Editor’s Note: Welcome to In My Cart, a regular series in which we ask some of the coolest guys we know what they’ve recently acquired, are thinking about buying, or need to buy more of — but for whatever reason don’t have in hand just yet. This week San Francisco chef Ravi Kapur.
Liholiho Yacht Club quickly became one of San Francisco’s hottest restaurants after opening its doors in 2015. Hawaii-born chef Ravi Kapur — a veteran of SF eateries Prospect and Boulevard — turned a wildly successful multi-course pop-up restaurant (which used the Liholiho name since 2012) into a fully-realized destination with an incredibly exciting menu. (He was named a “Best New Chef” by Food & Wine the year after opening).
A sampling of plates on the current menu reads like this: “shaved pig head, pickled fresnos, pumpkin seed tomatillo pesto, nectarine, crispy pig ears”; “marinated squid, crispy tripe, lemon cucumber, red cabbage, watermelon, peanuts”; “slab of beef ribs, kimchi glaze, miso butter green zucchini, pickled onion.”
And, then there’s the ambiance. It’s like a casual party: unhurried, welcoming, fun. “Fun is interesting because it sounds so simple, but really takes attention to all the details in order to pull it off from the service being attentive, but not stuffy, the lighting being right, the music on point and of course the food and drinks giving you a reason to come back,” Kapur said. “I’m also big into vibe and how something feels.”
To him, it’s not a plug-and-play method, hiring some leading consultants to develop a trendy concept — it’s a completely holistic approach. “Vibe isn’t a switch you can turn on and off and it doesn’t start when you open the door. It’s the tone that’s set from the beginning of the day and carries through.”
And though Kapur has garnered effusive reviews in the years since opening, he hasn’t slowed down. “While the main draw for our guests is the experience of Liho and the vibe we create with all of the essential elements of a restaurant, I’m continuing to work on being a more effective leader and building a team and developing individuals in a positive and sustainable way.” In that realm, Kapur and Jeff Hanak (partner of Liholiho, Nopa and Nopalito) are partnering with chef David Golovin to open a restaurant called Dear Inga in the Mission.
“David will be drawing inspiration from his familial roots in Eastern Europe; of course, warmth and hospitality is a cornerstone,” Kapur said. “He has a passion for old-world techniques and will keep it seasonal, working with local farms: fermentation, preserving, smoking, wood-fire cooking and sausage making will be important culinary techniques.” Dear Inga is slated to open in September on 18th Street (taking over the former Farina property).
