When chef Kim Alter’s first solo venture, Nightbird, opened in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley a few weeks back, we were intrigued.
Alter?an elite SF chef who helmed the kitchens at Daniel Patterson’s Plum and Haven?first set out to open Nightbird with the Michelin-starred Patterson, which meant that Patterson’s restaurant designer?Scott Kester in New York?was also originally on board. When Patterson left the project (still supportive, just too busy), Alter turned to Roddy Creedon of Allied Architecture & Design as a local, on-the-ground resource. (But Alter even had to coordinate with the landlord’s own architect, making for a tornado of opinions and drawings that dragged on the remodel for a full two years.) Through it all, Alter was Nightbird’s constant; a technical chef turned chooser of chairs, floors, and napkins. Photography by Kassie Borreson for Remodelista.

Above: According to Alter, “The key question for Nightbird was: ‘How do we make it feel elegant but still functional as a restaurant"'” For the walls, the initial plan was to plaster them?an inspiration borrowed from Cala restaurant, just up the street. But when decorative artist Caroline Lizarraga started making samples, she sensed that Alter had a grander vision than what had been decided. Together they developed a wall covering which Alter calls “fog”?a mix of gray, white, silver, and gold.

Above: Alter’s inclinatio...