The Chatterbox

Here are a few dinners to consider if you’re looking for a special night out. First up, underground dinner locale NAKED KITCHEN will be doing a winter tasting menu from chef Ian Mullen on Saturday January 26th. There will be seatings at 6pm and 9pm. The dinner costs $100…

Last year, tablehopper mentioned that the folks behind The Trappist were opening a bottle shop called TRAPPIST PROVISIONS in Rockridge. Berkeleyside mentioned it’s now open, with 9 taps (there’s a beer bar and some tables) and 99 bottles. Open daily 10am-12am. 6309 College Ave. at 63rd St., Oakland.…

As previously reported on tablehopper, NICK’S PIZZA in Oakland occasionally throws a Community Meal to thank its neighborhood for supporting the business. On Monday January 28th, Nick Yapor-Cox, the owner and chef at Nick’s Pizza, and his staff will welcome anyone who stops by with free slices, salad,…

Coming soon to Berkeley is the freshly named and revamped OGGI in the former CIOCCOLATA DI VINO space. Chef-owner Rebecca Bernstein Redwine is still on board, but will be featuring more savory dishes and a seasonally changing menu. There will be lots of small plates to enjoy with more than…

A report by Dana Massey-Todd. Heidi Gibson of grilled cheese fame has opened a second location of AMERICAN GRILLED CHEESE KITCHEN (with Nathan Pollak) in the former Café Gratitude space in the Mission. The new spot serves breakfast and lunch for now, and will add dinner service in the coming…

A report by Dana Massey-Todd. Divisadero has a new spot for a casual glass of wine and a snack. WINE KITCHEN opened January 10th and is now serving its full menu, with a wide selection of international wines (you can check out a PDF of both here). Co-owners and chefs…

With the closure of Marbella (previously Rex Cafe) on Polk Street, the new takers have arrived: Ari Derfel, Eric Fenster, and chef Sean Baker of ~GATHER~ in Berkeley. While the project doesn’t have a name yet, Eater has some additional details: Abueg Morris Architects is redesigning the 64-seat space,…

Some openings around town: as previously mentioned on tablehopper, MISSION STREET OYSTER BAR from Fredy Gamez, previously at Anchor Oyster Bar, has opened on Mission Street. The menu focuses on San Francisco classic seafood, and there’s a happy hour with $1 oysters and $2.50 beer until 6pm. Open…

Over in North Beach, business partners Ryan Maxey and chef Ian Begg made the decision to close ~TXOKO~ on New Year’s Eve, but they are moving their neighboring Naked Lunch sandwich shop into the space. They are also adding a burger and fries, and some other straightforward dishes. There’…

Some new cafés are coming to our local scene. James Stolich of Cook with James is consulting on a new café opening on Van Ness, SPIRO COFFEE. He’s consulting for Mike and Roger Abuyaghi of R&M Automotive (located around the corner on Ellis)—in a funny connection,…