Joshua Skenes, the chef behind San Francisco's two-Michelin-starred Saison, is teaming with the mastermind behind Umami Burger to launch a new fast-casual concept. ISSF reports Skenes and Adam Fleischman (Umami, 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizza) will soon open Fat Noodle, a hand-pulled noodle restaurant, in San Francisco. In the Chipotle mold, the menu will allow guests to customize noodles in an "assembly line"-style counter, adding optional broth, house-made sauces, proteins, and toppings. In addition to quick service, Skenes and Fleischman hope to offer all dishes for less than $10.
It's a major pendulum swing for Skenes, whose acclaimed restaurant Saison offers $498 test kitchen dinners and a seemingly unlimited potential price tag for dinner (a recent solo visit by Eater critic Bill Addison lead to a $863.91 bill). Skenes tells ISSF that the idea has been long-stewing, and that "the way we treat [our approach] is the same whether it's a 10 dollar bowl of noodles or the idea of cooking at Saison." The concept also marks the third for Fleischman's growing AdVantage Restaurant Partners portfolio, which also includes chocolate-fried-chicken concept ChocoChicken.
Of course, it's not the only well-pedigreed casual concept coming to California: Chefs Daniel Patterson (of SF's similarly two-Michelin-starred Coi) and Roy Choi (of LA's Kogi) plan to launch their ambitious take on fast food, Loco'l, in Spring 2015. Fat Noodle hopes to debut in SF's Financial District by "early 2015."
· Joshua Skenes and Adam Fleishman's New Chinese Restaurant [ISSF]
· All Joshua Skenes Coverage on Eater [-E-]