The Bay Area has never exactly been a celebrity hotbed (apologies to misters Penn, Williams, and Hammer).

So when Food Network darling Tyler Florence ran for the hills (of Marin), it was news. And his restaurant, Wayfare Tavern, opening tomorrow in the FiDi, has been making headlines of its own.

Housed in the legendary Rubicon space, Wayfare looks like the handsome offspring of a tavern (wood floors from a Kentucky tobacco farm, tufted brown leather booths), a hunting lodge (mounted deer heads), and a gentleman’s club (a killer parlor room with a red pool table upstairs).

The cuisine is American classy, with nods to the Barbary Coast: potted Sonoma duck liver with vine-roasted grapes, a raw bar, buttermilk-brined fried chicken, cornmeal pound cake with summer berries.

Craft cocktails are fittingly served at the mirrored bar, which might be the best spot to enjoy Florence’s burger, made with a top-secret, three-meat recipe. A star is born.

Wayfare Tavern, 585 Sacramento Street, between Montgomery and Sansome Streets (415-772-9060 or wayfaretavern.com).

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Photo: John Lee Pictures / Courtesy of Wayfare Tavern