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Niebergall Brothers Showcase Considerable Culinary Talent at Frisée

By Bill Sywak

The Castro got a new neighborhood restaurant over the winter. Frisée is a sparkling venue opened by two young brothers with foodie credentials who chose a central Castro location for their stylish bistro to serve their eclectic and tasty fare.



The outside features a narrow but transparent front. A floor-to-ceiling plate glass separates a steady parade of Castro habitues outside from the glass bar where hungry customers perch on stools to see and be seen. Behind the front and side bars, two levels of warmly lit tables cleverly accommodate intimate dining as well as small groups.



Fortified with culinary academy and restaurant experience, brothers Brett and Nathan Niebergall are committed to a uniquely healthy and tasty cuisine based on fresh produce, seafood, meats and ingredients that are, as their menu states, “free-range, line-caught, organic, biodynamic, and/or farmed using sustainable methods.” Le Cordon Bleu Chef Brett notes that Frisée is in the process of becoming a Green Certified Restaurant, one of a few in San Francisco.



So how does all this taste? The flight of three soups is a winning specialty that surprises based on the night and the selection. A confection of artichokes, coconut milk, corn and agave nectar was particularly tasteful. Other soups have included butternut squash with crunchy pumpkin seed and Fuji apple, a hearty and creamy tomato basil and a more traditional tasting chicken corn chowder with crunchy noodles.



The entrée selections range from ahi, salmon and scallops to their signature chutney stuffed pork loin and a fine roasted rack of lamb. The grass-fed cut of filet mignon comes with quinoa coated in special sauce. For vegans, ravioli of locally grown ground wheat encase a creative mixture of local ingredients.



A special side dish is the vegan Israeli couscous. Try not to pass up the dessert plates, the pineapple upside-down cake with espresso rum sauce and fresh Chantilly cream being a favorite like mom never made.



Frisée is open every night for dinner and is situated at the crossroads of the Castro, sandwiched in between The Café and a real estate office at 2367 Market St.



For being in a central Castro location, is this a gay owned and operated restaurant, you might ask? Well, it so happens that one brother is gay and one is straight, and if you ask, they won’t keep you guessing.

Frisée is located at 2367 Market St., Call 558-1616 for more information or visit friseerestaurant.com.

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Frisee - Fresh food, fab service

BY MOLLY FREEDENBERG

Wednesday December 5, 2007

REVIEW When I visited Frisee - the Castro eatery that markets itself as a bastion of fast, healthy gourmet food - I expected lots of steamed vegetables, light fish entrees, and creatively flavored oil-free salad dressings. In short, I imagined "healthy" to mean "diet friendly," and I therefore imagined Frisee's offerings to be something like an upscale version of the Applebee's Weight Watchers menu. Luckily for my taste buds - though not necessarily my waistline - this was an erroneous assumption. What's healthy about Frisee's food is that it's fresh and well made, which sets it apart from other fast food places (you can get FrisŽe's entrees to go at lunchtime) but not so much from other gourmet eateries.

Which is not to say it doesn't hold its own against its gastronomic peers. Certain items on the menu are truly remarkable - notably anything with cream sauce, such as pasta dishes and special soups.

And less exceptional items, like the tuna tartare, are still quite good. The space is surprisingly charming, managing to balance large street-facing windows and a to-go counter - both of which could seem cold or too casual - with intimate, sumptuous seating beneath a red leather canopy that's something like the interior of a luxury jet.

But the very best thing Frisee has going for it is its service, which is friendly, professional, and helpful. In fact, my waiter for my recent visit, Chad, was undoubtedly the best who's ever served me - helpful, cheerful, charming, and attentive without being overbearing. He seemed to know what I needed before I did and went out of his way to accommodate my special needs (e.g., a vegetarian companion, a midmeal cigarette break). I'd return to Frisee just for Chad. After all, isn't good service also part of a healthy diet?

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Frisée Restaurant

Celebrating an eco-friendly Valentine's Day


Nov 12



The environmentally conscious couples avoid wrapping paper because it can't be recycled. As for greeting cards, they make their own from materials found around the house. Instead they’ll stroll up the block and treat each other to a neighborhood restaurant that offers food grown locally.

Brothers and business partners, Brett and Nathan Niebergall, launched Frisée in the Castro District featuring organic gourmet cuisine served in a chic and modern setting.

With a combined thirty years of experience in the industry, the Niebergalls developed the Frisée concept to meet the organic and locally-grown (locavore) demand. They selected the name Frisée (a gourmet lettuce), because the name is simple, yet it has an air of sophistication about it. “It’s not snobby. The name reflects our dishes; simple, clean, and elegant." Says Nathan Niebergall.

The brothers believe that healthy food should be affordable and accessible to everyone. They create dishes that most people wouldn’t recognize as being healthy and insist they are. The menu offers epicurean entrée salads with deliciously slow roasted or grilled meats. Their house-made dressings, organic cheeses, fruits, and vegetables perfectly compliment every menu item.

A good starter is the assorted satay, which resembles a crown of thorns. It’s a wreath of tarragon prawns, sugar spiced filet mignon, and rosemary chicken tenders are spiked into half a lemon and surround it with three sauces; sea salted merlot reduction, champagne basil vinaigrette, and roasted chili aioli.

For dinner try the amazingly tender braised chicken. It’s slowly braised with white wine, house made chicken stock, apricots, garlic, onions, thyme, and cherries. It is served with lemon and thyme zest mashed potatoes, house candied pecans, and sautéed baby spinach lightly finished with a chardonnay apricot reduction.

Cordon-Blue Chef Brett Niebergall says Frisée will shift the paradigm of quick-service dining, as we know it today. “Our organic ingredients are sure to surprise and delight our customers,” he adds.

Frisée’s exceptionally affordable wine list boasts biodynamic and organic wines from regions such as Argentina, Northern Italy, Australia, and France. “In creating the wine list, we wanted to offer our guests great tasting and affordable wines that are made using biodynamic or organic methods,” said Nathan Niebergall. friséerestaurant.com

Frisée Restaurant
2367 Market St.
San Francisco CA 415-558-1616 Hours:
7 days a week, 11am - 9pm

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Castro gettin' Frisee

by Raymond Flournoy

Editor's note: Castro blogger Raymond Flournoy is
guest-writing Business Briefs while columnist Katharine Holland is taking some
time off.

The space under The Cafe has been home to Khun Phoa II, Crave, and the recently-closed Malacca,
but San Francisco residents Brett
and Nathan Niebergall are hoping
that the fourth time's the charm as they renovate the site for their new
restaurant, Frisee (2367 Market
Street).

The brothers describe the new eatery as "accessible, affordable,
healthy food," a concept that they refined through months of market
research and on-the-street interviews. Frisee's menu is centered on salads,
featuring organic ingredients wherever possible and promoting items from
renewable, ecologically-friendly sources. It will offer many choices for
vegetarians, vegans, and omnivores alike. 

Brett Niebergall lives in the neighborhood, and although the
two considered locations throughout the city, the Castro was always their first
choice. They are encouraged by the strong support they have received from area
businesses and the Merchants of Upper Market and Castro
.