The Chatterbox

Here are some pop-ups to hop to this month. You won’t want to miss the opportunity to enjoy Azalina’s exceptional Malaysian dishes with a twist at ~WISE SONS DELI~ from 6pm-9pm on the following Sundays: February 17th and 24th, and March 3rd and 10th. She created the menu…

From Tuesday February 19th through Saturday February 23rd (an extra day was just added!), make your way across the bay for some very special whole hog dinners at ~OLIVETO~ (a tradition now in its 14th year). Every night beginning at 5:30pm, chef Jonah Rhodehamel will serve menu items featuring…

Say cheese with the seventh annual ARTISAN CHEESE FESTIVAL, which lands in Petaluma March 22nd-24th. The festival this year includes some fabulous seminars, including a wine and cheese pairing with Laura Werlin, a seminar on new cheesemakers with Janet Fletcher, a tasting panel on mixed-milk cheeses with John Ash, and…

This weekend I was given a sneak peek of the soon-to-open ~JUHU BEACH CLUB~ from Preeti Mistry in Oakland. As I mentioned at the end of last year, she is opening her brick-and-mortar location in the former SR24 in Temescal. The space is really cheerful (and full of bright colors,…

After pestering co-owner Giancarlo Paterlini of ~ACQUERELLO~ for weeks about some gossip I heard about a second project in the works, I can finally release the details. The Acquerello team (co-owners Giancarlo Paterlini and Suzette Gresham, and wine director Gianpaolo Paterlini, Giancarlo’s son) are opening ~1760~, a more casual…

Last night was the pre-opening party for FABLE in the Castro. The restaurant should be soft opening for business at the end of the week (TBD), and will be officially open next Tuesday. The design by Craige Walters is whimsical and colorful, bringing the “fable” theme to life. When you…

I was very sorry to read in the Scoop that after 30 years in business, ~MASA’S~ will be closing on Saturday February 16th. Chef Gregory Short, who has been at the restaurant since October 2004, is taking a corporate job at Aramark in order to spend more time with…

Last week I had the opportunity to check out the brand-new ~HI LO~ (from Maverick/Hog & Rocks founder Scott Youkilis and partners Dave Esler and Eric Rubin) at a test dinner. After you take a look at this pic of the previous space, a Filipino-American Hall, you too will…

Opening in the former La Barca space (which had a 50-year run) in the Marina is STOCK IN TRADE, which is potentially set to pass inspections this week. After a week or so of staff training and soft openings, the actual opening will happen. For now, here are some hot-off-the-presses…

As previously reported on tablehopper, Hayes Valley is getting a new spot, and it’s coming soon. NOIR (site under construction), from owner Brian Cassanego, should be opening by the end of February if all goes smoothly. The restaurant, which is in the former Frjtz space, has been redesigned by…