THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED The Commissary

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED The Commissary Restaurant Review:

Its name is no joke: occupying what was once the mess hall of a 19th-century military barracks in San Francisco's Presidio, The Commissary sports reclaimed U.S. Army lighting fixtures and, among other features, a panoramic front porch. It's from chef-restaurateur Traci Des Jardins. The open kitchen is outfitted with ringside-style seating at this Presidio Trust project. The ever-shifting array of California-interpreted Spanish fare has included sardines escabeche, sweet pea and ham croquetas, and striped bass and clams with almond-garlic picada. Satisfying classics range from crispy potato tapas to juicy albóndigas. But Des Jardins' wild imagination elevates such inventions as fennel-artichoke paella and saffron-vanilla ice cream with pine nut turrón. Cavas and sangrías augment a wine list almost exclusively honoring Spain and California; cocktails such as the Sand & Fog, comprising Scotch, sherry, eucalyptus and nettles, riff slyly on Spain.