Marcia Gagliardi

Very late on Friday night, a tablehopper follower on Twitter let me know CHEZ SPENCER was on fire. Ugh. ABC7 reports it was a two-alarm fire, causing “nearly $1.2 million in damage”—such a bummer, that beautiful restaurant. We will stand by for updates from owner Laurent Katgely on…

Fans of the best pho ga in town (#9 all the way!) will be happy to know TURTLE TOWER has reopened on Larkin Street in its new location, and right on schedule. The new space is a bit bigger (70 seats instead of 46, with 40 more in 6 months)…

If you want to step your toes into ~SAISON~ without ponying up for the full tasting menu (for $298), you can experience the more approachable Salon menu instead. The à la carte menu features dishes like Monterey Bay abalone, stew of rice and abalone liver, coastal greens, and artichoke ($20)…

Here are some words that are great together: pizza and bargain. The team behind ~PALIO D’ASTI~ has opened a new takeout window in the Financial District, serving their Sicilian-style pizza by the slice. It’s called PALIO PRONTO and the rotating menu keeps all the slices and some seasonal…

If Cher could approve of an ice cream truck, it would be this one: Douglas Quint and Bryan Petroff of New York’s BIG GAY ICE CREAM will be in town this week. They’ve spent the last few days in Los Angeles and are headed northward to scoop (well,…

The Demon Chef is back in town! Michelin two-star chef Alvin Leung of Bo Innovation (Hong Kong) is visting SF to collaborate with chef Adam Mali (~BRASSERIE S&P~) at the Mandarin Oriental on Saturday June 15th. The “East Meets West” dinner features five courses with cocktail and wine…

As mentioned on tablehopper last summer, Berkeley is getting a new bakery in the former Bread Garden space, called FOURNÉE. It opens today, and comes from owner and baker Frank Sally, who teaches at the San Francisco Baking Institute and formerly worked as pastry chef at Meadowood in Napa. He…