Anatomy Of A Hyped Opening

Robyn Cohen

Frisson is French for "a moment of intense  excitement"—not unlike the buzz swirling around a restaurant by that name debuting this month in Jackson Square (244 Jackson St., S.F., 415/956-3004, www.frissonsf.com). What makes a restaurant a potential hangout for the young and the chic instead of an ordinary newcomer? San Francisco deconstructs the formula.

The financiers: Andrew McCormack, 27, an ex-PayPal employee, started working on the idea with PayPal founder Peter Thiel (the main investor) in February 2003 after bemoaning the city's lack of a late-night spot that crosses fine dining with contemporary music. 

The celebrity chef: Daniel Patterson, named one of the Best New Chefs by Food & Wine magazine, was still running the acclaimed, formal Elisabeth Daniel (now closed). After he and McCormack had what the chef called a "fortuitous meeting," Patterson set out on a new venture, hopeful his flock would follow.  

The interiors: Harvard-educated Scott Kester, who helped develop the hip supper clubs Lotus in New York and Rumi in Miami, has transformed the domed-ceiling venue into a midcentury modern backdrop of rich orange hues and dramatic lighting. With three private dining rooms, Frisson fits 95 in the dining room, 50 in the lounge.

The publicist: Eleanor Bertino, a well-connected PR pro who reps Jardinière and the Ferry Building Marketplace. Expect a flurry of articles in the national and local press in the weeks to come.

Garden design: Landscape artist Sean Quigly of Paxton Gate, the offbeat garden shop, designed this smokers' paradise.

The sound: Resident DJs will evoke a South Beach or Brazilian world music  mood within an "arresting" acoustic system installed by JK Sound. 

The menu: Patterson's highbrow signature small plates (sweetbread ravioli,  anyone?), plus a "less intellectual" late-night menu featuring ham and cheese  sandwiches and cookies baked to order.  

Opening-night party: Who needs it? "None of the ones I've been to are representative of the normal experience," McCormack says. Instead, McCormack is getting the word out through the press and a slew of private parties packed  with friends and clients from the right psychographic.