Park Tavern Restaurant San Francisco

If San Francisco were New York, the park-facing space that Park Tavern now occupies would be some of the hottest real estate in the city. Here in S.F., though, the space has languished for years, awaiting a transformation.

Its time has come: Under the tutelage of Anna Weinberg and Jenn Puccio, the duo behind SoMa's Marlowe, the onetime home of Moose's and Joey & Eddie's has been reborn.

The remodel is so complete, it's disorienting; thankfully, Puccio's food has a grounding influence.

An heirloom baby carrot appetizer ($9) combines tender cooked and raw pickled specimens of multiple colors. The mix of textures is delightful; pine-nut pesto adds necessary richness.

Weinberg may be a little premature in proclaiming the Poulet Rouge ($22) the signature dish (after all, the restaurant is less than a month old). But then the poussin arrives, served upright in a heavy Staub pan, slathered with a spicy chile paste and surrounded by crisped spinach and potatoes, and you think, well, this is a very fine bird.

And as at sister restaurant Marlowe, there is a burger ($13), a necessity in this patty-crazed town. Combine any of the above with a cocktail and settle in: This is precisely what the neighborhood's been waiting for.

Park Tavern, 1652 Stockton St.; 415-989-7300 or parktavernsf.com