Petite Cafe Aims to Compete With Fine Dining Restaurants for FiDi Lunches

Homage has been challenging the lunch patterns of busy worker bees since it opened in 2016 with a farm-focused menu from a former fine dining chef. Now chef David Kurtz is expanding his concept with Homage LTD, an 820-square-foot cafe, currently open at 214 California Street.

Its diminutive size (hence the “limited” denomination in its name) sets it apart from the much larger, original Homage at 88 Hardie Place, seating 38 diners inside and on the sidewalk. Homage LTD will also offer food in the evening at “twilight hour,” (see menu below) in addition to breakfast and lunch, an offering less prevalent among the neighborhood’s other eateries that tend to close up shop after the midday lunch rush.

Kurtz intends it as a place to grab a glass of wine and food in a neighborhood where dinner options skew towards tasting menus and expense accounts, in a laid-back setting with the same attention to quality of food.

“I’m done with top tier fine-dining,” says Kurtz, who has cooked at SF restaurants like COI, Michael Mina. “We want to be the answer to casual versions of these fine dining restaurants.”

The menus at the two restaurants will be similar, featuring the produce from a different and specific farm each month. (July’s featured farm is K&J Orchards.) Composed dishes like salad of K&J orchard’s stone fruit, radicchio, escarole, toasted cashews, feta cheese, and mint-lemon vinaigrette, a daily selection of oysters, and pressed sandwiches will change monthly.

Photo by Gabriel Rojas Photography, courtesy of Gi Paoletti Design Lab

But even though it’s in the Financial District, don’t expect plastic containers of “grab-and-go” lunch items here: The entire menu is available for takeout, and is all made to order with workers’ lunch needs in mind.

Unfortunately, bottles of wine won’t be available for sale as previously reported; there is a still a wide selection of bottles or by-the-glass wine for purchase in the cafe, plus a deep vermouth selection available as flights or in low-ABV cocktails. There’s also a custom-built espresso machine serving Verve Coffee, Andytown drip coffee, and a selection of teas.

The design, from Gi Paoletti Design Lab, features communal high-tops, small booths with Homage’s signature toile pattern, exposed brick and warm wood throughout.

It’s open now, Monday-Friday only for breakfast starting 7 a.m. -10:45 a.m., lunch from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., and twilight hour from 3 p.m.- 9 p.m.