The Chatterbox

And now, an East Bay report from tablehopper intern Daniel Azarkman: It sounds like a foodservice fairy tale. HOMEROOM started as a conversation at a café between two people who didn’t know each other all that well. Though Erin Wade had worked as a cook in New York and…

Now open on Fillmore Street is ~JANE~, a café bringing a taste of Mission coffee to the neighborhood. You’ll be able to get a variety of Four Barrel Coffee drinks off the La Marzocco FB/80, along with tea from Five Mountains, and house-baked goods that are made daily.…

After a tip-off from a tablehopper reader, I learned that Duncan Ley and Ben Bleiman (Tonic, Bullitt, and the upcoming Rebel) are taking over BISSAP BAOBAB, and will be opening a version of Bullitt for the Mission, namely, affordable comfort food and cocktails. A third partner, Mark DeVito, will also…

Sundays are about to get better in SoMa: ~CITIZEN’S BAND~ is launching Sunday brunch (10am-2pm) and a Sunday supper from 5:30pm-9:30pm. The brunch menu is the same as Saturday’s menu, and the supper menu will feature seven-eight dishes for $16 and under. There will be dishes…

I love hearing about things that are ahead of schedule: looks like ~BRENDA’S FRENCH SOUL FOOD~ has decided to open for dinner before they complete the second part of their expansion. As I mentioned earlier, a preliminary peek at the dinner menu reveals a variety of grilled or broiled…

As part of Good Food Month’s Immigrant Food Week, La Cocina is throwing their first-ever SAN FRANCISCO SALSA SHOWDOWN on Saturday February 12th at Cafe Cocomo from 5pm-9pm. It’s a dual-salsa event with a salsa tasting competition and salsa dancing, plus a grand prize worth $500 for the…

I was in the Upper Haight over the weekend, and the new WHOLE FOODS MARKET on Stanyan Street (formerly a Cala Foods) was looking ready to open. I know, a Whole Foods in the Haight—times, they are a changin’. And it’s quite a green build-out, with  locally reclaimed…

I really, truly thought I was done writing about Valentine’s Day, but here are a few more things for your sugar radar: ~BAKER & BANKER~ are up to no good in the bakery, making raspberry Linzer heart sandwich cookies, strawberry Champagne cupcakes, red hot red velvet cupcakes (red hot…

After one month in 331 Cortland, SPECIAL REQUEST bakery has given up its spot in the marketplace as of January 31st. Special Request co-owner Freddie Colombani said it was no longer cost-effective to keep the 331 location after Dezy’s Drinks pulled out of their shared kiosk. Vanessa and Freddie…

After an opening date that was doubling as a serious moving target for months, executive chef Kim Alter and GM/partner Matt Kahn are opening their neighborhood restaurant, ~PLATE SHOP~, for dinner tonight in Sausalito. The 54-seat restaurant is in a 100-year-old building that opened as the Gold Dust Bar…