La Folie will close its doors after 32 years in San Francisco La Folie Lounge next door will also shutter

La Folie, located at 2316 Polk St. in San Francisco, will permanently close its doors on March 14 after 32 years in service. La Folie, located at 2316 Polk St. in San Francisco, will permanently close its doors on March 14 after 32 years in service. Photo: Photo By L L. On Yelp Photo: Photo By L L. On Yelp Image 1 of / 67 Caption Close La Folie will close its doors after 32 years in San Francisco 1 / 67 Back to Gallery

Roland Passot, chef and owner of the 32-year-old restaurant La Folie, has spent the last three decades cooking decadent French dishes at his Russian Hill restaurant. But at the age of 65, Passot believes it’s time to move on.

Passot announced on Monday that he and his wife Jamie Passot would close La Folie on March 14, along with La Folie Lounge next door.

“It’s been a good run and we’ve been here for so many years,” Passot told SFGATE. “On Saturday, we told the employees. It was very emotional.”

Passot said the decision to close La Folie and the lounge was done on his terms. He said they had considered signing a new 10-year lease, but declined when they considered it would mean running the restaurant well into his '70s.

“We decided it was time to close. It’s time to do other things.”

In 1988, Passot and his wife opened La Folie, which maintained its original location all those years. Then in 2009, they opened the sleek La Folie Lounge that was adorned with wooden floors, pressed tin ceiling arches and an antique iron gate behind the bar.

Through the years, Passot had the privilege of serving a number of famous individuals at La Folie, which included the likes of Herb Caen and two former presidents (Francois Hollande of France and Bill Clinton).

Chef Thomas McNaughton, of Flour+Water and a La Folie alum, recalled that special visit when he used to work at the restaurant around 2003.

"It was interesting because there were four tables for Secret Service that we had no idea about,” Thomas told SFGATE. “We thought they were normal guests.”

For Passot, one of the most memorable moments of his career included the visit of prominent French chef Paul Bocuse, who dined at the restaurant around 1992 along with an entourage of other well-known French chefs. Bocuse passed away in 2018.

“He called me and said, ‘Hello, I’m coming in for lunch.’ When [Paul] called I said, ‘We’re not open for lunch,’ and he said, ‘I’m bringing the bread, you’re cooking.’ [They were] some of the most iconic chefs in the world and they were my idols, all under one roof at my restaurant. It was unbelievable.”

Many of Passot’s former staff have also gone on to open restaurants, such as chef McNaughton. They include Shaun McCrain, chef-owner of Seattle’s upscale Copine, and Anna Klinger, chef-owner of al di la Trattoria in Brooklyn, who co-owns the business with husband Emiliano Coppa.

Passot, who refers to his past staff as his children, said he’s very proud of them and credits them with his own success.

“So many people came through our doors through the years. We want to give them a big hats off because it’s what made La Folie what it is today.”

Passot said he looks forward to writing a book once the restaurant closes in March, which will be part cookbook and part memoir. He plans to reach out to his former staff so they can share their own memories of working at La Folie and the “good old days of San Francisco.”

Although Passot will close La Folie, he won’t fully step away from the restaurant business.

He has partnered with local restaurant group Vine Dining to collaborate on several concepts, including the three Bay Area locations of Left Bank as well as Meso and LB Steak, both located in San Jose's Santana Row.

“I won’t be cooking anymore like I was at the La Folie, but it’s not like I’m going to be bored,” Passot said.

La Folie is located at 2316 Polk St. and La Folie Lounge is located at 2316 Polk St.

Susana Guerrero is an SFGATE digital reporter. Email: Susana.Guerrero@sfgate.com | Twitter: @SusyGuerrero3