Jardiniere is that rare restaurant that proves how interior design enriches the dining experience, and it exudes a particularly celebratory quality in both. The jazz combo plays tasteful classics on a cutaway second floor wrapped by a steel railing resembling flirty silver ribbons. Alongside the first floor's exposed brick columns, lush velvet curtains abound. The glittery gold ceiling looks down upon gold labels from the champagne bottles cuddled in a large silver ice bucket. The soft, long curvature of the obsidian-black bar -- meant to suggest a champagne flute dome -- gleams like the top of a concert piano. Fellow restaurateur and designer Pat Kuleto maximized the dramatic options of this converted space featuring the culinary dazzle of chef Traci Des Jardins. Steps away from The San Francisco Opera, Jardiniere is truly built as a theatre for food.

- Excerpt from an article by Joe Jarr