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Sep 25, 2017 23 min read

September 26, 2017 - This week's tablehopper: sweet heat.

September 26, 2017 - This week's tablehopper: sweet heat.
Table of Contents

This week's tablehopper: sweet heat.                    

The Summer Breeze from the tablehopper brunch at Rooh: No. 3 London Dry Gin, guava, citrus, prosecco. Photo: © tablehopper.com.

Hiya. Tremendous thanks to everyone who attended the tablehopper Indian brunch on Saturday at the stylish Rooh! It was such a beautiful brunch (have you been yet?), and the No. 3 London Dry Gin cocktails were all beyond fantastic—it was tough to pick a favorite. That bar does such a great job!

You can scroll through some pics on Instagram here, thanks for coming out—such a fun group. I was especially happy to have my family there. Oh, and chef Sujan is going to be collaborating on a dinner at La Mar this Thursday September 28th!

So, coming up next is my first tablehopper East Bay event, next Friday October 6th (6pm-9pm)! I’m cohosting the opening party for the upcoming Donato & Co., and it’s going to be an apericena feast! Read all about it in today’s tablehopper—tickets are moving fast (they are crazy cheap, just $45, and it includes three cocktails/wine!) so don’t delay. Looking forward to hanging out with you.

There are a lot of events going on this coming week, from Mexico fundraisers (please show some support!) to the Tastemaker Collective international chef dinners, including a big party this Saturday evening. (Don’t forget tablehopper readers get a nice discount—read my post for more!)

I also have a tablehopper fundraiser for Mexico in the works for October. As soon as the date and details are finalized, I will let you know! I’m going to need volunteers, food and drink donations, and of course, dear people to buy tickets. Things are already happening and it’s looking great. Thanks everyone. You’re amazing.

Enjoy the beautiful weather this week. I know already I’m playing hooky and going to the beach tomorrow—I’ve been tracking the weather all week and made sure to get my work done ahead of time. Boss of me said go for it. I hope yours does too.

Cheers gang. Marcia Gagliardi


the chatterbox

Gossip & News (the word on the street)

A Preview Look at Eight Tables by George Chen, a High-End Dining Experience at China Live

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The swank seating at Cold Drinks Bar. All photos: © tablehopper.com (except where noted).

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The main room at Cold Drinks.

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The elegant and residentail foyer at Eight Tables by George Chen. Photo courtesy of China Live.

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Another look at the foyer (and family pictures).

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Bar director Anthony Keels with his stunning bar cart and cocktail nook.

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Two of the eight tables.

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The jiu gong ge (nine essential flavors of Chinese cuisine) course at Eight Tables. Photo: © tablehopper.com.

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The Four Seas dumpling (with caviar service).

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The delightful black cod course, wrapped in banana leaf.

The next stage of China Live’s rollout has been completed, so it’s time to head up to the second floor. Although it has been soft open for the past couple of weeks (there are reservations currently available on OpenTable), EIGHT TABLES BY GEORGE CHEN is officially opening on Tuesday October 3rd.

I was invited for a preview dinner last week, and I highly recommend stopping by the new upstairs bar beforehand, Cold Drinks Bar. It’s pretty much the city’s sexiest bar right now, a bit hidden away with its aboveground Chinatown location, so chic and featuring just the right touch of vintage Shanghai glamour. AvroKO does it again with this unique and captivating design. Try heading in there before sunset so you can experience the changing of the evening light in there.

Former beverage director Duggan McDonnell is behind the inventive Scotch-driven cocktail list. Start your evening with the Nothing Sacred or Shanghai Mai Tai while admiring the groovy (baby) mustard leather chairs, handsome bartenders outfitted in their jackets custom made by North Beach’s Al’s Attire, and futuristic details like the gleaming conduit and lighting above. And yes, Mr. McDonnell has sadly moved on to another gig that is going to allow more time for him to be with his family—he is going to be missed. I loved having his cocktails and picks for sherry and wines back in my life.

So, it’s dinnertime. You’re actually supposed to enter Eight Tables from the back alley (Kenneth Rexroth Place) and head upstairs in an elevator, which will then open into a foyer that feels like you stumbled onto a set from In the Mood for Love. There’s a vintage stereo console (you know the kind: a big cabinet with integrated speakers), and we had Miles Davis playing on the record player. There’s a shimmery brushed velvet couch and chair with a Stremaline Moderne vibe, family photographs, and other personal effects that really make you feel like you have been received in George and Cindy Wong-Chen’s home.

You’ll saunter by the wine display, which is getting even more stocked up by the day, and then there’s a little bar nook where bar director Anthony Keels will work his cocktail magic (there are actually bar carts, so expect some mobile moves as well). He was previously the bar director at Saison for three-plus years, and this evening, he wowed us with his smooth house martini, featuring vodka infused with wok-grilled rice, and the Lily Pond, a gin-based cocktail with clarified cucumber water, sorrel, peppercress, and nasturtium. My guest and I had fun hanging out in the two chairs opposite the bar area at the end of our meal for a nightcap. It really built the residential feeling, hanging out like that, but with quite a bit more theater (most people don’t have liquid nitrogen in their home).

The dining room is made of eight nooks for the namesake eight tables, and everything is in a soothing taupe and shell and other natural colors. There are curving booths, and soft lighting, and comfortable chairs made from Northern Chinese elm with woven backs. Since there aren’t any windows, you really feel like you are tucked away in a private space upstairs in some building, and you’re not even sure where or which country. There is a luxurious amount of space and privacy between all the tables, ideal for business meetings or assignations. Your secrets are safe here. There is also a chef’s table in the kitchen ($300, with an optional beverage pairing for $200).

The menu is inspired by shifan tsai (private chateau cuisine), a historic Chinese culinary style that is currently being revitalized in cosmopolitan cities in China like Hong Kong and Shanghai, and even in private homes in Los Angeles. The 10-course, banquet-style menu here ($225) is overseen by George Chen, with chef de cuisine Chi-Feng (Robin) Lin. They will be integrating both ancient and modern techniques with a San Francisco approach, keeping a close eye on seasonality (featuring produce from their close farm relationships and their rooftop garden!) and luxury ingredients as well.

You start with the charming jiu gong ge (nine essential flavors of Chinese cuisine) course, with nine tastes that exhibit flavors from sweet to salty to ma la (numbing/tingling) to bitter, presented in beautiful little colorful dishes. Courses following range from a very subtle Gulf prawn consommé to the intriguing black cod in banana leaf, with little surprises like lotus root and fermented Armenian cucumber/white melon.

A particular highlight for me was the trifecta of Peking duck skin topped with keluga caviar and a sip of my 2011 Louis Roederer rosé Champagne, just wow, and the spoon-tender red-braised pork was also exquisite and cooked to perfection. Like downstairs, pastry chef Luis Villavelazquez is behind the modern/Western desserts.

This is meant to be a preview piece and not a review, but I have to say a few of the dishes left me wanting more wonder and pop, and a touch more finesse at that price point. But I know this is just the very beginning, so I’m looking forward to see how it will evolve in time and what George Chen has up his sleeve. San Francisco has been needing a Chinese fine dining option for too long, and I really want this experience to push the envelope and blow our collective minds. (I know George wants to do that too.)

There are some very thoughtful touches (which I don’t want to give away), and this gold-loving girl got a kick out of the chopsticks holder and many of the beautiful porcelain plates, which were custom made for the restaurant. Lots of elegance in the house.

You can opt for wine and cocktail pairings ($125), with service by sommelier Anthony Kim, most recently of Asia de Cuba. We had a couple fun pours, like Valdespino’s Ojo de Gallo palomino fino and the pét-nat chenin blanc by Haarmeyer Wine Cellars. Starting the meal with J. Lassalle’s 2009 Cuvée Angéline was a fabulous place to begin. (I was pushing for them to add an all-Champagne option, one of my favorites with Chinese food.) The list has some definite baller bottles for those who want to splash out, just check your credit limit before heading over if that’s how you want to roll.

Open for dinner Tue-Sat 5pm-10pm. 8 Kenneth Rexroth Lane, at the corner of Columbus and Vallejo. The entrance to Cold Drinks is via a staircase adjacent to China Live (644 Broadway, between Columbus and Stockton), 415-788-8788.

First Look at The Salzburg, Opening in North Beach Next Week

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Meet your new wine chalet, right in the heart of North Beach. All photos: © tablehopper.com.

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The custom redwood facade, with two benches out front.

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The booths are tricked out with birch “wallpaper” on their exterior.

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The walnut bar and back bar made of redwood (meant to look like lathe).

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The back patio (which is in progress)—it will soon have pebbles around the edges and more seating.

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Another point of view.

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SF, are you ready for this beautiful new wine bar that feels as if an Austrian chalet was dropped into North Beach? Your jaw is gonna drop. Owners Jay Esopenko and Melissa Gugni (Union Larder, Little Vine) are hoping to open next Tuesday October 3rd, pending inspections. They are opening in the former Cinecittà space, and you won’t even recognize it. You’ll now notice the massive wood facade and huge door, crafted from redwood with little trademark diamonds you’ll see repeated as a design motif within.

After you swing open the big door, you’ll notice the soaring ceiling with stained Douglas fir beams—to the left is a standing area and a smooth walnut bar with resin diamond inlays and 10 seats (which are round padded barstools upholstered in a nubby wool fabric from Knoll, in a vintage green that will remind you of the ’60s and dive bars). There are six booths on the right with high bench seats for four guests (also upholstered), 24 seats in all. There is a marvelous birch bark that is like a wallpaper, tufts of moss included, under the bar and on the exterior side of the booths. Each of the booths have charming little lights with antlers, and the floor is made of French oak, the individual pieces forming a pattern that is like woven wicker—they were ordered from a French company that is more than 400 years old. They’re getting stained this week and are quite beautiful.

Behind the bar, the wall is covered with thin slats of redwood that look like lathe, and Esopenko stained by hand—along with the exposed brick. It all feels like a chalet that was unearthed—all these natural and wood elements create such a European woodsy feeling.

He worked with 8inc again on this project, who helped design Union Larder, and he did the majority of the work on his own (hours and hours and hours). The beautiful woodwork (the bar, booths, tables, kitchen counter, and facade/front door) was all done by Michael Bermosk, who has done a lot of work for Peter Doolittle, who is known for his woodwork at Nopa, Tartine Manufactory, Little Gem, and more.

Head to the back and you’ll find a patio complete with a fire pit and tables, with room for 35. It’s well shielded from the wind, and with the heat from the fire pit, it means we should be able to enjoy it well into the winter. Esopenko grew up in the Canadian Rockies in Alberta and always loved that après-ski time, that warm and cozy feeling you have over a beer and the fire after a day of skiing. It wasn’t too much of a leap to apply our foggy nights to that same vibe, and how nice it would be to enjoy a glass of riesling, a sausage, and a fire.

So, yeah, let’s get to what you’re going to be enjoying! Esopenko has curated a wine list that celebrates the wines you’d find around the Alps, from regions like the Jura to Valle d’Aosta and Slovenia. It’s a chance to highlight riesling, his favorite and a total passion, and you’re going to find some California producers as well, like Tatomer and Matthiasson, with bottlings of gruner veltliner, riesling, and more. There will be 45 wines by the glass (!), with some on tap, including their exclusive white (green Hungarian) made for The Salzburg by Sandlands, and a red (a blend of zweigelt, blaufränkisch, and dornfelder) made for them by Trail Marker winery—and they’re just $10-$11 by the glass! The wine bottle list will be released in a month or so—they want to focus on the by-the-glass program first. There are four beers on tap, with many more in the bottle.

Chef Ramon Siewert will now be overseeing The Salzburg’s and Union Larder’s kitchens and menus. The menu here is structured around small plates that you can share, with some Alpine heritage, but not direct facsimiles of classic dishes, like flammenküche, fondue, beef goulash, spätzle stroganoff, a schnitzel sandwich, and the very cleverly named Salzburger. And then there’s the jäger pommes, which sounds like Alpine poutine: french fries, wild mushrooms, gravy, and Gruyère. Sign me up.

A main highlight are the housemade sausages: käsekrainer (a classic, made with pork and Emmentaler cheese), bratwurst, kaninchenwurst (rabbit), and meeresfrüchte wurst (shrimp seasoned with chorizo spices), and Esopenko says they have mastered the perfect snap. Siewart is moving his housemade charcuterie production to the basement space here and will be supplying all three of their businesses. Their epic cheese and charcuterie boards will be on offer here as well.

I’ll keep you posted next Tuesday if they passed all their inspections as planned and will be opening. Hours will be Tue-Wed 4pm-10:30pm, Thu-Sat 4pm-12am, and Sun 4pm-10pm. They plan to launch brunch a month later, and then lunch is being discussed too. 663 Union St. at Columbus.

SOLD OUT! Next Friday 10/6, Join tablehopper at the Opening Party for Donato & Co. in Berkeley's Elmwood!

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Oh you know there will be cheese. All photos: Nadia Andreini.

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These two pazzi Italian chefs can’t wait to feed you (Donato Scotti and Gianluca Guglielmi).

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Killer apps.

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The vino will be flowing (and trust, you’ll be getting much bigger pours than these tastes).

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A man and his pig.

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THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT, THANK YOU EVERYONE!

Hello 510 friends! Thanks to all of you who have already been buying tickets for my first tablehopper party in the East Bay, next Friday October 6th! It’s going to be a very special event, Apericena (more about what this means below). I will be cohosting this opening party for DONATO & CO., the new, upcoming contemporary Italian restaurant from Donato Scotti (of Donato Enoteca and CRU in Redwood City and Desco in Oakland) and his chef-partner in this and future projects, Gianluca Guglielmi, who is coming from Italy to open Donato & Co.

In case you remember the news from my original post about this (or not!), Donato & Co. is opening in the former The Advocate space in Elmwood. It’s a big space, so this is going to be quite a festa. Thanks for spreading the word to your friends! The more the merrier!

I don’t know if you’ve ever attended any of chef Donato’s events and parties, but they are legendary for their fantastic wine and food—like a true Italian, he loves to put out a great spread! You’ll be the first to taste some dishes off the upcoming Donato & Co. menu, from housemade pasta to meats off the rotisserie and live fire—I hear there will be quail lollipops and we’re going to have a roasted pig! There will also be salumi, plenty of antipasti, and vegetable dishes aplenty. Gianluca, who used to be the executive chef at A.G. Ferrari Foods, is also known for his sweet tooth and skill with desserts, so expect some dolci as well. (Yay.)

The party name is Apericena, in honor of a trending style of eating in Italy: a dinner (cena) comprised of antipasti and ample bites and small plates (which is what you find during aperitivo time). It’s one of my favorite ways to eat, and it’s something Donato and Gianluca will be encouraging and bringing to life at Donato & Co., especially since they have that full bar. Consider this your first apericena!

To accompany all those tasty bites at the party, we’ll also be pouring some wines (prosecco, white, rosé, and red) and a couple of cocktails, including an aperitivo cocktail, probably something on the spritz side of things.

Donato and Gianluca are excited to be a part of the neighborhood and will be making a donation to our charity partner for the evening, The Bay Area Outreach & Recreation Program (BORP). It’s an impressive nonprofit organization working to improve the health, independence, and social integration of people with physical disabilities through adaptive sports, fitness, and recreation programs, and it is based in Berkeley.

Tickets are only $45 (plus a ticket service fee), which will get you three drink tickets and access to all the delicious food! (Additional cocktails/wine will be available at a very affordable price.) And a donation will be made to charity partner BORP! Apericena will run from 6pm-9pm. Get your tickets now, we have sold more than half!

I’m having fun putting together the playlist that we’ll be running on the state-of-the-art Constellation and Libra acoustic system from Berkeley’s renowned Meyer Sound they inherited with the space. You may have an Italian accent by the end of the evening (if you don’t already)!

See you on Friday October 6th! Festeggiamo!

2635 Ashby Ave. at College, Berkeley. @donatoandco

               Friday Oct  6, 2017 6pm–9pm $45 (plus $1.75 ticket service fee) more info

Tidbits: Brown Sugar Kitchen to Ferry Building, Native Co. Expanding, Chisme Cantina, Lunch at A Mano

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BSK’s impeccable waffles (at its original location). Yelp photo by Pei K.

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Native Co.’s Caitlin and Nicole shopping at the Crocker Galleria Thursday farmers’ market. Photo courtesy of Native Co.

Some news tidbits for you, starting with the news that Tanya Holland of West Oakland’s BROWN SUGAR KITCHEN is going to be opening a location in San Francisco: in the Ferry Building! She will be taking over the former Il Cane Rosso location and opening BROWN SUGAR KITCHEN COUNTER. Stand by for details on timing and more. [Via Scoop.]

The popular NATIVE CO., known for their well-made, healthy, market-fresh meals in the Financial District at 168 Sutter Street (and both the Oakland Grand Lake Farmer’s Market and San Rafael Civic Center Farmer’s Market, where they got their start) are expanding to SoMa with a second brick-and-mortar location. Owners Caitlin Meade and Nicole Fish are planning to open on Monday October 9th in the former Tava space.

They will be serving their menu of mostly plant-based dishes, which includes breakfast, lunch, and beverages, like made-to-order smoothies, juices, salads, toasts, and soups. They are dedicated to healthy fats, truly sustainable and organic ingredients, and everything is made in-house daily. They are also very eco-conscious in their practices. And committed to delicious! There will be both indoor and outdoor seating options. Hours will be Mon-Fri 7am-4:30pm. 163 2nd St. at Natoma.

There’s a new fast-casual spot in the TenderNob called CHISME CANTINAchisme means “gossip” in Spanish. Ray Shlimon, a Chicago native, is behind this Mexican-inspired cantina, serving creative tacos that put vegan options first, like one with fried plantain, black beans, seasonal greens, mango salsa, and coconut ranch, or another with jackfruit, seasonal greens, nori, mint verde, and sweet cabbage. Meaty options include a taco with skirt steak, caramelized onion, peanut mole, guacamole, and queso. You can peep the menu here. There’s also an extensive list of sides, plus beers and nonalcoholic drinks. Hours: Mon-Thurs 11am-11pm, Fri-Sat 11:30am-12am, Sun 11:30am-11pm. 882 Sutter St. at 415-370-7070.

Looking for a new lunch spot? You can do it the Italian way and have pasta for pranzo at the new A MANO in Hayes Valley, which is launching lunch this Thursday September 28th! The menu will feature some antipasti, their tasty salads, and handmade pasta like their summery paccheri with cherry tomato, Early Girl pomodoro, eggplant, capers ($12) and bucatini all’ amatriciana ($15). They have also added a couple of panini: prosciutto cotto, provolone, arugula, grain mustard ($12) and heirloom tomato, fior di latte, basil ($10), plus a selection of pizzas ($12-$16). Get that one with summer squash, zucchini blossoms, stracciatella, Vidalia onion, lemon ($16) while you can. And low-ABV cocktails have also been added. Now you just need to score one of those outdoor tables. Lunch is served Mon-Fri 11:30am-3:30pm, Sat-Sun 11:30am-5pm. 450 Hayes St. at Octavia, 415-506-7401.

Fundraisers for Mexico (Please Show Your Support!)

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You gotta love how quickly the restaurant industry rallies to help people in distress, and San Francisco is rallying hard right now for Mexico after that horrific earthquake last week. Here are a few fundraisers around town that can use your support, and stand by for details on a happy hour fundraiser from tablehopper this month too! Please reach out to me if you’d like to be involved, from making a food donation to volunteering! We’re just nailing down the details and date right now. Gracias!

Tonight (Tuesday September 26th), LOLÓ in the Mission is hosting a Taco Tuesday fundraiser with guest chef Luis Barocio. Doors open at 5:30pm.

This Wednesday September 27th, swing by all five TACOLICIOUS locations, which will be donating 100 percent of profits to UNICEF Mexico in support of earthquake relief. It’s a huge gesture, and thanks to their vendors La Palma Mexicatessen, Parkview Produce, Rancho Gordo, Bassian Farms, El Silencio, El Tesoro, and Modelo Negra for supporting them in this fundraising effort.

I also received a flyer for a Tacos for Mexico fundraiser at WING WINGS in the Lower Haight next Tuesday October 3rd from 5pm-9pm, with guest chefs, beats, and more.

Last Week to Nominate Industry Folks for The Saucy Awards

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The Saucy Awards totally deserved a Saucy cocktail (thanks to Campari America). Photo via Facebook.

On Monday November 6th, The Saucy Awards will return to celebrate the best of the Bay Area’s restaurant and hospitality community, and you are an important part of the nominations! You have until October 1st to nominate people for categories like Manager of the Year, Exceptional Non-Brick & Mortar Restaurant of the Year, Sous Chef of the Year, and more. There is also a People’s Choice Award presented to the public’s favorite restaurant of 2017.

Nominations are open to all eligible establishments—Golden Gate Restaurant Association (GGRA) members or otherwise—within six Bay Area counties (Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Sonoma) that can nominate themselves and/or one another. The Saucy Awards Steering Committee, formed of a group of industry luminaries, will narrow the field to four final nominees for each category. Restaurant members of the GGRA and all nominees will be provided a ballot to vote for the final winners. To ensure unbiased and fair results, an independent accounting firm will tally and process the votes.

You can look at the full list of last year’s winners on the GGRA’s website. And mark your calendar for The Saucy Awards gala on November 6th—see you there!

Closures This Saturday Include Mau and Caffè Roma

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Mau’s bar seating. Photo: Dana Eastland. © tablehopper.com.

Some closures to report around town, starting with the affordable Vietnamese restaurant  MAU in the Mission. They have decided to close after five years in business, citing a rise in rent and operational costs. 665 Valencia St. at 18th St. [Via Eater.]

After 20 years in North Beach, CAFFÈ ROMA is closing Saturday September 30th. Hoodline reports rising rent as the main culprit, but mentions daughter Irene Azzolini also needs more time to take care of her ailing father, Sergio, who was one of the founders. The two other locations of Caffe Roma (885 Bryant St. in SF and 143 S. El Camino Real in Millbrae) will remain open.

And here’s a late-breaking update from Hoodline: new owners will be opening GYPSET CAFÉ in its place. They will keep Roma open as is through the end of the year, and then close for renovations and start to work on their all-day European/Mediterranean café and wine bar concept. 526 Columbus Ave. at Green.

510 Updates on Nyum Bai, Juhu Beach Club, Hawking Bird, and Shihlin Taiwan Street Snacks

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The colorful interior at Juhu Beach Club. Photo: © tablehopper.com.

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Khao mun gai from Hawker Fare. Photo: © tablehopper.com.

After running last week’s piece about NYUM BAI opening in The Half Orange space in Fruitvale, I was able to connect with chef-owner Nite Yun for more details. She said she’s going to be offering a bigger Cambodian menu than at her Public Market Emeryville stand, with one-plate lunches and noodle soups, and for dinner, there will be a family-style spread of dishes. There are also plans to offer breakfast through the takeout window, like porridge, buns, and sticky rice in banana leaves, plus desserts, coffee, and tea. She is renovating the dining area to have a clean and modern look, while integrating her nostalgia for ’60s-’70s Cambodian music and design; she is hoping to open in early January 2018. If the timing is right, it will be just as her lease ends at Public Market Emeryville. Thanks to La Cocina for helping her secure this new location! 3340 E. 12th St., Suite 11, at 34th Ave., Oakland.

In a surprise piece of news, and just when the Juhu cookbook is coming out, JUHU BEACH CLUB’s Temescal location (and liquor license) are up for sale. Chef-owner Preeti Mistry and her wife Ann Nadeau assured Eater that Juhu isn’t going away, but will be reappearing in another format. Stand by for what this all means, and when it’s officially closing, and in the meantime, you can grab one of their Indian pizzas and tikka mac and cheese at their new Navi Kitchen in Emeryville.

And the East Bay gets all the chicken rice right now. Coming soon from James Syhabout is HAWKING BIRD, a fast-casual spot centered around chicken that will include his popular khao mun gai/Hainan chicken rice (poached chicken served with rice and broth, with plenty of chicken fat in the mix), plus other dishes. Hawking Bird will be opening in the Blackwater Station space in Temescal. Don’t expect a new Hawker Fare (RIP), but there’s a full liquor license, so one can hope for a lively spot. He takes possession of the space October 1st. 4901 Telegraph Ave. at 49th St., Oakland. [Via Scoop.]

Now open in Berkeley is SHIHLIN TAIWAN STREET SNACKS, an international chain offering classic street food dishes like ji pai (a monster-sized deep-fried chicken cutlet), oyster mee sua (oyster vermicelli soup), and some meat and rice combos. East Bay Express also reports there will be a number of Taiwanese drinks like lemon aiyu jelly and Taiwanese root beer. Open daily 11:30am-9pm. 2521 Durant Ave. at Bowditch, Berkeley, 510-529-4166.


the lush

Bar News & Reviews (put it on my tab)

Iron Horse Cocktails Opens on Maiden Lane

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The hideaway vibe returns at Iron Horse Cocktails. Photo via Facebook.

It looks like things have gone full circle for the Iron Horse bar on Maiden Lane, which has reopened with a new owner as IRON HORSE COCKTAILS (bye-bye, Romper Room). Back when I worked at an ad agency on Maiden Lane, the Iron Horse was totally our Regal Beagle, such a quirky little hideaway, especially the upstairs mezzanine—the bar’s history dates back to 1954.

Hoodline reports owner Angela Voloshyna (who also owns the nearby Topsy’s and Playland in the Tenderloin) has extensively renovated the bar, adding a vintage-style pastoral mural and creating a cozier feel. Check out the cocktail list here. Open Mon-Sat 4:30pm-2am, happy hour runs to 7pm. There is also coffee service, starting at 7am during the week and 9am on Sat. 25 Maiden Lane at Grant.

Old Devil Moon Oktoberfest Party, Terp Beer at Local Brewing Co., More

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In the Family, the new terp beer at Local Brewing Co. Photo via Facebook.

A few events for you to consider, starting with phase two of OLD DEVIL MOON’s anniversary celebration. From Thursday September 28th through Saturday the 30th, they will be doing an Oktoberfest/Sloppy Seconds event—they’ll be tapping all the remaining kegs of awesome beer on tap from their one-year anniversary event this past weekend, so folks who missed it will get a second shot at trying a bunch of ‘em. They’ll also be pouring a bunch of German lagers and doing special bratwurst po’boys. There are also new cocktail and food menus to check out. 3472 Mission St. at Cortland.

Another brewer has brewed a terpene beer for you cannabis-curious/connoisseurs to check out. Brewmaster Regan Long of Local Brewing Co. has just released a wet hop beer, In the Family, featuring fresh Strata hops (an experimental variety grown on only two farms) gathered from harvest up in Oregon, with a small amount of terpenoids (the aroma oils from cannabis) from Blue River Extracts in Oakland. Terpenoids are what give cannabis its various scent profiles (from lemony to dank) and are also present in citrus, herbs like lavender, and pine. And beer! (I like this explainer.) To be clear, this beer does not contain any THC, so you won’t get high (sorry dude), and for additional clarification, this is not a CBD/cannabidiol beer either.

There’s also a photography exhibit featuring closeup shots of cannabis trichomes (the glands that house terpenoids) and close-up shots of the hop lupulin glands (the glands that house the aromatic hop oils) of the hops used in the actual beer, all photographed by local photographer Chris Romaine (Kandid Kush), on display and for sale in the brewery until October 15th. You can get an extra closeup look at how hops and cannabis are first cousins. 69 Bluxome St. (between 4th and 5th streets), 415-932-6702.

After running a short pop-up beer garden, San Francisco Brewing Co. will open its first taproom and on-site brewery in Ghirardelli Square’s West Plaza in spring 2018. It will offer a full-service restaurant serving elevated American-style pub food and eight San Francisco Brewing Co. craft beers on draft, plus a full bar, craft cocktails, local wines, and ciders. There’s also going to be an outdoor patio with comfy lounge furniture, fire pits, bar games (such as a pool table, foosball tables, shuffleboard, Pop-A-Shot, a number of TVs), and more.


the socialite

Shindigs, Feasts, & Festivals (let's party)

Foreign Cinema's 18th Anniversary Bash Is This Thursday

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 Event Info

Thursday Sep 28, 2017 7pm–11pm $120 Tickets                        Foreign Cinema 2534 Mission St. at 21st St., San Francisco

Happy Birthday to FOREIGN CINEMA, celebrating their 18th anniversary (!) this Thursday September 28th, and of course it’s going to be one of their legendary parties! This year, it’s a Venetian Carnevale-themed bash, with burlesque shows, Venetian piazza-inspired bites, wine and cocktails, and performances from Heklina and Mother, plus the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will be in the house! Co-owners/co-executive chefs Gayle Pirie and John Clark even brought in Gregangelo and Velocity Circus to completely transform the restaurant and courtyard.

All of the proceeds from tickets will benefit the Human Rights Campaign, which advocates on behalf of the LGBTQ community. Tickets are $120. The event will run 7pm-11pm.

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