Vanessi's of San Francisco was, as much as anywhere, the address of the Commanders Club.
When it closed June 28th, a large part of San Francisco style went with it.
A handsome, chic brasserie long before such places became too precious, Vanessi's was "the restaurant that launched a thousand exhibition kitchens" as the San Francisco Chronicle remembers.
For the Commanders Club, it was home to 8 years of our Fall Gala and countless quiet meetings over tender filets, tableside Caesar salads and the house red.
Set back behind the lush courtyard entrance to Gramercy Towers, the location was bounded by Grace Cathedral, The Mark Hopkins, The Fairmont and a blustering fog. If Ian Fleming had been a San Franciscan, this is where you would have found him.
It was also where you found proprietor Lorna Shea, waiters like Betty and Shayne, barmen like Al and Geoff, and many others who took a delight in hosting our events that went far beyond generating a tab.
Toward the rear of the place, was the "Bond Room", an intimate banquet room with three glass walls looking out on The City. For the Fall Galas, our membership transformed it from a simple space to a Bondian casino and dining club.
For our friends who have visited San Francisco and dined at Vanessi's, this page will serve as a knowing tribute to a place that offered one last foothold in the world of Bond style. For those who visited San Francsico but missed Vanessi's, this page comes much too late.
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