Audiffred Building

A favorite is the one about the former Bulkhead Coffee Parlor's saloonkeeper who held off firemen
ready to dynamite the Audiffred to halt the spread of fire during the 1906 earthquake. In order to save
the building, he promised them two quarts of whiskey apiece and a firehouse cart full of wine.
The beauty of Boulevard's three-story historic home, built in the style of Parisian commercial buildings
of its day — with its mansard roof, brick exterior and perfect scale — was magnified by the completion
in October 1996 of the San Francisco waterfront revival project. The removal of the damaged freeway overpass
and the renovation of the nearby Rincon Center add to the area's growing beauty.

Kuleto made the entrance to the restaurant an antique wooden turn-style door that causes
guests to pause just long enough to be transported to the Belle Epoque spirit of the
interior. Inside, the long narrow room allowed Kuleto to create three distinct spaces, lending the intimacy
Chef Oakes achieves with her food. A peacock mosaic design covers the entire bar floor, adding to the grand
entrance that is a hallmark of Kuleto's designs. Counter seating allows guests to watch the activity
in the exhibition kitchen with its wood-burning oven. Lovely windows perfectly frame views of the Bay Bridge.
With its hand-blown art nouveau glass light fixtures, pressed tin, steel girders and artisan ironwork
throughout, Kuleto has created a timeless, homey interior — one that
communicates the building's past, and captures the spirit of Chef Nancy Oakes style of food.