The Chatterbox

Over the weekend, chef Alex Ong of ~BETELNUT~ announced over Facebook that he was closing the iconic restaurant after dinner service on Sunday March 3rd and reopening it as HUTONG around March 11th or so. (A friend let me know “hutong” means “alley” in Chinese, and that many restaurants in…

A report by Dana Massey-Todd. As previously reported in tablehopper, there’s a new project opening in the former Force of Habit record shop in the Mission. 20 SPOT is a project from business partners Bodhi Freedom (who owns Bacchus Wine Bar in Nob Hill) and Peter Goggin. The pair…

Liquor license activity revealed Dennis Leary (Canteen, Sentinel, Golden West, House of Shields) is taking over TenderNob spot RJ’s Sports Bar with Eric Passetti, the bar manager at House of Shields. Scoop learns they will be following a similar path as they did at HoS: create a good-looking space…

Yesterday I swung by the about-to-open BI-RITE MARKET on Divisadero for a preview tour of the space. After a lot of construction and delays, the market will be opening on Wednesday March 13th. Most of the offerings will be similar to the 18th Street location: an awesome butcher counter, a…

Seems the former chef of Ubuntu, Aaron London, will not be opening his upcoming restaurant project in Hayes Valley after all. SF Mag’s Carolyn Alburger announces it will be in the Mission instead and that he hopes to open by the summer. Some details: the dining room will seat…

According to an ad on Craigslist, I noticed ~BIX~ is looking for a new executive chef. Chef Erik Lowe has been there for almost the past four years, and executive chef and co-owner Bruce Hill mentions Lowe will stay on to train the new chef before moving on to his…

Some news bits for you: According to a Facebook post, beloved TURTLE TOWER is leaving its Tenderloin location after 13 years on Wednesday February 27th at 7:30pm. It will be moving up the street to a new location at 645 Larkin. Keep track of the progress on Turtle Tower’…

As of Monday February 25th (that’s yesterday), CLAUDINE is offering some different choices on both its food and wine lists. The focus has shifted to more of a wine bar style, with more wines on tap and by the glass. Wine director Sarah Knoefler intends to keep the list…

Join THE GALLEY in celebrating its second anniversary cooking out of the kitchen at Clooney’s Pub in the Mission. The party will include lots of signature dishes, like French onion sandwiches and pickled pepper eggs, plus dishes from guests like Rocky’s Frybread. The party is from 6pm-10pm, with…

Learn how to chop food, not your fingers (ow), with John Lee’s Basic Knife Skills Class at 18 REASONS on Sunday March 10th from 3pm-5pm. Tickets are $25 for 18 Reasons members and $35 for the general public. 3674 18th St. at Dolores, 415-568-2710. On Wednesday March 20th, join…