San Francisco is such a dining destination that despite restaurants opening at a dizzying pace, each seems to find a following. However, few new places carry the pedigree or anticipation of 1760, which opened in September.

The reason: It's the sister restaurant to the best high-end Italian restaurant in the Bay Area: Acquerello, which has been at the top of its game for nearly 25 years.

Named after its address, 1760 is Giancarlo Paterlini and Suzette Gresham's first venture outside of their elegant dining room. Yet those expecting Gresham's focused Italian cooking will be surprised. The small-plate menu is eclectic and completely different from what's served at Acquerello.

Located a few blocks from Acquerello, 1760 has a sleek, modern feel, with a Deco nod from the strip of glass brick windows above the nearly floor-to-ceiling windows. Concrete floors, charcoal gray walls, an open kitchen and a narrow bar along one side of the room complete the look of the 44-seat interior.

Even more than a week in advance, the only OpenTable reservation I could get on a Tuesday night was at 5:15. By 6, the place was full. The crowd was chatty, and the bass was so loud on the music that it shook the booth; I felt as if I were trying out a new gadget from Good Vibrations down the street. I guess you could call it ear-piercing noise with benefits.

What probably shouldn't come as a surprise is that the service is so polished, with the staff displaying some of the best out-of-the-gate focus I've seen. The waiters come quickly, make diners feel at ease and bring enough cocktail menus for everyone at the table.

So by 6 p.m. on my first visit, I was impressed, despite the unfettered noise. By 6:05, when the drinks arrived, my enthusiasm waned a bit. The cocktails looked innovative, but the two we ordered were too sweet and unbalanced. Then came a gift from the kitchen - tiny squares of compressed watermelon, which had a strange aftertaste.

The menu is hard to categorize. It's a list of a dozen dishes, with no traditional main courses or theme, and ingredients that run the gamut. That makes it difficult to construct a progressive meal. Instead, it feels more like a cocktail party where you have a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

Our first course was padron peppers ($9), nearly raw, and tossed with three olives, crushed peanuts and a glaze of oil. Next up was a dish that buoyed our expectations slightly: a beautiful lobster ceviche ($16) with wedges of avocado and a scattering of delicate white flowers. It looked like a still life. Unfortunately, it was on a thick pool of too-sweet caramelized coconut and pineapple, making me feel I was in Tahiti rather than on Polk Street.

That was followed by sauteed chunks of octopus ($16) arranged over a puddle of avocado puree, with potatoes, fresh herbs and peanuts, which didn't bring anything to the party.

The bucatini ($19) was lifeless. The undercooked pasta was filmed with oil and dusted with red pepper; the added uni didn't seem to benefit the other ingredients, and the gritty bread crumbs gave the dish a sandy texture.

The cavatelli ($17) on a subsequent visit wasn't much better. It, too, had a slightly raw texture, although the vinegar-braised pork cheek and charred tomato, balanced with Parmesan, felt focused. Another misfire: The hanger steak ($22) was plagued by too much caramelized onion puree, making it overly sweet.

After my third visit, I was still confused. The menu is like a palette of random colors without any theme or vision, even though the preparations were better.

One of the best was the seared tuna sashimi ($16) - loosely folded strips of fish accented with chimichurri, sunchokes and grated radishes.

I loved the idea of the pan-fried duck egg that topped thin slices of smoked salmon ($15) with Meyer lemon creme fraiche, but the seafood had very little flavor beyond a harsh smokiness.

The fried duck sandwich ($15) will probably become a signature, the steak knife embedded in the middle of the bun making it visually the most interesting dish. However, the taste was salt on salt on salt, which dominated the fried meat patty, pickles, slaw and spicy aioli.

While the grilled pork belly ($19) was also salty, it was tamed by a bed of gigantic beans, carrots and radicchio slaw that added a touch of bitterness to counteract the richness; this was one of the few dishes that felt balanced.

For dessert, the best option is the goat cheese ($10), triangles of creamy, crumbly cheese that sit straight up on the plate, surrounded by pistachios, lemon verbena cream and delicate herbs.

Other options were less enticing. A peanut butter panna cotta ($8) didn't seem as if it had much of the advertised product, and the custard was covered with berry jam. Sweetness was the overarching theme - not a surprise, given some main courses and cocktails.

The angel food cake ($9) was composed of torn chunks of dry cake interspersed with strawberries and maple whipped cream, a disappointing finale. On another visit, a brown butter sponge cake ($9) with a smear of cheesecake mousse and apple bourbon gelato was better.

Milk chocolate ganache ($9) was high artistry: an extruded square of ganache with hickory ice cream and piped marshmallow stars browned with a blowtorch. It looked pretty, but, like much of what came before, it felt conceptually interesting but ultimately soulless.


1760 Polk St. (at Washington Street), San Francisco

(415) 359-1212.

Dinner 5-11 p.m. nightly. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted. Difficult street parking.

Overall: Rating: TWO STARS


Service: Rating: THREE STARS

Atmosphere: Rating: TWO AND A HALF STARS

Prices: $$$

Noise rating: Noise Rating: BOMB Can only talk in raised voices (75-80 decibels)


The wine list

Clearly, 1760 is trying to show strength on both the cocktail and the wine fronts.

The restaurant offers creative spirit combinations and a wine list with nearly 200 selections - extensive, given the casual nature of the restaurant and the truncated menu.

Special attention is given to French and Italian wines; it's an interesting list, and you can be sure to find something good.

Like the food, however, it feels scattershot. Throw on a little bit - or a lot - of everything, and diners will find something they like. There are 13 wines by the glass ($10-$19), including sparkling, the majority from outside California.

Given the inventory and the staffing - there's always someone on the floor who can help - the prices are excellent.

The cocktails are as wide-ranging, from the Garam Masala-Cardamom ($11) with bourbon, garam masala, thyme, orange and toasted cardamom to the Basil-Mezcal Sour ($11) with kaffir lime.

I asked the waiter for advice, saying I didn't like cocktails that were too sweet. Actually, I don't mind sweet cocktails if they are balanced, but this is my way to hedge my bets.

In the case of 1760, they were all on the sweet side, and on two occasions I couldn't finish what I ordered. One was the classic Corpse Reviver No. 2, which is generally made with equal parts of gin, Lillet Blanc and lemon juice and a splash of absinthe. I'm not sure what the bartender did, but it was simply too sweet to finish. I finally asked for a Campari and soda with a slice of orange ($7), which was exactly what it was supposed to be.

Another option is beer; there are nine on the menu, ranging from Omer Traditional Blond Ale ($9) to St. Peter's Cream Stout ($12 for 500 ml).

If you bring your own wine, corkage is $25, with a two-bottle maximum.
