate independently of each other.) All of these new restaurants will be located on the ground floor of Mason on Mariposa, a luxury apartment building across the street from Jackson Park.

The smash burger will be the anchor of Louie’s Original, where customers will be able to stack up to three aged chuck and brisket beef patties sourced from Schmitz Ranch in San Leandro. The patties are served between fresh-baked Parker house rolls that have whole wheat folded into the dough for a little added bran sweetness. It’s all finished with a secret sauce that Stannard said has been in the works for quite some time.

“This is much more of a classic, California-style burger that comes with this incredible organic American cheese that we found, homemade bread and butter pickles, shredded iceberg [lettuce], and we’ve been making a special Louie sauce that’s a replacement for tomatoes,” he said.

The Louie sauce is made from tomato paste, tomato sauce, white vinegar, garlic and a few other spices. This is Bacchus’ first project since 2019. The group is also behind dining destinations such as The Village Pub and Selby’s, and happens to represent the most Michelin-starred restaurants than any other group in the United States, according to Stannard. 

The other concepts coming to Mason on Mariposa include an 86-seat Italian restaurant, La Connessa, with a menu that will feature pizzas, pastas and proteins from steak to fish. The space will also house what Stannard described as a beautiful four-sided bar with a dramatic 25-foot arch built into the wall. 

For the morning crowds who seek a caffeine jolt along with sweet and savory handheld options, expect gourmet doughnuts at Magic Donuts & Coffee. It’s the third eatery of the large-scale project, and will showcase a menu dreamed up by Bacchus’s corporate pastry chef, Janina O’Leary. 

Standout doughnuts from O’Leary include, creme brulee, peanut butter and jelly, decadent drunken doughnuts made with bourbon and rum, gluten-free varieties that include blueberry and basil, and Meyer lemon. Then, there’s the savory side: bacon and egg.

“I’m eating more doughnuts right now than I have ever eaten in my entire life. It was mind-bogglingly good. Instead of being a round doughnut, it was rectangular, and she made this really rich egg custard and piped it into the square,” Stannard described. “She glazed the doughnut, and then, she took this thick-cut bacon and glazed it in brown sugar as well, and laid it over the top of the glazing on the doughnut. It was so good, I ate the whole thing.” 

A opening date for the three restaurants is planned for spring 2023. Stannard said each will launch separately, and imagines the first may be Magic Donuts & Coffee, but plans could change. 

As a longtime San Franciscan, Stannard said he used to frequent the neighboring Jackson Park as a kid with his mother, and has taken his own son there to play. Now, he looks forward to adding spaces for families to dine or just grab a cup of coffee and a sweet bite. 

“For all the families who live in that area, there will be a place in the area to do that,  he said. “There’s also a great school next door, so we’re hopeful that we can provide coffee in the morning for the parents, or after school, they can take their kids for burgers, or chicken sandwiches or fries.”

Coming soon: Louie’s Original, La Connessa, Magic Donuts & Coffee, 1695 Mariposa St., San Francisco.