Perhaps you remember my post last month about lunching at Lafitte, the rather spirited, nonconforming San Francisco restaurant, which had received a scathing one-and-a-half star review earlier by the mighty San Francisco Chronicle.

There were many things I enjoyed about that lunch. There were also a few things I thought definitely needed rethinking. All in all, it was a lunch that left me mostly satisfied, but also with the feeling that there had to be more to the place than what I had on the plate that afternoon.

Sure enough, there is. Dinner is where Chef Russell Jackson and his rebel crew truly shine. Lunch was like a band warming up — fun to listen to, but leaving you wanting something more polished and satisfying in the end. Dinner delivers that. It’s when the kitchen crew lets it rip with creativity and technique, leaving you rapt.

There’s no better seat to experience all that, too, than at the massive wood counter that fronts the open kitchen. As of  a week ago, when I was invited in for dinner as a guest of the restaurant, all the counter seats are  now reserved for a new prix fixe dining experience.

There’s little clue to what’s in store. Scan down the regular menu, and you’ll spot a tiny symbol of a flag with a skull and crossbones with “$125” next to it. That’s the symbol for the tasting menu and as much information as you’ll get about it.

Take a seat at the counter (aka, the “Chef’s Plank”)  in front of Chef Jackson, who will personally cook for you for the night. He’ll ask you if you have any allergies or vehement dislikes. But beyond that, you’re in his experienced hands.

With his wild mohawk, sturdy build and handle of “Dissident Chef,” he’s an imposing figure. But he puts you right at ease once he starts gabbing, and his goofball humor comes out.

As he builds the dishes in front of you, he’ll tell you how he came to name his restaurant, “Lafitte” instead of his originally intended “Lafayette,” because he’s admittedly not the best speller. So, when he tried to spell “Lafayette” in the Google search box, up popped up “Lafitte” instead, and he became enamored with the 18th Century pirate. When you ask about the upside-down red stick figure emroidered on the back of his chef’s jacket, he might just pull out his iPad to show you photos of himself, sky-diving.

Read more