This week’s tablehopper: a big helping. (free)

what’s cookin’

Howdy, dear readers. Happy Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving. I’m sure a bunch of you have already headed out of town—I hope your travel goes smoothly. I’m so lucky that I just have to drive down to San Mateo to enjoy the holiday with the rents and sissy—and I’m so fortunate and grateful I get to be with them. I know we all have people we wish we could hug again, and maybe have their famous stuffing one more time (my grandmother Judy lives on when I make her giblet gravy). The holidays stir up so many emotions and can feel bittersweet, like the cranberry relish. Let’s eat our feelings!

With all the tumult happening in our world, I’m trying to take some deep breaths and not let any stress creep into this much-needed holiday break. It’s time to chill. I’m planning on sleeping in, taking some yoga classes and long walks in our semi-clear and crisp air (yay, no rain right now), and I’m ready for some cheerful holiday décor to go up in this apartment. (Pink tinsel tree, it’s your moment.) I also can’t wait for leftover turkey sandwiches and pozole with the carcass (last year, I made a hybrid version from these recipes). Cheers to Helen Rosner for her recent ode to the turkey carcass in The New Yorker!

It’s time to veg out, munch a gummy, and watch some shows. After enjoying the Sunday roast dinner at Dingles, it felt like the perfect moment to finally start House of Guinness. A few weeks ago, I totally dug the two-part docuseries, Laurel Canyon: A Place in Time, telling stories of all the groovy ’60s musicians and their collaborative culture while living in the same neighborhood in Los Angeles—it’s such a cool snapshot of a very special place in time.

And a shout-out to my fellow vintage San Francisco obsessive readers. A couple months ago, it’s like my dear Karletta M. knew I was reading about the history of the original Spreckels mansion on Van Ness when she mentioned in an email that I should watch The Pleasure Of His Company, with Fred Astaire and Debbie Reynolds, which was shot in San Francisco. There are some seriously cringe moments (it dates back to 1961, and boy, does it show it, oof), but I loved being able to see inside the second Spreckels mansion on Washington Street (the site of homeowner Danielle Steele’s infamous hedge), and there are some great shots of SF, including the opening aerial shot of Union Square and I. Magnin & Co., what a treat.

Last week, I posted about some SF Neon walking tours, and over the weekend, SFGATE shared this in-depth story about the iconic and unique neon sign being taken down at Tony’s Cable Car Restaurant on Geary (after 60 years, the pole underneath it became too damaged and dangerous to keep the sign up). Meow. But, it’s going to be displayed at the Tenderloin Museum’s upcoming neon gallery, so that’s good, and you have to read the family history behind Tony’s, what a sweet story about that quirky place.

Some more neon news: the restored, 1940’s neon marquee at The Vogue Theatre will be lit up at a ribbon-cutting ceremony next Wednesday December 3rd at 7pm, followed by a free screening of the 1936 classic film, San Francisco, with Clark Gable as a nightclub owner.

This past week was busy one: I had a fascinating distillery tour of Brucato Spirits (followed by dinner and drinks upstairs at Bar Brucato), a celebratory dinner for Palio’s 35th anniversary (here’s my recap—you don’t want to miss their tagliolini con granchio [Dungeness crab]; that dish is a classic for a reason), a homey dinner of saganaki and souvlaki at Milos Meze in the Marina, the first brunch at Chicken Fried Palace, and Sunday roast at Dingles Public House (you can read all about the last two places in today’s newsletter—the other write-ups are coming soon). 

I’m planning to swing by the newly opened Quack House on Post Street (from the family behind the former Hing Lung in Chinatown) before next week’s column, so stand by. I’m also going to be writing about holiday meals, dishes, gifts, and entertaining in next week’s issue. Feelin’ festive!

If you still haven’t figured out what and where you’re eating for Thanksgiving, or if your plans have changed (I remember unexpectedly getting takeout one year when I was stuck at home with Covid—stay healthy!), here’s my list of Thanksgiving meals, and I’ve also added a few more in my Instagram Story Highlight. (Huge thanks to all our restaurant industry friends pushing hard to feed and host our holiday meals right now.) If you find yourself flying solo, head over to Tommy’s Joynt, where you’ll see folks lining up before 11am for their $34 Thanksgiving plate (which includes pumpkin pie!), and a boisterous room full of San Franciscans. It’s so popular that there’s even an FAQ! (You can still preorder takeout as well.)

And before you start reading all the Black Friday deal emails pouring into your inbox (which started a week ago, ugh), I wanted to share this letter from Vincent Medina and Louis Trevino of the mak-warép Ohlone Land Conservancy, who are working to restore and steward Ohlone homelands in the East Bay. Instead of buying something off Amazon or from a big retailer, please consider gifting a meaningful offering instead! Read their letter here:

Dear friend,

In 1925, the University of California falsely declared the Ohlone people extinct. In 1927, based on that declaration, the federal government stripped us of our tribal recognition. We soon lost access to our land at the Sunol Rancheria, our home in the East Bay. However, that was never the whole story. 

We have always been here. We have always gathered, celebrated, told stories, tended the land, and cared for one another in everyday and sacred ways. Our culture is beautiful. We are beautiful. And we are still here. 

Today, through mak-warép Ohlone Land Conservancy, we are restoring our ways on our terms and our own land. We actively steward Ohlone homelands at CSU East Bay’s Concord Campus, at Russell Research Station through UC Berkeley, and through the cultural and educational programming of Cafe Ohlone. At these sites, we lead cultural fires, native planting, and traditional land tending. 

We gather our community. We teach. We restore. We remember. 

We are preparing to take the next step: buying back land. We envision a vibrant, joyful Ohlone cultural center in the East Bay—a place where our people and the public can walk among hummingbird sage and artemisia, drink native teas in a garden, share meals under tule thatch, and hear the Chochenyo language spoken with pride. 

This land will hold memory and joy. It will be a place of beauty, culture, and healing.

We are not asking for donations; we are inviting offerings—acts of relationship and reciprocity. Offerings help bring this vision to life: 

- A $25 or more monthly offering connects you to seasonal reflections and early invitations. 
- A one-time offering of $250 supports native plant restoration and cultural programming. 
- An offering of $1,000 or more helps return Ohlone land to its owners and includes an invitation to walk with us on the land. 

Every offering, at any level, helps restore what was taken and grow what is to come. We welcome you. Walk with us. Learn with us. Be part of this return.

With care and gratitude, 
Vincent Medina & Louis Trevino

~

With so many thanks for your readership and friendship, I am grateful to know you and be in community with you! Best wishes to you and yours for a meaningful, restorative, and heartfelt holiday.

Yours,
~Marcia

the chatterbox

Chicken Fried Palace Opens in the Mission, Bringing Southern Diner Fare with a Playful NorCal Spin

Last Saturday, I visited Chicken Fried Palace for lunch on their opening day—it’s the brand-new, Southern-meets-SF diner in the former WesBurger ’N’ More on Mission Street. The Palace is from co-chef Seth Stowaway, founder of The Same Sun Hospitality and previously chef of Michelin-starred Osito, alongside partner and co-chef Cole Jeanes from Memphis’ Beurre Hospitality Group (Kinfolk, Hard Times, Gussied Up, Etowah Collective); also in the kitchen is chef de cuisine Dutch Holland from Mississippi, who has been working in restaurants in Memphis as well.

It was tough to see both Stowaway close Osito and Wes Rowe close WesBurger earlier this year, but I’m sure it feels good for Rowe to see his beloved burger place go to a fellow Texan who wants to continue to offer the neighborhood something approachable and comforting. I was happy to see Rowe in a big booth with some Slanted Door folks on the first day of service. Also great: Chicken Fried Palace hired a couple of former WesBurger employees, word.

While Stowaway was most recently grinding in fine dining, at CFP, he’s returning to fond childhood memories of going to diners, and the team is playing with a classic Southern and creative San Francisco style. I like that more folks will be able to access his warm and personable nature here, with friendly service in a fun and cheerful space. Yes, this.

They’re launching with breakfast and lunch service for now, with some Southern classics like grits and eggs, and buttermilk biscuits with butter and plum jam, or savory style with egg and cheese, and additions like sausage, bacon, or ham; white pepper gravy; or kimchi (because: San Francisco). Also SF: their spin on a bloomin’ onion ($14) comes with fried garlic, chile crisp, scallion, mayo, chive flowers, and pickled onion powder. Do you feel like a classic cornmeal skillet pancake ($12), or you wanna go new school with a salt cod pancake with pimento cheese ($16)?

More NorCal style: we love our salads here (and Stowaway adores our local produce), so there’s a seasonal salad ($18) that promises “a rotation of the dopest,” and a Caesar with black garlic ($17).

As for the main event, the chicken-fried plate ($23) offers your choice of chicken, steak, smoked trout, or mushroom, all well-sourced ingredients with a gluten-free dredge. You choose from three different sauces: The Classic is sausage or white gravy; The Bay features oyster sauce, Fresno chile, and basil: and The Memphis is a kicky mustardy honey gold sauce, with Koolickles on the side (electric vermilion Kool-Aid pickles, try ’em). Take your pick of creamy mashed potatoes, hash browns, or Koda Farms rice, and you also get a slice of Pullman toast and frisée (for health). You can add eggs for $6, or greens (with ginger, scallion, peanut oil) for $8.

We tried the chicken-fried steak with The Classic white gravy and sunny-side eggs (those all went so well together), and chicken-fried chicken with The Memphis, which was like a love child of General Tso’s chicken and chicken McNuggets with honey mustard sauce, so good tucked taco-style into the radicchio leaves on the plate (you won’t see that in Texas). There isn’t any fried chicken here, but I really wanna try some wings in that Memphis honey gold!

The two-egg breakfast ($16) comes with hash browns or rice and choice of bacon, ham, breakfast sausage, or smoked maitake (nice!). There’s also a spin on a patty melt (but the cheese is more of a cheese sauce) with a phenomenal onion jam (please sell this); a grilled Riverdog Farm pork chop (I don’t know how they’re doing it for $28); and smoked rib-eye and eggs (served with a large wedge of kimchi, which felt like a nod to our local Korean American diners; $34).

You may have noticed the layered Matilda chocolate cake displayed on the counter, and there’s sweet potato pie (with a zippy crust); classic pecan pie; apple and quince lattice pie; and buttermilk-lemon meringue pie, all made by pastry chef Gabrielle Pabonan (Osito, Thomas Keller Group, Tartine). She’s also making caramelized banana pudding with a delightful custard crème, and a brown bread sticky bun, which well go well with your morning cup of Joe. You can also get a milkshake or a scoop of Mitchell’s ice cream (they’re keeping things family friendly).

In January, hours will expand with dinner service, along with a craft cocktail program from the talented Nora Furst (Buddy, West Bev Consulting)—stand by for approachable classics, seasonal specials, boozy milkshakes, and coconut slushies. I look forward to hearing what’s next for The Den, the bar space in the front corner of the restaurant. For now, the menu is N/A, with a couple N/A cocktails, beers, and wines, plus housemade iced tea, sweet tea, ginger beer, and cold brew, and coffee (Grand Coffee) and tea (Flowerhead).

The update to the space feels cheerful and welcoming: designed by Danielle Stowaway, they kept the retro bone structure of WesBurger, with the wood-paneled walls, open kitchen, and diner counter staying put. There’s a softer palette: the punchy yellow-and-white counter overhang is now pink and white, with soft pink upholstered diner booths, and sage green Mid Century–inspired chairs, plus terrazzo tiles in the bathroom. You can’t miss the swoopy rainbow mural on the storefront by Britt Henze.

The portraits in the dining room (painted by Johnny Dismal) pay homage to iconic chicken chefs and personages, both real and created: Colonel Sanders, the inventor of General Tso’s chicken (Peng Chang-kuei), the fictional Los Pollos Hermanos from Breaking Bad, and a real-life barbecue chef, John “Big Daddy” Bishop of Dreamland BBQ in Alabama. Stand by for another portrait coming soon of one of our SF culinary legends by Alfredo Sainz. 

In the meantime, the talented crew is rapidly dialing it all in day by day, so consider this piece a preview from their soft-opening week—things are subject to change or be tweaked. Follow along for updates at @chickenfriedpalace. Open for breakfast and lunch daily, 9am–3pm. 2240 Mission St. at 18th St.

After 15 Years on Bush Street, Sons & Daughters Levels Up in Their New Mission Location

While chef Seth Stowaway is busy launching his new Chicken Fried Palace project just a half mile away along 18th Street in the Mission, the team behind Sons & Daughters has simultaneously moved and opened in Stowaway’s former Osito restaurant space, after 15-plus years in their compact restaurant on Bush Street. The synchronistic timing is uncanny!

Sons & Daughters has continually evolved over the years, originally founded in 2010 by Teague Moriarty and Matt McNamara (who has since moved on), and London-born Harrison Cheney joined the team in October 2022. Cheney was named executive chef in January 2023, and steered the restaurant into a modern progressive, New Nordic-meets-NorCal direction that really leveled up their reputation. In a conversation, he shared, “I didn’t know I was going to completely come into my own [at Sons & Daughters]. I started seeing a vision of the whole experience, and when I was promoted to executive chef, I really put my own stamp on the menu.” They were off to the races: Cheney was awarded the Michelin “young chef” award in 2023, and the restaurant earned its second Michelin star in 2024, and then a green star in 2025.

Restaurant Naides Announces Their Opening in December

The restaurant hopscotch game continues, with Restaurant Naides announcing their December 5th opening in the former Sons & Daughters Bush Street location. I wrote about this modern-Filipino, fine-dining project from co-owners Patrick Gabon and Celine Wuu in this earlier issue of tablehopper. The 11–13 course tasting menu will highlight Filipino ingredients alongside foraged, preserved, and fermented components, an approach shaped by Gabon’s time at Sons & Daughters under chef Harrison Cheney and Restaurant Milka in Slovenia. $185, plus a 20 percent service charge. Reserve here. 708 Bush St. at Powell.

San Francisco’s Hottest Pub Is Dingles Public House (This Pub Has Everything: a Scotch Egg, Meat Pie, and Sticky Toffee Pudding)

Last week, I mentioned the upcoming opening of Dingles Public House will be the day after Thanksgiving (Friday November 28th), and after visiting the new British pub for a couple soft-opening/test-service dinners over the past couple weeks, I have this in-depth preview for you. English chef-owner George Dingle was previously at Monsieur Benjamin, where he met sommelier Anissa Dingle—they married a couple years ago and are opening Dingles together. MB was quite the industry hangout, so the couple is pleased to host their many industry friends in their own place, just a couple blocks away. This project is so personal, and the Old World vibes make it feel like the Dingles should be living above the gastropub.

Back in 2024, I heard George was going to be opening a British pub in the former Pläj in the Inn at the Opera on Fulton Street, but after months of checking in (and attending a couple of his pop-ups at Casements), they gave the opening story to Eater SF, which you can read for his culinary backstory at Michelin-starred restaurants in England and California, Annisa’s industry path, and the couple’s initial vision and design notes.

While the restaurant space has always felt a little funky (you walk past the front desk of the Inn at the Opera into a back room with no windows), the classic pub style works really well for the venue. The original bar now has stools from Turkey with a fun ’60s style with tufted backs in a rich cordovan, and the front dining room has banquette seating with the same tufted style. 

The malachite-faced fireplace stayed put and adds to the cozy and residential vibe, with books and ducks on the mantle, and pubby pieces and eclectic art on the walls. A punchy British racing green is the predominant color for the walls, wainscoting, and bar base, while the back room—which can be curtained off to create a semi-private dining area—is outfitted with chintz wallpaper and velvet curtains.

The kitchen now has a window with a pass that opens onto the bar area, so industry friends can say hullo to chef. Tables are set with white tablecloths and sturdy, custom ceramic dishware (with a mallard coming in for a landing on the center of the plate) from HF Coors in Tucson that will outlive us all. 

George’s years in fine dining coupled with his French bistro skills are front and center here, which is why all the sauces are next-level, the burger is best in class, and Dingles is bringing an elevated style of authentic British pub food to SF that is technically quite badass, but not fussy.

I could see popping by the bar for a couple bites and a drink after a performance in the neighborhood (or sitting down for a full meal before). You can start with beautifully shucked oysters (Beausoleils, my favorite) and snack on some pork scratchings (British chicharrones) with a hit of chile mustard spice ($9).

The Scotch egg ($14) is masterful, with a browned and crispy sausage exterior, and a jammy egg nestled inside, on a base of English mustard mayo. There’s also a sausage roll ($15) in flaky pastry that you won’t want to share, served with housemade brown sauce (Dingle told us he makes it with dates). I’d save the Welsh rarebit ($14) for a second visit—these other dishes are too special.

The word is out and reservations look pretty booked for now, but they reserve space for walk-ins. Reservations are available up to 30 days in advance and are released at 11am each day, plan accordingly. Opening Friday November 28th. Open Wed–Thu 5pm–9:30pm, Fri–Sat 5pm–10:30pm, Sun 12:30pm–1:30pm and 5pm–7:30pm. 333 Fulton St. at Franklin.

I know, I just made you really hungry, didn’t I? It’s my job! And that’s why you should subscribe! Thank you for your support. Happy Thanksgiving and see you next week. 🦃