When it comes to restaurant openings in San Francisco, the more high-profile the venture, the larger the spectacle. In the last year, I’ve covered restaurant openings that included red carpets, DJs and professional photo booths.

Behind the scenes, public relations crews coordinate the launch by aggressively scheduling chef interviews and disseminating pertinent restaurant intel.

The process is familiar. The machine, well-oiled.

Still after covering dozens of openings this year alone, the launch of International Smoke, which opens today, came with a caveat I’d yet to encounter: I was sent talking points and asked to follow them when interviewing Ayesha Curry and Michael Mina.

“Please do NOT refer to the building as ‘Millennium Tower.’ Do call it 301 Mission St.,” one request reads reads.

Hm. This was a hard task considering 301 Mission St. is the actual address of the Millennium Tower. And unless International Smoke somehow ripped a hole in the space time continuum, plunging into an existence devoid of place, it’s on the first floor of the tower.

“Please do NOT refer to International Smoke as a ‘barbecue’ restaurant,” said another.

Curious. Is Rich Table’s RT Rotisserie not a rotisserie restaurant? Is In-N-Out not a burger restaurant? Is Tony Gemignani’s Slice House not a pizza spot? International Smoke is a barbecue restaurant in every sense of the idea, in that its menu bills smoked meats, char siu quail, Vietnamese-style barbecued pork chops and grilled seafood. (Click here to see the full menu.)

Now, I have to say I recognize public relations groups have a job to do, but in this case, it seems that there is a lack of understanding of what journalists do. Talking points or trying to control the narrative for a story impedes our ability to do our job.

(Note: For this opening, the Mina crew worked with Magnum PR, the local outfit run by Jen Pelka, who is also the mastermind behind the Riddler in Hayes Valley.)

One talking point, however, made sense: It asked media to try to avoid talking about the Warriors or Ayesha’s husband. I support this: Ayesha is a budding culinary superstar, powerhouse lifestyle brand and celebrity in her own right. There’s no reason to mention her husband or his profession.

As for the other talking points? They provided more questions than answers.

International Smoke: 301 Mission St.; Dinner service from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday, and until 10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Lunch service will come at a later date.

Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JustMrPhillips