January 27, 2009

Another week, another closure. ~MECCA~ suddenly closed last week, and according to one of my sources, it sounds like there have been problems for some time. A sale seems to be in the works—will let you know if I hear anything. Not sure where the Thursday night ladeeeez fest is going to go, but someone stands to gain a rocking bar scene that night. 2029 Market St. at Church, 415-621-7000.

According to ABC records, moving into the vacated Baraka space (sniff) on Potrero Hill will be another location of ~SUNFLOWER~ from the Grandeho's Kamekyo folks—yes, like the one on the corner of 16th Street and Valencia in the Mission. I couldn’t track down a contact in time for this week’s column—hopefully I’ll uncover some info by next week. 288 Connecticut St. at 18th St.

I mentioned earlier this year that Tajine on Upper Polk had closed, and in its place is now ~CITY KEBAB~. I finally got someone to fax me a menu, so here’s the line-up: Mediterranean dips like hummus and baba ghannoush, plus helise (tomato, green onion, walnut, and red pepper sauce); soup and salads; wraps like gyros, falafel, and adana kebab (nothing over $6.95); and plates of kebabs, gyros, falafel, and beyti that come with salad, rice pilaf, and bread for about $10.95 each. Hours are 11am–11pm daily. 1338 Polk St. at Pine, 415-440-4410.

In slightly related news, did you know the original shoebox-sized Tajine location on Jones morphed into ~EDEN'S TURKISH FOOD~? The restaurant is serving a variety of kebabs, wraps, meat pies, cold Mediterranean appetizers like eggplant salad, plus ezo gelin soup (red lentil) and some other authentic Turkish dishes. Open Mon–Sat 11am–9pm. 552 Jones St. at O’Farrell, 415-928-1966.

Over in the Inner Richmond, ~SUSHI BISTRO~ has moved from their 445 Balboa location, and is now open a few doors down at 431 Balboa. The new number is 415-702-9288.

Small update for you on the reopening of ~LIMON~ in the Mission: it’s now looking like March or April. 524 Valencia St. at 16th St.

Even more Mission news: last Thursday I had dinner with the hungry and hip masses at ~MISSION STREET FOOD~. I was happy to wait in line while crunching on some scrumptious chicharrones, a gift for everyone that night from guest chef Ryan Farr. You can now look for them for sale at the bar at Elixir! H is selling them for $4 a bag or $3 with a beer. Oink. If you’re a bar owner and would like to carry these bags of Farr’s crunchy crack-in-a-bag, you can get in touch with him here. Oh, and if you want to know how he made the tasty weenies that he served that evening at MSF, here’s the slideshow.

One more development: according to MSF’s website, all of their proceeds are now going to be donated to charity, beginning with Project Open Hand, while guest chefs and cooks can choose their own charity to donate some or all of their proceeds. You can read more on the website. There is also talk of opening a second night each week—will keep you posted. Vegetarians will be really happy with this week’s MSF menu with guest chef Leif Hedendal!

Misson Mission noted that ~MISSION PIE~ is now serving a rotating offering of savory pies! The current flavors are a rainbow chard tart with pine nuts and onion ($4 slice/$22 whole tart), and a ham, broccoli, and cheddar quiche ($4.50 slice/$26 whole)—also heard a leek and feta tart has been in the mix. Vegans, you will be happy to know there’s also a daily vegan pie, like right now there is a pear and raspberry one. 2901 Mission St. (entrance on 25th St.), 415-282-4PIE.

I thought this was a cool fundraising event happening tomorrow night (Wednesday the 28th). Foreign Cinema is hosting a benefit for the ~FARMER VETERAN COALITION~, whose aim is to mobilize the farming community and ensure healthy futures for American’s veterans by enlisting their help to build a green economy and rebuild rural communities. Cocktails and appetizers will be passed, and guests will be able to meet veterans and hear about their transition into farming. Gulf War Marine vet Jim Dunlop of TLC Farms will donate the range-fed organic meat, and Navy vet and singer/songwriter Country Joe McDonald will provide music. The suggested donation is $100. Reserve tickets by calling 707-981-8010. The event runs from 7pm–11pm. 2534 Mission St. at 21st St., 415-648-7600.

This Friday January 30th, Bong Su is hosting a special ~VIETNAMESE TET CELEBRATION~, which will include a dragon dance, feed-the-dragon red envelopes, a fortune teller, good luck foods, and a menu of special dishes designed to bring happiness, wealth, prosperity, longevity, and health for the year to come. 5pm–10pm. 311 3rd St. at Folsom, 415-536-5800.Â

Super Bowl Sunday is February 1st, and here are a few spots around town doing something special: ~ENRICO’S~ is hosting their annual party, Club Level, with even more TVs, couches, raffle prizes, and live music from Jazz Mafia after the game. Guests reserve couches rather than tables and watch the game on several big-screen TVs. You can smoke cigars on the patio, and munch on molasses-glazed chicken wings, pulled pork Cuban sandwiches, and sausage sandwiches. There will also be cocktail and menu specials during the game. There is no price minimum to reserve a section, but reservations are going fast. 12pm. 504 Broadway at Kearny, 415-982-6223.

Another option is also in North Beach, at ~JOEY & EDDIE’S~. There will be multiple TVs, drink specials, and complimentary eats at halftime from Butterfly Restaurant and Joey & Eddie’s. 1:30pm. 1652 Stockton St. at Union, 415-989-7800.

And for those of you who can’t be bothered with pigskin, ~CROWN & CRUMPET~ in Ghirardelli Square is hosting their usual afternoon tea that day, plus offering a complimentary Kir Royale or Golden Star non-alcoholic tea along with some door prizes. Reserve a table by calling 415-771-4252. 900 North Point at Larkin.

Next week, bollito misto returns to ~POGGIO~, running from Tuesday February 3rd–Saturday February 7th. I had a chance to check it out last year, and it’s pretty damned tasty. A special heated cart (carello) wheels up to your table, and a server will cut and serve a selection of seven slowly simmered meats. The selection includes house-made cotechino sausage, lingua (tongue), brisket, veal breast, coda (oxtail), and capone (chicken), served with an accompanying mostarda di Cremona and a few other sauces. The a la carte price is $19 and includes a selection of meats, potato puree, and sauces. There are also some special antipasti and pastas to choose from, in addition to the regular menu. 777 Bridgeway, Sausalito, 415-332-7771.

Night owls and late-night partiers should know that ~ZARÉ AT FLY TRAP~ has launched Ten After Ten. Owner Hoss Zaré is offering parties of ten or more who are celebrating a special occasion 50% off the cost of food if they make a dinner reservation for 10pm or later. The deal is available Mon–Sat, and parties of ten or more must simply reserve their table and mention the special occasion they are celebrating: be it bachelorette, birthday, anniversary, or something else. The kitchen closes at midnight, and the bar stays open until 1am. 606 Folsom St. at 2nd St., 415-243-0580.

Over in Berkeley, ~CIOCCOLATA DI VINO~, an Italian dessert and wine café has opened. While the savory and sweet items are primarily Italian, the wines are international. Hours are Tue–Thu 9:30am–10pm, Fri–Sat 9:30am–11pm, and Sun 10:30am–9pm. 1801 Shattuck Ave. at Delaware, Berkeley, 510-898-1392.

~ERRATA~

Perhaps I’ve been spending too much time enjoying the fine eats in the Richmond, and so I mistakenly lumped the newly opened Hollow Café over there in last week’s column. But, Hollow is in the Sunset, which I actually knew, but just in case I didn’t, thank goodness there were over 15 tablehopper readers who wrote in to correct me. So, to prevent any confusion in the future, I’m just going to refer to anything west of Stanyan as the Outerlands, the whole lot, whether it’s the Sunset or the Richmond. I simply can’t afford to make any more mistakes and keep up with all the emails, especially the offended cranky ones. It was just a brain fart, kind of like how this little Outerlands nomenclature bit is a JOKE.

Before wrapping up, let’s circle back to Marcia thinking Cocina Poblana was yet to open in Jack London Square in Oakland, and whoops, that location is already open. How does Bon Qui Qui say it? Oh yeah, my bad! Who am I kidding? I am in the 510 about once a month, so my goof is just further proof of my East Bay ignorance. But I’ll be dining at Chez this Thursday, so I’ll be sure to pay lots of attention to what’s around me. And people wonder why I don’t cover the South Bay too!