If you build it, they will come. This is the philosophy of developers and entrepreneurs who are flocking to Mid-Market on the wings of Twitter, which famously headquarters there. In the next few years, the long-neglected stretch of Market Street between 5th Street and Van Ness Avenue hopes to draw strangers citywide to its renovated Strand Theatre (expected to open in 2015) and a forthcoming mixed-use complex, to be designed by the Copenhagen architectural firm Bjarke Ingels Group. Already, a slew of new doors are opening, aimed at giving the throngs places to eat and sleep.
At the corner of 10th Street, NEMA, which opened in October 2013, is luring luxury seekers with a four-tower, 754-condo complex that offers a saltwater pool, dog walking services, and a jitney to Tahoe. That’s not to mention the development’s as-yet-unnamed 8,500-square-foot restaurant, opening this fall, helmed by New York chef Suvir Saran (of Top Chef Masters fame).
Saran will be in good company. Chef-restaurateur Daniel Patterson (Coi, Plum, and so on) recently opened his fifth spot, Alta CA, in the neighborhood. There, chef Yoni Levy is taking a local approach to comfort foods, such as cracked wheat porridge and slow-cooked pork shoulder.