Georges

About Georges

From the fish we choose each day from San Francisco family operated seafood distributors , to the vegetables grown for us by Bay Area farmers, everything we serve at Georges Restaurant is fresh because it's local. We change our menu frequently to showcase what's seasonal and available, choosing organic, sustainable ingredients whenever possible.

Our Food

Chef Michael Bilger has crafted a menu that includes some new renditions of classic San Francisco seafood dishes, house made pastas, naturally raised meats, hand made salumi and much more. His style of Meditereanean inspired California cuisine is always flavorful, well balanced and approachable, and highlights the natural flavors of our local bounty.

Our restaurant in the historic Fugazi Building serves lunch, dinner and features a raw bar with shellfish from local waters as well as the Atlantic coast. We also invite you to join us in the late afternoon for cocktails, wines or draft beer.

Our Environmental Ethics

At Georges, our commitment to sustainability extends far beyond your plate. We built our kitchen with energy-efficient equipment and designed our dining room with fixtures made from reclaimed old-growth wood. The tables are made of reclaimed Asian rosewood flooring and other wooden fixtures you see are fabricated from redwood recycled from vintage wine tanks, olive tanks, barns and bridges.

We source our seafood using the Monterey Bay Aquariums "Seafood Watch" program guidelines. We crush shells from our raw bar into fertilizers for our farmers. We even use a certified green web host.

As a green business and advocate for sustainable food organizations, Georges aims to enlighten and inspire our customers and the larger community with our dedication to environmental responsibility.

Sustainable Seafood: Fish for the Future

We love seafood, and we know you do, too. That's why we serve only seafood that has been fished or farmed in a way that protects the environment and allows the fish population to keep growing.

We once thought that the ocean would supply us with an endless amount of seafood. But today we know that many fish species are threatened by overfishing, overconsumption, or certain fishing techniques. If our habits don't change, major fish types may become extinct in about four decades. Alternatives exist and many fisheries and associated industries are working to improve the situation. In addition, consumers can make an impact, just by choosing one type of seafood over another.

Since we want you to know as much as we do, we're happy to provide you with the latest Seafood Watch pocket guide so you can choose ocean-friendly fish wherever you dine. Because loving seafood means making choices that support healthy, abundant oceans for years to come.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium provides a number of sustainable seafood resources through their Seafood Watch program, including apps for both Android and iPhone.

Michael Bilger, Chef

Chef Michael's experience with the restaurant industry began humbly, bussing and waiting tables at greasy spoons while attending college in Southern California, where he grew up. But even with this modest introduction, Bilger was hooked on the frenetic energy of the restaurant industry. So when he became restless with his studies and humdrum suburban lifestyle, he decided to make two moves; one from the San Fernando Valley to San Francisco and the other from the dining room to the kitchen.

Michael was lucky enough to start the first culinary chapter of his career under the tutelage of Carlo Middione at San Francisco's Vivande Porta Via. Vivande was a perfect fit for Michael, as the Southern Italian cuisine of Middione was an affirmation of the soulful and delicious food of his Sicilian nana, Angeline, who had first introduced Bilger to the pleasures of the table and the joy to be found in the sharing of their creation. Chef Carlo recognized Bilger's connection to his cuisine and promoted Chef Michael to lead the kitchen at Vivande after only eighteen months .

Michael was then recruited by Chef Brian Whitmer and Ed and Mary Etta Moose of the landmark Moose's restaurant in North Beach. Whitmer, who had garnered several SF Chronicle 3 star reviews and "Best New Restaurant in America" from Esquire magazine, was looking for someone to bring an authentic fresh pasta program to Moose's. Whitmer was impressed by the young Chef, and his experience at Vivande. So he brought him on board as Sous Chef, and here Bilger began to develop a style incorporating the traditional Italian cuisine he had learned from Carlo with a more contemporary California approach.

When Whitmer left Moose's in 2000 to open the Lodge at Sonoma, he brought Bilger along with him as Chef de Cuisine at Carneros Restaurant. A subsequent construction delay on the hotel afforded Michael the opportunity to further hone his craft with James Beard award winning Chef Nancy Oakes at Boulevard in the meantime. But it was at Carneros that Michael began to develop his own culinary style, focused on the ingredients obtained with relationships from area farmers, artisans and winemakers. When Whitmer left the hotel in 2002, Bilger took over as Executive chef, garnering numerous accolades including the Award of Culinary Excellence from Renaissance Hotels and an invitation from the James Beard House as a featured guest Chef.

In 2005, the Big Island of Hawaii came calling, when Kukio Beach and Golf club, one of the country's most exclusive and elegant private clubs tapped Bilger as Chef de Cuisine. Here, Michael further continued his understanding of the source of his ingredients. He accessed the small closed system aquaculture products of the islands unique Natural Energy Laboratory, learned first hand about the challenges and successes of the nations most well preserved fishery, and created new relationships with small farmers. In 2008, Michael took over as Executive Chef at Kukio, where he oversaw two separate restaurants with menus changing on a weekly basis.

In 2010, Bilger and his family decided it was time to come home for good. To Bilger and his wife Nicola, there was no other place that they felt as at home personally and professionally than San Francisco. After a stint working with Celebrity Chef Tyler Florence at his flagship restaurant, Wayfare Tavern, Bilger joined the team at Georges. Here, Chef Michael continues to value the source of his ingredients and showcases their natural flavors, this time focused extensively on sustainable seafood, preparing them in flavorful, approachable and well balanced preparations.