Opening tonight (November 5th) in the former Luella on Russian Hill is STONES THROW. This welcoming neighborhood restaurant will feature Cal-American cuisine from chef Jason Halverson (previously Michael Mina)—some photos from test dinners looked marvy. As previously mentioned on tablehopper, he is partnering with general manager Ryan Cole, also an alum of the Mina Group, plus partners Jason Kirmse and Cyrick Hia (Fat Angel), and front-of-house and operations partner Tai Ricci, formerly of SPQR and Michael Mina. Yup, it’s quite a pack of industry folks who know what the hell they’re doing.
The dinner menu covers snacks for $8 (like potato puffs or duck pâté), starters (like sunchoke soup or squid ink conchiglie pasta, $12-$16), and mains (from duck breast to chestnut ravioli, $16-$29). The dessert menu should remind you of some childhood favorites (with a twist). The beer list is an extensive one (natch), with four draft beers nightly and craft beers from around the world. The wines will be value-driven, from the familiar to the adventurous, with 11 wines by the glass.
The restaurant has room for 49, and the 11-seat bar will be an easy place to swing by. There’s a bright yellow exterior (you can’t miss it), while inside there are large windows, wood tabletops and exposed rafters, banquette seating, and pendant barn lights. Since parking is such a nightmare in the neighborhood, you can take an Uber to the restaurant and receive 5 percent off your check—just alert the host or hostess when you arrive. Ta-da! Dinner is Tue-Thu 5:30pm-10:30pm, Fri-Sat 5:30pm-11pm, Sun 11am-2pm and 5:30pm-10pm. The bar opens nightly at 5pm. 1896 Hyde St. at Green, 415-796-2901.
The cheerful exterior of Stones Throw. Photo courtesy of Stones Throw.
