Marcia Gagliardi

At the end of 2019, and just before the beginning of the pandemic, chef Nancy Oakes (Boulevard), restaurateur Anna Weinberg, and designer Ken Fulk took over our treasured North Beach bohemian hangout, ~TOSCA CAFE~, from April Bloomfield, after the horrendous Ken Friedman harassment debacle. Byyyyyyyye. The new ownership group tried…

Our local obsessive of all things pizza and dough, Tony Gemignani, has branched out his field of floury expertise to include bagels, baguettes, and Italian breads at his recently opened North Beach bakery, TOSCANO BROTHERS BAKERY. I’ve been watching him on Facebook get his mixers and stone mill and…

A big, glam opening is the upcoming EMPRESS BY BOON, in the iconic Empress of China space on Grant Avenue in Chinatown, a project announced back in the fall of 2019. Chef Ho Chee Boon (Hakkasan) will be offering an upscale and modern Cantonese experience, and doors open June 18th.…

I’m beyond excited to have a new bar and casual Mexican restaurant in the Lower Haight, a mere 15-minute walk from my place for quality cocktails and tacos and tostadas, hubba. Meet OTRA, from Nick and Anna Sager Cobarruvias of the Mission’s Son’s Addition. They live in…

Just after my last newsletter went out, tablehopper reader Karen Z. let me know about a new opening in Bernal, SHOKUDOU, serving izakaya-style skewers and dishes, chirashi, nigiri, and more, in a former hair salon! You can read some background in this piece on Eater—the owner (chef Stewart Chen)…

Here are some updates on projects that are coming soon, starting with the move of Christian Ciscle’s SF CHICKENBOX, a favorite of fried chicken lovers (real ones know). SFC has been operating alongside The Brew Coop on Valencia in the Mission, but now that’s all finished as he…

It has been beyond distressing and deeply heartbreaking to witness the Covid crisis that keeps unfolding in India, and some local restaurants are rallying to help raise money to support relief efforts by The American India Foundation. Even when our beleaguered restaurants are suffering from the pandemic’s toll this…

There are a number of new projects in the works, and many are pop-ups finding their first brick-and-mortar location, something that fills me with optimism after this bleak year. I was thrilled to see the co-founders behind the ongoing pop-up HILDA AND JESSE—Rachel Sillcocks (Range, Piccino) and Kristina Compton…