The Chatterbox

You have one week to get your tingly lamb noodle soup, Westlake porridge, ma po tofu, and Szechuan pickle fix because ~MISSION CHINESE FOOD~ will be closed from June 1st-June 23rd (or thereabouts). The entire Lung Shan and Mission Chinese Food crew (dishwashers included) are going to China together,…

Last week’s hearing went well for ~DOSA ON VALENCIA~, and after the 30-day appeals process is complete, they should have their liquor license to start serving some of their delicious cocktails. But first, they’re going to do a little facelift for the restaurant, closing the third week…

And he’s back! Chef Mohamed Ghaleb gave me a call last week to tell me he will be moving back to Polk Street with his much-loved ~TAJINE~. He moved into the Indian Aroma space on Polk, and opened over the weekend. (This will be the fourth location for…

On a tip-off from Grub Street, tablehopper intern Daniel Azarkman reports that Ike Aboubzou, owner of Bite on Sutter, is bringing a new late-night option to the Polk Street bar crowds: ELEVEN O ONE, in the former space of Hank’s Eats. The menu includes many of the…

Some random updates for you: first up, we have a name for the business Duncan Ley and Ben Bleiman (Tonic, Bullitt, Rebel) are opening in the BISSAP BAOBAB space on Mission: it will be called MAYHEM, named after Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem band from The Muppets. Baobab is…

Grant Gooding and Jess McCarter could never find home-style Creole food in the Bay Area quite like it is in the Big Easy, that is, damn good and damn cheap. So they made their own: EASY CREOLE is starting a pop-up restaurant on Wednesday May 25th at The…

RUDY’S CAN’T FAIL CAFE of Emeryville (yes, the place where Green Day’s Mike Dirnt is a co-owner) is opening a second location in Oakland’s Uptown neighborhood in the beginning of June, just next door to the Fox Theater. A menu of classic American diner fare…

While at the Meals On Wheels Star Chefs event on Sunday, I had a chance to intercept chef Charles Phan, fresh off his James Beard induction into the lineup of Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America. I asked him about his plans for chef Grace Nguyen’s…

The transformation from Bambuddha Lounge into the spiffy ~CHAMBERS EAT + DRINK~ is now complete: Sean and Isabel Manchester’s groovy new bar and restaurant opens tonight for business. Chef Trevor Ogden (Mission Beach Cafe) has crafted a menu that’s a bit gastro-pubby, with some California seasonality, and a…