The Chatterbox

The latest project in Swan’s Marketplace has arrived. As we previously reported, it’s an extension of Periscope Cellars from Brendan Eliason, and offers a wine bar called DEEP ROOTS WINE BAR alongside HEN HOUSE, the food side of the operation from Celeste Cooper and Ally Lopez (reported in…

Now open in the Mission is CALIFORNIOS from chef Val Cantu, who previously hosted pop-up dinners at Naked Kitchen. It’s his first brick-and-mortar restaurant, and his wife, maître d’ Carolyn Cantu (formerly with Ken Fulk’s design firm), has created quite a chic space. The entire experience is designed…

A report by Dana Eastland. The team behind Tataki sustainable sushi restaurants has a new venture opening this weekend, called SHIZEN.  Instead of focusing on sustainable seafood, the new project is all about sustainability in another way: the food is completely vegan. The menu offers sushi, izakaya-style grilled items, and…

January is here, and, sadly, that means some closures to report. ~CAFÉ DES AMIS~ closed it doors on Sunday January 4th, after opening in 2010 on Union Street. A press release from Bacchus Management Group, which owned the café, cites problems securing a lease as the ultimate cause of the…

There are changes afoot at BLUE BOTTLE FERRY BUILDING. The space, which currently consists of the main café space and the north side “secret window,” is getting some upgrades to keep coffee service efficient. There will eventually be three points for ordering coffee, three espresso machines, a brew-by-scale brew bar,…

A new year, a new brunch: HUXLEY is now offering Sunday brunch from 11am-2:30pm. The new menu, which you can check out here, includes their avocado toast with uni, seaweed, and sesame, as well as braised pork with fried eggs, lentils, and radish, or French toast with apple butter…

Nothing brings joy to the January doldrums like a serious feast, Italian style. You won’t want to miss this special dinner celebrating the food and wine of Calabria on Thursday January 29th at VIA UNO in Half Moon Bay. The dinner is a collaboration between chef Giuseppe Sarubbi and…

A report by Dana Eastland. There’s a follow-up to the October opening of Klyde in Union Square. It’s called 398 RESTAURANT & BAR, and, like Klyde, it’s in the Hotel G but is a separate project. Klyde’s Sam Fechheimer is the chef here, as well, with…

Big news on 18th Street: replacing chef de cuisine Brian Gremillion, who was at ~DELFINA~ for four years, is Edward Higgins, most recently at Bix. His background includes NYC’s Craft, Hearth, and Insieme, plus Ekki at the Four Seasons Hotel in Marunouchi, Japan, and Palo Alto’s Quattro. Chef-partner…

An update on Daniel Patterson and Roy Choi’s LOCO’L for you: they are opening their first location of their fast-food concept right in the Tenderloin, at Turk and Taylor to be exact. I drive by that corner often and have noticed a lot of construction, and wondered what…