The Chatterbox

The biggest news rippling through the restaurant community yesterday was who got their ~MICHELIN STARS~, how many, and who didn’t. I attended a press briefing yesterday morning that revealed the second year of local winners, and presented the second edition of the Michelin Red Guide 2008 San Francisco Bay…

There’s a new restaurant opening in the Mission, and shocker, it’s not yet another on 18th Street. Slated to open in late November will be ~CONDUIT~, part of a mixed-use project next to Pauline’s Pizza and the old Levi Strauss factory. The executive chef is Justin Deering,…

I have been waiting on this one for months, and now I can talk about it! In the historic 1250 Jones building, ~LE CLUB~ returns to its roost—it was most recently C&L Steakhouse, and before that, Charles Nob Hill. Gina Milano (Bambuddha) and movie producer Todd Traina…

Here’s an update on some happenings at ~FIFTH FLOOR~: as many already know, the rumors were correct, Aqua’s executive chef Laurent Manrique is taking over the restaurant. As for who his mystery chef is, it’s Jenny Lorenzo, who was a cook under Laurent Gras for a couple…

Cute new restaurant alert! In the former Vogalonga space in the Mission is ~LOLO~, a friendly little spot with one heck of an intriguing concept: Latin American meets Mediterranean. A friend dined there on the opening night and said the flavors were fab and fresh—the restaurant has a focus…

After a month or so of Patrick Robertson acting as executive chef at ~SCALA'S BISTRO/DRAKE RESTAURANTS~, presto change-o, he has departed. The official statement is as follows: “This is a mutual decision, made with the best interest of the restaurants in mind. Scala's has begun…

So word on the street is executive chef ~MICHELLE MAH~ is leaving Kimpton’s Ponzu, and has a project in the works with Joie De Vivre Hospitality. I’m not allowed to say what the project is yet, but there are six new sites JDV is working on, and three…

Here were a few tidbits I heard about before leaving: ~POLENG LOUNGE~ is serving some new items, like curried corn fritters, roti prata flatbread with Poleng tea infused curry, and grilled oysters with ginger and scallions. Delish! This should help you ease into your Mondays: The Seasons Bar & Lounge…

Moving into the former Malacca space on Market Street will be ~FRISÉE~, a first-time effort from brothers Brett and Nathan Niebergall. The menu will be inventive and feature healthy dishes made with organic ingredients that will incorporate balanced amounts of lean protein, whole grains, vegetables and healthy fats. (Example: pistachio-dusted…