The Chatterbox

On Thursday August 8th, the SAN FRANCISCO COOKING SCHOOL will start its new Taste Talks with a night of discussion from pastry chefs called Stepping Out: The 21st-Century Pastry Chef. The evening opens with an open coffee and cookie bar from Pietisserie and Feve Artisan Chocolatier at 8pm, followed by…

As previously mentioned on tablehopper, HOMESTEAD was going to be opening soon in Oakland, and the time is now: the restaurant is scheduled to open for dinner this Thursday August 1st. UPDATE: They moved the opening to August 7th. You can read the original details here, and the menu is…

Last week I got a look at the glammy CAFÉ CLAUDE MARINA that we mentioned was coming awhile back—while the design is very close, we’ll have to wait until mid-September to enjoy a glass of wine and frites there. The building dates back to the early 1900s, and…

In January of this year, it was announced that Christopher Burnett of Darwin Cafe in SoMa is going to be opening DOC RICKETTS in the original (and historic) Purple Onion comedy club space in North Beach. I caught up with Burnett for an update, and there are some announcements to…

A report from Dana Massey-Todd. Thanks to a tip from a reader, we learned awhile back that ZIRYAB on Divisadero is reopening with a new bar program, a revamped menu, and a face-lift. Owner Salim Nasser has redone the interior, with moodier paint colors and art that evokes the restaurant’…

A report by Dana Massey-Todd. As announced on tablehopper back in December, Ivan Hopkinson is bringing suds to Western Addition in the form of BARREL HEAD BREWHOUSE. The project is a biggie, headed into the former Fulton Street Bar space, and they’re in the middle of a pretty major…

There will be a new place to munch downtown, very soon: ALIMENT, from Matt Sullivan (formerly at Blue Plate). They’re not talking details, and seem to want to keep the project in stealth mode for a little while longer. But the paper is off the windows and the space…

A Twitter pal shared the unfortunate news that longtime sushi chef Toshi (Toshihiro Sasaki) of MURASAKI SUSHI has sadly passed away, and the restaurant has temporarily closed. There are some very sweet missives to Toshi posted on Yelp (for a change). Condolences to his family and friends (and many fans)…

Last week I had a chance to get back to my roots and check out the Calabrese regional menu that ~BARBACCO~ is serving now through August 12th. Chef de cuisine Nick Kelly’s Calabrese menu really excelled on the pastas, like hand-cut maccheroni larghi with swordfish, tomato, garlic, and chile…

The Noise Pop festival is coming to 20th Street in the Mission on Saturday August 24th, with its 20TH STREET BLOCK PARTY. The event features food from local merchants, and this is 20th Street, so that means Flour + Water, Central Kitchen, The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen, Rhea’s Deli, and…