The Chatterbox

Kick-ass Portland chef Jenn Louis will be in town this week promoting her new book, Pasta by Hand. The book includes 65 recipes for rustic Italian pasta shaped by hand, with a particular focus on dumpling-style pastas (you may have seen her article on gnocchi in Saveur earlier this year)…

By Dana Eastland. SALSIPUEDES, the new full-service restaurant from Jay Porter (The Half Orange), Luis Abundis (Nieves Cinco de Mayo), and Bradford Taylor (Ordinaire Wine Shop) that we’ve been reporting on since 2014, is now open in Oakland. It’s a bit of a soft opening, with a grand…

By Dana Eastland. The Hive, a new mixed-use complex in Uptown Oakland, had two new restaurant openings, the Business Times reports. First up is a new Mexican restaurant called CALAVERA. The huge project (it seats 150) comes from partners Jessica Sackler (Coqueta and José Andrés’s Oyamel in Washington, D.…

I’m thrilled to report that GARDENIAS is softly opening this week for some trial dinner service, starting Wednesday August 5th. Margie Conard and Dana Tommasino of  Woodward’s Garden (it was theirs for 22 years!) have transformed the former Roostertail into quite the beguiling space, one that will be…

By Dana Eastland. As of Saturday August 1st, BLACK SANDS BREWERY is fully open and operational in the Lower Haight. Last time we reported on the project, they were softly open in the mornings serving coffee and breakfast, but now the entire operation is up and running. What does that…

With the closure of the ‘Wichcraft location in the Westfield San Francisco Centre in June, it was only a matter of time before we were going to hear an update from Perbacco and Barbacco’s Umberto Gibin and Staffan Terje on their plans for the space. While earlier rumors pointed…

A preview by Dana Eastland. Back in July we mentioned the new plans for the former Annabelle’s space in the Mosser Hotel. The space has been revamped as THE KEYSTONE, a modern American tavern, and a new team has been brought on to run the show. The overhaul takes…

David Kinch, the chef and owner of Manresa, and his partner, Andrew Burnham, are opening a more casual restaurant this fall called THE BYWATER, just down the street from the original. The new project takes its name from a neighborhood in New Orleans, which is appropriate, since they’ll be…

Some big news from the Daniel Patterson Group regarding ~COI~: chef and owner Daniel Patterson has decided to step down from his role as executive chef, and Matthew Kirkley (previously of Chicago’s L20, where he earned two Michelin stars) will be the chef, starting January 12th, 2016. In a…

After a tragic fire destroyed their space in January, TAQUERIA LA ALTEÑA has reopened just across the street. Mission Local reports that they’ve found a new home adjacent to Cava 22 at the corner of 22nd Street and Bartlett. The taqueria is actually owned by Ramon Valle, who opened…