Tres Agaves , the hopping San Francisco Mexican restaurant and Tequila lounge (130 Townsend, near Second Street) is minus one big rocker. Partner Sammy Hagar is pulling out, according to his peeps.
It's unclear whether the break is amicable. Steve Kauffman, president of Cabo Wabo Enterprises, Hagar's Tequila and restaurant business, says the former Van Halen front man wants to invest more time in his solo ventures -- music, a thriving Tequila business and his Cabo Wabo Cantina, with locations in Mexico, Lake Tahoe and possibly a new one in Las Vegas.
Tres Agaves managing partner Eric Rubin says, "Sammy is truly a visionary. We wish him all the luck in the world."
Still, after less than two years in business, it appears that there's more to the story than good wishes. Tres Agaves co-owner Julio Bermejo, one of the country's experts on Tequila and whose family owns Tommy's Mexican Restaurant (5929 Geary Blvd., near 23rd Avenue), hasn't been visible at the popular South of Market watering hole since April. When contacted by Scoop, Bermejo said he couldn't talk and directed us to his lawyer. We're still waiting for the attorney to call us back.
In the meantime, the remaining partners, who include Joseph Manzare of Globe, Zuppa and Pescheria, are scouring the 'burbs for a second location, with Palo Alto as their numero uno choice. They love the demographic -- Stanford college students, professors and well-heeled eaters -- but hate the price tags. Rents in the Peninsula city are high, so they're still searching in San Jose and Contra Costa County.
Scoop votes for Walnut Creek so Tres Agaves can go head to head with Carlos Santana's new Maria Maria Mexican restaurant (1470 N. Broadway), scheduled to open in April (see the Feb. 21 Inside Scoop). Maybe then Sammy would come back and the two rockers could duke it out on Main Street.
But seriously, if the Tres Agaves folks find an existing restaurant space that they like, Rubin says they could have the new place up and running later this year.
Source:
San Francisco Chronicle
