Friday, August 29, 2008

The Most Awaited Restaurant Opening: La Mar Cebicheria Peruana In San Francisco

For almost two years we've been hearing that Peru's most famous chef, the inimitable Gastón Acurio, was opening a branch of his La Mar Cebicheria Peruana in San Francisco.

I've received countless e-mails asking me, "When will it open?" "When?" When?"

Finally, I believe I have a conclusive answer (fingers crossed).

There is quite a buzz about this restaurant opening, the first time Gastón has opened a branch of one of his unique Peruvian restaurant brands outside the Spanish-speaking world.

Located just steps away from San Francisco's historic Ferry Building, La Mar Cebicheria Peruana will be located at Pier 1½, on San Francisco's Embarcadero.

The property is owned by San Francisco Waterfront Partners, and this project is expected to become the Mecca of high-end Peruvian cuisine in the United States.

The space is huge, a total of 11,000 square feet: 8,000 square feet inside Pier 1½ and another 3,000 square feet outdoors on a patio fronting San Francisco Bay.

Anyone who has been fortunate enough to eat at any of Gastón's venues, whether in Lima, Santiago, Quito, Caracas, Bogotá, Mexico City, Panama City, or Madrid, knows that quality and innovation are hallmarks of his cuisine. He is the consummate culinary perfectionist, and Peru's best ambassador of Peruvian cuisine.

Why call it La Mar Cebicheria Peruana? Gaston's first La Mar opened in Lima's Miraflores district on Avenida La Mar, which dead-ends at the Pacific Ocean, and has since become a prime culinary corridor.

In Spanish, '
la mar' is a poetic way to refer to the sea, which differs from the common appellation of 'el mar'. And, in keeping with the Peruvian spelling, 'cebichería' is spelled with a 'b' and not a 'v'. And although, 'cebichería' is correctly spelled with an accent on the final 'i', in this manifestation, that written accent mark has been dropped.

No one has done as good a job of documenting the progress of San Francisco's La Mar than Eater SF, from which we are republishing the following photographs. At their site there is a wealth of information about the details on the development of this exceptional project.

Oh, and the opening date? According to the property owner's website, the most recent date for the grand opening is September 18.

We can't wait. How about you?


All Photos: SF Eater





Click here for the Peru Food main page.

TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana

12 comments:

Canelita said...

Oh, can't wait for this restaurant to open and for the reviews to start pouring in! I'm sure this event will be a major step in solidifying the prestige of Peruvian cuisine in the international scene.

Hopefully we will eventually read a review from the very author of this blog as well. ;)

¡Saludos, Alejandro!

::Alejandro:: said...

I can't wait for La Mar to open either and look forward to going there. I wish it all the best.

Chompers said...

The one in Lima is my favorite restaurant ever...I am so damn jealous they're not opening one in Miami...at least just yet. I guess I'll have to keep going back to Lima again and again and again :)

::Alejandro:: said...

Chompers: and I'm damn jealous they aren't opening one in LA...good thing getting to SF is cheaper from LA than all the way to Lima...

Chompers said...

alejandro: You're so lucky to be able to go to SF from LA for just a weekend. Def. cheaper to go to SF than Lima and much nicer weather, however I'm sure the prices in SF will be pretty intense. :-S

I'm heading to Lima this November, r/t from MIA $372, how much from LA? I've started this routine of going just about every 6 mos and La Mar is Lunch #1 on the itinerary. I love it over there. Best. Food. Ever.

::Alejandro:: said...

Chompers: Whoa, that's a great rate from MIA to LIM, can't do it that cheaply from the West Coast, the cheapest tix seem to be in the 500 range. Glad to learn you're a Peruvian food fan. Send me some pics next time you go, I'll put them up here on Peru Food. Saludos!

Chompers said...

alejandro:

I was there just a few months ago for two weeks and took a million and one pictures to document just about everything I put in my mouth in Lima and Cusco. Let me know where I should send them and you can decide which you like.

I'm not just a fan of Peruvian food, I'm a believer. I find it to be the best food in the world, hands down. I believe soon enough everyone will say top five with French, Italian, Chinese, etc.

safe to say I visted La Mar twice :) during that trip - I blogged it in my myspace too.

Anonymous said...

does anybody know where do i have to call to make reservations??

::Alejandro:: said...

@ Chompers: e-mail on right sidebar, bet you've got some great pics...

@diego1812: Hmmm, don't know; try the company that owns the property, they may have a number, let us know if you find out:

http://thepierssf.com/


Thanks to both!

avanginhoven said...

I went to La Mar's pre opening on September 15th- the food was super and as close as possible to the original in La Mar avenue in Miraflores-considering the local ingredients. It will rock SF. Congrats Gaston. Viva el Peru!

Adrian

Anonymous said...

i had dinner here last night and let me tell you it was so delicious, refreshing.. service was excellent, they explain the history of each dish... everything was amazing... ceviche clasico lo maximo!

::Alejandro:: said...

@ avanginhoven & lolo: thanks for your comments, sounds like La Mar SF is off to a very good start...