The Chatterbox

This past Saturday, I took a tour of ~CENTRAL KITCHEN~, slated to open its doors for dinner this Thursday May 10th. Partner-chef Thomas McNaughton will be overseeing a menu of Northern California cuisine with refined plating and a natural sensibility, working with chef de cuisine Michael Gaines (Manresa, Gary Danko,…

Last year, when I was touring the ~STATE BIRD PROVISIONS~ site on Fillmore Street before it opened, I noticed a huge and empty space next door. Owners Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski mentioned that they had plans for this adjacent spot, but were going to keep quiet about it while…

The fourth Basque restaurant to open in the North Beach and Jackson Square area is BASK, in the former Pickles/Clown Alley location. You can check out the menus on their site: lunch includes a variety of salads and sandwiches (ringing in around $14), plus a few entrées like a…

Details from Tony Gemignani’s PR team about his upcoming CAPOS have been sparse, but leave it to Gianni Mola of North Beach to uncover some news and share it on his blog. He mentions: “A beautiful custom-built wood Art Deco bar is in place on the left just inside…

Chef Chris Borges of Taste Catering is partnering with ~PRESS CLUB~ and helping to expand the menu. New additions include small bites like blackened, deviled Glaum Ranch organic eggs served with caramelized Hobb’s bacon, and fried Castelvetrano olives stuffed with eggplant purée, plus local duck and pinot noir sausage…

Some quick updates around town: first, tablehopper tipster Jason B. let me know Fat Angel is going to be opening a second project in the neighborhood in the fall, CITY GRANGE. Stand by for more details soon. Also in the neighborhood, PRIME DIP SANDWICHES on Larkin Street will be opening…

Starting this week, MISSION DISPATCH is a new spot that will be hosting a variety of food trucks during the week for lunch in the parking lot of the former City of San Francisco Sign Shop (where more than 200,000 of the city’s street signs were made for…

I have a bunch of special menus and guest chefs and more for your restaurant radar this month. First, in honor of the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge, ~PRESIDIO SOCIAL CLUB~ will be featuring a seafood special highlighting products that were historically sourced from the San Francisco Bay.…

Opening today in Oakland is NICK’S PIZZA, a new pizzeria from chef Nick Yapor-Cox. He grew up in North Oakland and has cooked in the pastry department back east at Eleven Madison Park and Butter, in addition to local spots Ici Ice Cream, B Restaurant, and Arizmendi Bakery and…