The Chatterbox

Congratulations to chef Nicolette Manescalchi, who has been with the ~A16~ group for eight years, most recently as chef de cuisine at A16 in San Francisco; she is now going to be executive chef of the group. A16 executive chef Rocky Maselli, who opened ~A16 ROCKRIDGE~, is going to be…

Opening at the end of the week is HAZEL SOUTHERN BAR & KITCHEN in the former Cadence in Mid-Market. Gone are the elephant tusks, and it’s more like a rec room with cookin’ from your friend’s awesome mom. Owner Jamie Boatner and executive chef Casey Hatwig are pulling…

Fans of coctel de camaron, tostadas, and the like may want to check out the newly opened RINCÓN NAYARIT, which has opened in the Mission. You can check out their extensive seafood menu online, and it looks like breakfast (chilaquiles, omelettes) and coffee service is also on offer. Open Mon-Fri…

Coming up this Friday April 28th is a special event, Hallah & Spice Pop-Up Shop, featuring visiting Israeli baker Uri Scheft (of Breads Bakery in New York and the newly released book Breaking Breads: A New World of Israeli Baking) and La Boîte’s spice whisperer Lior Lev Sercarz (La…

So, it’s a foggy Friday night, and you’re like, damn, some ~NAMU GAJI~ ramen and stone pot would really do me right… Well, lucky you, it’s not too far away, because on Fridays and Saturdays, come by BEACHSIDE COFFEE BAR AND KITCHEN from 5pm-10pm for Namu Gaji’…

Back in February, I broke the news about the new taker for the former Café Rouge space: POMPETTE (the name means “a little tipsy”). It’s from chef David Visick, an alum of Chez Panisse and SF’s Cafe Kati, and his wife, Caramia Visick, who worked at Bay Wolf…

The long-awaited CASTRO FOUNTAIN is now softly open—it’s from Juliet Pries of the retro-vintage Ice Cream Bar in Cole Valley. She has much bigger plans for this ice cream parlor and soda fountain, but thought she may as well soft open for now after countless delays. For now,…

I’ve got a random little mix of openings for you, starting with a new modern Filipino brunch that is popping up at Crawstation in the Sunset: MALASA. The name, which means “tasty” in Tagalog, translates into dishes like silogs (garlic rice plates), including tocilog (cured pork served with a…

Now open in the Outer Parkside/Sunset, practically at the beach, is a new and sunny corner café, STREAMLINE. The trio of partners (Brent Willson, Dion Garcia, and David Quinby) have turned a former restaurant and office space into a spacious café with plenty of seating and a gallery (Willson…

A couple of upcoming closures to note include the beleaguered HECHO CANTINA in the Castro, which will be closing in a few months after two and a half years of business (and a couple of iterations). They have an offer on the space, and Hoodline has noticed that Andale Management…