The crowd at Orson's circular marble bar.
All photos by Josh Reiss.

Elizabeth Falkner of Citizen Cake fame premiered her newest enterprise, Orson, this week in SoMa. All the prerequisites were in place: the line sprawling down Fourth Street, the large doorman, the chocolate-smeared nude waitresses, the usual crowd of power lesbians and prowling thirty-somethings thronging through the lofty space.


Falkner addresses the crowd from the catwalk.

A few unexpected elements emerged as well: I'm referring of course to the catwalk, the rock band, the bar stations running out of glasses to serve the teeming masses—not to mention passed hors d'oeuvres of foie gras truffles and Serrano strips hanging from clothespins like meaty laundry.


Mixing up citrus vodka-grapefruit cocktails.

In short, it was your typical SF restaurant opening. It is, of course, impossible to know what a restaurant holds in store based on its opening party—kind of like trying to judge what a woman will become based on her teenage debutante ball—but if I had to wager, I'd say Orson is going to be four things: sexy, experimental, trendy—and a great place to get dessert until midnight.


Flirting the night away.