Doctor’s Lounge, the bar at 4826 Mission Street in the Excelsior, is now the permanent home to a weekend seafood pop-up called Pizans’ Italian Seafood Room. It’s a joint project of chefs and fisherman Ron Galileo and Steven Moran, and the concept is fresh-caught fish straight from their boat to the table, along with cocktail pairings on Sundays from Moran’s wife, bartender Victoria D’Amato-Moran. Also in the kitchen is Joe D’Amato, who is Sicilian-born and was a head chef at Alioto’s as well as an instructor at the Culinary Institute of America. Moran has been a chef at Capp’s Corner, New Pisa, and Bruno’s, as well as Original Joe’s way back when. As D’Amato-Moran tells us, “We all come from historical fishing families out of Fishermen’s Wharf and have been cooking since we were small. It’s a beautiful thing that this has happened.”
Previously, Doctor’s Lounge has played host to pop-ups like Cathead’s BBQ (now at a brick-and-mortar spot at 1665 Folsom Street), and Fat Alley Foods, which just ended last week. The bar was originally known as The Question Mark Club (or just “?”) back in 1951, and later became DR’s, owned by two guys named Don and Ron starting in 1988. The acronym became just “The Doctor’s,” and just last year came under new ownership as The Doctor’s Lounge.
Pizan’s Italian Seafood Room features home-style seafood dishes like cozze e’ vongole al linguine and crab cioppino, all in an old-school bar setting. They’ll be open this weekend, Friday through Sunday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., and they’ll be open Thursdays as well starting next week. There are 53 seats total, including the bar, and it’s cash-only and first-come-first-served. See the current menu here, which is subject to change.
Pizan’s Italian Seafood Room - In residence at Doctor’s Lounge, 4826 Mission Street between France and Onondaga - Open Friday through Sunday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Thursdays starting August 2.
