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Posh Venue to Feature Anthology Of Good Food, Live Music

Howard Berkson, 49, the chief executive officer of Berkson Realty Advisors LLC, has a knack for spotting market niches.

The Chicago native started college as a music major before changing to a business curriculum, practiced law for a short time in that city, moved to San Diego in 1982, and ultimately turned to real estate development. But he regretted leaving the music world behind.

Now, with the opening of Anthology, a posh restaurant that will feature live jazz, rhythm and blues and classic rock ‘n’ roll in Little Italy, he has found a way to blend his talents, ambitions and a sizable chunk of money.

“I always wanted to get back into music, and as a developer I’m now in a financial position to do so,” he said.

Berkson’s goal: To create an establishment that offers a harmonious blend of cuisine and live musical entertainment that appeals to “the over-30 crowd of boomers and Gen-Xers looking for an option to hip hop and the Gaslamp clubs” , a demographic he says is “completely” under-served.

“Over the years, I’ve been to many places that had both food and music and they were either good for music or for food, but not both. One or the other was always an afterthought,” he said. “If the food was emphasized, then the sightlines, audiovisual and acoustics for music suffered.”

By contrast, he said Anthology will feature a 17-foot-by-25-foot stage, a half-million dollars’ worth of audiovisual equipment, and “perfect acoustical attenuation.”


Emphasizing Music And Food

The first floor, mezzanine and second floor will all have unobstructed views of the stage. Aside from stage and eating areas, the first floor also includes a kitchen, bar and lounge. The mezzanine contains booth seating. The second floor houses additional dining and a lounge, a private VIP dining room, a second kitchen, bar and lounge, as well as an outdoor balcony and a fireplace.

While there is seating for 250 in the dining and lounge areas, a total of 650 customers could be accommodated for performances.

The plan is that 70 percent of the entertainment booked will be nationally known artists, and the remainder will be “new and emerging acts,” Berkson said.

Among what he calls “the A-Team” of musical, organizational and culinary talent is Michael Pritchard, who managed the backstage area for Humphrey’s Half Moon Inn for the last eight years.

“That gives us instant credibility with musicians and agencies,” Berkson said, explaining how Pritchard’s relationships with industry professionals have facilitated booking top talent. Berkson declined, however, to say who was lined up for the establishment’s opening.


Ogden’s Influence

Famed Bay Area chef Bradley Ogden, a co-owner of the Lark Creek Restaurant Group of eight eateries, has joined the Anthology team as a chef consultant. Ogden is also the chef consultant for Arterra restaurant in the San Diego Marriott Del Mar. In 2003, his company partnered with Caesars Palace in Las Vegas to open the acclaimed Bradley Ogden restaurant, which received the Best New Las Vegas Restaurant award in 2004.

For Anthology, Ogden is creating an eclectic menu that he said will be “American in style with some Asian influence here and there, including sushi and oysters.” Stressing “naturally fed” beef and seafood and “organic farm to table” produce, Ogden added that the menu will change daily.

“Things plucked from the garden in the morning will be put on the menu, but there will be structure,” he said. “A typical dish would be braised Kobe short ribs in a potpie with summer veggies, or a sweet onion, parsley, dumpling casserole dish.”

Local food critic Eileen Sondak said Anthology made a smart choice by getting Ogden to create its menu.

“I’d put my money on him,” Sondak said. “Everything he’s done is great and Anthology will add spice to Little Italy. If Ogden says he’s going to change the menu daily, that tells me he’s going to respond to what diners want and also go with what’s best in the marketplace, not get nailed into something and be unable to find the right product.

“If they find something exotic, then they can try that. In today’s competitive age, changing the menu daily means you’re going with the freshest ingredients and what is appealing at the moment and most popular with diners.”

Jim Phillips, formerly the executive chef at Pamplemousse Grille in Solana Beach, who will be Anthology’s executive chef, has teamed with Ogden to create its menu.

“There is a rich agricultural community right in our own back yard (of San Diego), and we want to take advantage of that,” he said.


A $25 Million Project

The tab for Anthology, which is scheduled to open in May in 13,000 square feet of space on the first two floors of an eight-story, mixed-use office condo building that Berkson has under construction between India and Columbia streets, is $6 million. The entire project will run $25 million. The restaurant will face India Street and the office condo entrance will be on Columbia Street.

Noted San Francisco architectural firm Baldauf Catton Von Eckartsberg designed the concrete, glass and steel building in a style Berkson calls “contemporary coastal.”

“Historically, San Diego developers have shied away from building high-rises in smaller midblock locations,” he said. “The trend has been to gobble up entire blocks and the result is a large massing of structures, which, I think, in many ways detracts from architectural uniqueness, particularly in downtown.”

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