The Chatterbox

This weekend is going to be an intense one, with protests and Women’s Marches and even a performance art piece across the Golden Gate Bridge as the inauguration happens. Some San Francisco businesses are adding their voices to the dissent and offering support to Planned Parenthood and other crucial…

It’s that time of the year, when Bay Area restaurants offer special lunch and dinner menus and deals. SF Restaurant Week returns January 18th-29th, with 120 restaurants. Some places offer two-course menus for $15 or $25 and three-course (or more) menus for $40 or $65. It’s a good…

Huge congrats to chef-owner Telmo Faria for opening his dream restaurant, UMA CASA, an homage to his native Portugal (he was born in the Azores). It’s a pet project that he has been planning and working toward for years, so it’s great to see the restaurant swing open…

Some great news from our beloved ~ICHI SUSHI~ crew: after dealing with a health scare/setback with chef-partner Tim Archuleta, and then deciding to close their larger location, they have successfully made the move back to their smaller original location, and Tim is home from the hospital and on the…

It’s a new year and there are a bunch of new projects to match, so let’s look at what’s coming up. There’s an update on Daniel Patterson’s plans at the Minnesota Street Project in Dogpatch, and it looks like he’s going to be opening…

Some restaurant news around town for you. First up, I was surprised to run into ~FRANCES~ chef Michaela Rahorst out for dinner during the holidays (instead of seeing her hustling in the galley kitchen at Frances), and it ends up she has left her position. I checked in with Melissa…

Opening on Wednesday January 4th in the former La Cucina in Cow Hollow is CONTRADA. The restaurant is from managing partners Dena Grunt and Mick Suverkrubbe, with chef Jason Tuley (TBD, Parlour in Oakland, and most recently at Picco Restaurant and Pizzeria in Larkspur) leading a Tuscan menu with housemade…

It’s the beginning of the year, which always brings a batch of news about unfortunate closures after the holiday parties wrap up. Both ~BAR TARTINE~ and RANGE had their last nights on New Year’s Eve, and now word is out that owner Matt Semmelhack and chef-partner Mark Liberman’…

SoMa is going to be the home of a second CONTRABAND COFFEE location next week (the original is on Larkin in Nob Hill). Due to open on Monday January 9th (follow along on Instagram here for updates) is a second outpost for the local microroaster, this one will be in…

Open today is a new fast-casual breakfast and lunch spot in Uptown Oakland from Ann Thai and Loren Goodwin, THE GASTROPIG. As you may gather from the name, the menu of breakfast sandwiches and more is rather pig-centric, with a trademark sandwich called #Baconslut (an applewood-smoked bacon sandwich with an…