The Chatterbox

While State Bird Provisions is certainly one of the city’s more challenging restaurants to get a table at, the newly opened LAZY BEAR was so flooded with reservation requests for its first two weeks of seatings that the reservation ticketing system they’re using (from Chicago’s Alinea and…

As reported earlier this month, UNION LARDER was opening in Russian Hill from the team behind Little Vine. Well, they officially opened their doors on September 16th, and now you can get their house charcuterie, glasses of wine, and cheeses. The retail side is also open, offering pantry items, Straus…

Adam Fleischman (Umami Burger) and Joshua Skenes (Saison) are getting ready to open a new fast-casual Chinese restaurant, FAT NOODLE, this winter. It will be on Second Street at Mission in SoMa, and will offer hand-pulled noodles inspired by Szechuan and Shaanxi cuisine, along with other classic Chinese dishes. The…

PER DIEM has a new chef, Matthew Bousquet, previously of Michelin-starred Mirepoix in Windsor. He’s focused on keeping the food “simple and pure,” with almost everything made from scratch. The menu offers some decadent touches, including a bone marrow dish with escargot in Pernod butter ($12), crispy pork belly…

Local businesses are branching out: first up, ~THE AMERICAN GRILLED CHEESE KITCHEN~ will be opening a third location in North Beach. Scoop reports they have a letter of intent for a new space at the corner of Broadway and Battery, expect an opening in mid-2015 or thereabouts. Another SUPER DUPER…

It’s officially a (Jewish) new year, and ~WISE SONS DELI~ is celebrating by adding dinner service at their Mission location three nights a week, according to a tweet we spotted on Saturday. Scoop fills in that they’ll be open Thursdays through Saturdays from 5:30pm-10pm, serving sandwiches like…

We were very sad to learn that 24-hour mainstay ALL STAR DONUTS in the Marina closed on September 22nd after 28 years of business, according to Scoop. A note in the window states that they’ve lost their lease, though reportedly they may reopen in a new location. As for…

Just a couple of things to note in your brain files: first, after a public outcry and offense over the name “Bandidos,” the newly opened Mexican restaurant on Market Street has now changed its name to HECHO. (Yes, there used to be an Hecho downtown, where Gaspar is now, but…

Some coffee news for you around town because, hey, caffeination is important. We have mentioned PINHOLE COFFEE before, and they are now open in Bernal. The owner is JoEllen Depakakibo, previously of Blue Bottle, and Bernalwood reports she is using Linea Caffe beans. You can read more on Sprudge here.…

The crush of fall book releases is upon us, with all kinds of cookbooks and restaurant vanity books to keep us well fed, inspired, and informed in the coming months. ~OMNIVORE BOOKS~ just released their list of upcoming fall events, packed with visits from locals like Thomas McNaughton (Flour + Water…