The third major arrival into North Park’s food ascent is about to go up. You had Michelin-star Drew Deckman with 31ThirtyOne. Then Leila, the Middle Eastern fairyland from CH Projects.
And now chef Brad Wise—the stocky mensa chef who first woodsmoked his way into North Park hearts with his debut restaurant Trust—is opening his dream French spot. It’s going into the iconic corner of 30th and University Ave in May, 2025 (gods willing).
It’s going to be named A’L’ouest, which sounds like a spendy cologne and means “to the west.” It’ll seat 200, with a massive patio. It’ll be open and airy with Bill Walton-sized windows. He wants every damn seat to have a view of the North Park sign. It’ll serve riffs on all-day French classics that smell like the good part of camping.
“This corner is special,” says Wise. “It’s where I wanted to put my first restaurant.”
But he couldn’t because he hadn’t earned it yet. When he opened Trust in 2016, no one knew what to make of this chef nicknamed Panda (he’s apparently real good at MMA, nearly pro or something, and would often show up to the kitchen with a shiner). Trust was SDM’s “New Restaurant of the Year” back then and it only kept spawning good things—Fort Oak, Rare Society (steakhouse), Wise Ox (a marinated meatery and un-vegan sandwich spot), Cardellino, and Wild Child (an ice cream experience). He’s opened a handful of Rare Societys across California and, soon, Vegas.
Now that we got the details out of the way, let’s riff.
Finally. This corner was sad and particle-boarded for too long, front and center at North Park’s pearly gates like a protest against negronis and social facilitation. I’m sure the asking price wasn’t small. North Park is the next food-scene promised land; Little Italy east with more facial hair-based irony. A marquee spot like this often requires out-of-town money, nice people but not people who know the neighborhood. Instead, it got Brad, who’s been dreaming of this spot for eight years.
“The restaurant’s a nod to my journey out this way,” says Wise, who started cooking in Jersey as a kid. “I started in a French kitchen. Not a high end fancy one—a blue-collar New York-style kitchen where everyone was classically trained.”
It’ll be designed by San Diego’s GTC Design, the same people who’ve built all of Wise’s places, including Fort Oak’s 50s-era Ford dealership that has pretty incredible car-salesmen-and-veneers vibes. Vegetation everywhere.
“When we went to Paris, they do such a great job of balancing city life with nature—soil and minerals and natural stone,” he says.
We’re both afraid to stereotype, but if it’s ok, it seems like he’d like a traditionally feminine vibe to it. I’m thinking Jeune et Jolie when he says it, but maybe I’m wrong.
The space is basically square, with a big wraparound patio that stretches down 30th street, and the main seating part along University. For food, think unpretentious, wood-smoked brasserie classics, like tartare, steak frites with au poivre, coq au vin, pastas, and some brunch ideas.
“How do you bridge duck a l’orange with scrambled eggs and toast?” he asks. “The most important thing for me is consistency. Something you can count on. I wanna have a beef tartare so good and consistent that it’s the same for 25 years.”
Beverage director Jess Stewart will do cocktails (“delicate, effervescent” say her people), French and California wines from wine director Ben Zuba.
