The Chatterbox

I am starting this week’s missive on a serious note: I know the world is horrified with what poor Peru is suffering through right now. James Schenk, the chef and owner of ~DESTINO~ is contributing a portion of his restaurant sales to assist earthquake victims in Peru. Schenk mentioned…

More news on restaurant openings in Mint Plaza! It’s looking like Chez Papa will have some new groovy neighbors: ~SUSHI GROOVE~. Well, Sushi Groove Midtown, to be exact. This will be the fourth Sushi Groove location—there is the original location on Hyde Street, plus Sushi Groove South in…

One regret I had about my recent New York trip was I failed to visit ~FALAI~, a contemporary Italian place in the Lower East Side from Tuscan Iacapo Falai—I had a couple tablehopper readers highly recommend it, one describing the food as “alchemy.” Well, I shall cry not, because…

One of the most hotly anticipated restaurant openings of the year is finally happening: this Thursday, August 2, ~SPRUCE~ will be opening its doors to the rabid dining public. Let’s watch it blow up on OpenTable! The project was beleaguered with numerous delays (oh, we love historical buildings!), but…

A friend forwarded this story to me about a robber who turned into a hugger after some wine and cheese. Too good not to share. (The story, and wine and cheese in general.) ~PALMETTO~, the new incarnation of Home on Union, has opened! Chef Andy Kitko, formerly of Aqua, Gary…

Brenda Buenviaje, who some of you might know from Café Claude and DeLessio, will be opening her own place on lower Polk called ~BRENDA’S~. She took over and is currently renovating the former Sun’s Cafe space, and hopes to open by the beginning or middle of August. Buenviaje…

Okay, coffee fanatics, this is major, as in majorly cool—and I finally get to write about it. After searching for over a year and looking at over 50 places, James Freeman of Blue Bottle is going to be opening ~BLUE BOTTLE CAFÉ~ right off the upcoming Mint Plaza and…

Have you ever been to the ~AXIS CAFÉ~ out at the base of Potrero Hill, on 16th Street? It’s a friendly little spot, good for a mid-week sandwich out on the often-sunny and enclosed patio. (You can check out their menu here.) It’s looking like the cafe will…

Okay, before we dive in here, did you happen to see the article about the evils of the CCA in the most recent issue of the SF Weekly? No? You gotta read it—it’s pretty ugly to read about the crippling debt aspiring chefs are racking up by going…