Maven Team Planning New Mid-Market Restaurant, 'Cadence'

Maven Team Planning New Mid-Market Restaurant, 'Cadence'Photos: Andrew Dudley / Hoodline
Andrew Dudley
Published on February 25, 2015

Back in September, we revealed that the team behind Lower Haight bar and restaurant Maven would be opening a new bar called Mr. Tipple's Recording Studio at 39 Fell St. 

As it turns out, that's only half of their expansion plan.

Today Inside Scoop notes that Mr. Tipple will share the building with another project from the Maven team—a restaurant called Cadence. It'll feature a "progressive American" menu from chef Joey Elenterio of Chez TJ and Wayfare Tavern, and a bar program designed by Maven's Kate Bolton. While Mr. Tipple's entrance will be at 39 Fell St., Cadence will face the other side, with an address of 1446 Market St. 


We spoke with Maven owner Jay Bordeleau today to find out more about Cadence. He told us that Cadence will seek to maintain the energy and vibe of Maven, but take the sophistication up a notch.

"Maven's in this beautiful place because it's in the Lower Haight, but it's also pigeon-holed because it's in the Lower Haight," Bordeleau said. "[With Cadence] we're going to more of a city center, so we're going to be trying to push the envelope."

That means some notable differences: a longer menu, consisting of a la carte options spread over multiple courses. It won't quite be tapas style, but diners at Cadence will likely sample more dishes over the course of a meal than just the standard appetizer-entree-dessert.  Also, in a departure from how things are done at Maven, Cadence will take reservations.

Bordeleau said the menu is still in the testing phase, so there's no word yet on specific dishes or price points. He confirmed that Kate Bolton will be designing (though not running) the bar programs at both Cadence and Mr. Tipple's, in addition to her work at Maven. While Mr. Tipple's drinks will be more spirit-forward, expect the program at Cadence to be more culinary-driven, as it is at Maven.

As for the name "Cadence," Bordeleau noted that it actually arose from a misunderstanding. 

"My fiancee and I were riding in the car and the window was down. She was talking about baby names, and I thought she was talking about restaurant names. And she suggested 'Candace,' and I misheard her." 

The word he thought he heard, "cadence," struck him as a great name for the restaurant. To him, it meant a pattern of art moving over time. That jibed with the experience he wants visitors of the restaurant to have as they work their way through a meal at the new restaurant.

The space at 1446 Market St. was previously zoned for a restaurant that was never constructed, so it's getting a complete buildout. Bordeleau said that when it's done, it will be able to accommodate 90 customers via both communal tables (like Maven) and a dining room (unlike Maven). The team is going for a "fairly ornate, design-heavy" interior (think lots of textiles and textures and fabrics).

Though Cadence and Mr. Tipple's will technically occupy the same building, Bordeleau noted that the two will remain separate entities — customers won't really be able to flow from one to the other. (The two businesses will, however, share a set of bathrooms.)

Both Mr. Tipple's and Cadence are on track to open some time this summer, though for the sanity of Bordeleau and his team, they won't launch simultaneously. We'll have more details on both projects in the months ahead.