The Chatterbox

Ah yes, truffles. Those tasty (and spendy) little nuggets of deliciousness will be turning up on menus around town this month. ~AME~ is running its Winter Black Truffle Menu from now through Sunday the 14th. You get five courses (which will also be available à la carte) for $115. There’…

I’ve only been hearing tasty reports, so I’m excited to make my way over to Sarah Kirnon’s new restaurant, HIBISCUS in Oakland. Some may remember her as the executive chef of The Front Porch in the Mission (and her wonderful hot sauce). Kirnon, a native of Barbados,…

Another project opening in Oakland that I mentioned a while back is ERA ART BAR AND LOUNGE on Grand Avenue in the Uptown District. The 5,000-square-foot space will bring together art (expect bi-monthly collections of modern and contemporary art), handcrafted artisan cocktails with house-made syrups and bitters, local small…

After ten years on the corner of Grove and Gough, Elizabeth Falkner is closing CITIZEN CAKE on February 23rd, and will be reopening in the Vivande Porta Via space on Fillmore Street in mid-March. She said she is sad to leave their wonderful Hayes Valley customer base, but she’s…

I returned to SF to learn the much-lauded pizzaiolo at FLOUR + WATER, Jon Darsky, has left. We had a chance to talk, and the departure was amicable and respectful—he is leaving so he can start focusing on his own project, which is hard to do while working full-time in…

Another project I have been tracking for a while is ~FRISCO FRIED~, a new soul food joint that opened up on January 16th after months of work and preparation. It’s a family affair: owner Marcel Banks and his uncle-chef Geeto, who have both grown up in Hunter’s Point,…

Changes are happening at the Ferry Building Marketplace, with some grumbles that tenants are reportedly moving on due to challenging lease negotiations/higher rent. The casualties: Tsar Nicoulai Caviar closed (Heath Ceramics is moving into their space), and additional departures include LuLu Petite, and Mastrelli’s Delicatessen  is closing in…