what’s cookin’
Happy weekend, frens. Or should I say, “Hey, sailor?” It’s Fleet Week, and love it or hate it, we have thousands of service men and women roaming and drinking all over The City (especially in North Beach), so have fun with that.
I’m already fired up for Thursday’s tablehopper 20th anniversary PrimeBird dinner at Nightbird, which is going to be over the top (chef Kim Alter’s prime rib service is so creative and delicious). Champagne will be flowing! The guest list is too fabulous—this event quickly became my dream dinner party. There will be some good SF stories and cackles and fun folks at the table, so if you’re thinking about flying solo, you’ll be in the best company. Join the party!
We have just a few spots left—take a look below in the chatterbox below for all the details, and I hope to clink glasses 🥂 with you. (Patron or super patron subscribers get invited to a VIP reception.) This dinner was created to give thanks to my subscribers for all their generous support, so why doncha treat yoself?
I want to share my tremendous gratitude to all of you who sent tips of thanks last week to summer intern Francesca Gasparini—you really showed up with some appreciation for her work over here. Grazie! (If you still feel like contributing, her Venmo is @francescagasparini. Mwah!)
Next Friday October 16th, I’m looking forward to attending the opening reception of We Came Here to See, a solo exhibition by Paul Madonna (All Over Coffee), his first gallery exhibition in over 10 years at Nelson Duni Gallery in the Mission. After a near-fatal, hit-and-run car accident in 2022, Madonna started drawing portraits as part of his healing practice. He asked his community if anyone would want to sit for him as he regained his strength and coordination, and I was honored to be one of those people, so you’ll see my portrait in the exhibition (there’s also a small book he has produced in conjunction with the show). The opening reception on Friday is 4pm–9pm (see you there!), and the closing reception is Thursday December 3rd (4pm–9pm). 35 Bartlett St.
Friday is going to be a busy night, because I’m also heading to The Seshen show at Bottom of the Hill, which may be the last show I see there before the deeply uniquely SF club closes on New Year’s Eve. Sniff sniff. Let me know if you’re going, I adore The Seshen.
I’m also going to be celebrating the 20th anniversary of Sui Generis, which is holding a fun Sip and Shop party for the public with my dream SF DJ lineup (it’s major!) on Saturday October 17th from 12pm–5pm. Congrats, Miguel and Gabriel! 🥂
But first, this Sunday, I’m heading down to Monterey with my parents to attend the grand opening party of our longtime family friends’ new restaurant, The Gig, which just opened in a historic restaurant space on Old Fisherman’s Wharf. I’ll be sure to say hi to any otters (my spirit animal).
Next week is the beginning of SF Restaurant Week (October 16th–25th), with so many deals and special menus (book your reservations now!), and don’t miss the giveaway we’re hosting: you can enter to win one of two gift certificates to dine out at Pazzia or Crustacean (check out the sugar mama below).
Enjoy the sun, may it lift your spirits up from the news this weekend. I also have a scoop on a new bar that is softly open in Nob Hill that will lift spirits (to your lips).
Cheers, my dears.
~Marcia
the chatterbox
10/20 Vision! The Next tablehopper Anniversary Event Is an Extra-Fabulous PrimeBird Dinner This Thursday October 15th!
Last call for tickets to the tablehopper 20th anniversary version of a PrimeBird dinner this coming Thursday October 15th with Nightbird’s Kim Alter and Ron Boyd (currently celebrating 10 years)! For our double anniversary 🥂 night, Kim and Ron are pulling out all the stops on their modern steakhouse dinner I fell in love with when they first ran it a couple years ago. It’s their homage to House of Prime Rib, with Nightbird’s Cali-soigné touch. We’ll dine together at a communal table in the private dining room flanking Nightbird.
Awesome patrons and super patrons have access to a VIP reception (6pm–6:30pm), with The Caviar Co. canapés, and Champagne Telmont is back supporting my anniversary events with their elegant bubbles (merci!).
Starting at 6:30pm, ticketed tablehopper annual subscribers (and their guests) will join the party, and everyone will be welcomed with a brilliant cocktail from the adjoining The Linden Room that’s going to be featured in the upcoming Hopper 100 (it’s a surprise—I don’t want to give it away!) while we mingle over some old-school/new-school snacks (Kim and Ron love party bites).
Once everyone arrives, we’ll start sitting down at our communal table by 7pm, beginning with the Little Gems with Green Goddess dressing (our beloved SF dressing—tarragon is my love language), plus Nightbird’s farro bread with cultured butter (so divine), and a glass of Réserve Brut from Champagne Telmont. Cin cin!
Gotta love a modern Green Goddess salad, and have you ever had the cultured butter at Nightbird? You will! First photo: Adahlia Cole Photography; second photo: © tablehopper.com.
The main event will feature a rosy slice of 45-day, dry-aged Flannery Beef prime rib (the “Jorge” cut); creamed spinach; baked potato with all the fixings; herbed horseradish, truffle, and cheddar Yorkshire pudding (whut); and demented sauces (like smoked bone marrow wagyu Hollandaise!). It’s all sooooo good. Don’t miss this dinner.
With the prime rib course, you have the choice of a Martini or glass of red wine. (Don’t drive to this dinner, okay?) We’ll wrap up with a custom 10th/20th anniversary dessert Kim is devising, as well as a couple cute sweets.
The team is really spoiling us with this event: the entire dinner is only $150 (the three drinks mentioned above are included!), plus tax, 20% service charge, and SF mandate (6%), coming to $202.91 total. (For comparison, the regular PrimeBird meal—which doesn’t come with our special snacks, caviar, Champagne/cocktail/wine, and extra dessert treats—was $85/$115 all in, so this is a total steal. Who loves you?) Tremendous thanks to The Caviar Co. and Champagne Telmont for the generous support!
Sorry, no alterations to the menu. Additional drinks are extra. (If you prefer N/A beverages instead of what’s listed above, let Nightbird know when you buy your ticket.)
HOW TO GET A TICKET:
You must be a tablehopper annual subscriber to buy a ticket, and you can get a ticket for one guest (but encourage them to subscribe—there is even a sale right now!). If you want to bring more peeps, drop me a note and I’ll see what we can do! 🥂
Just email me (you can also hit reply to this newsletter) to book your spot and once I confirm your subscription level (annual, patron, super patron), I’ll connect you with Nightbird, who will have you pay in full ahead of the dinner. No refunds, no cancellations, no flaking.
Thursday October 15th. 6pm: reception for Patrons and Super Patrons. 6:30pm: entry for annual subscribers. Cheers! 334 Gough St. at Linden.
Think Pink: Handroll Hawker Is Already on a Roll in Russian Hill
While we had that little blip of delicious heat last week, I went to check out the new Handroll Hawker in Russian Hill that I first wrote about back in July. The pink corner shop was previously Tonic (most recently Zero&), and brings some sunny, Aussie energy, thanks to Romi Trower, an Australian filmmaker and Melbourne native who enlisted the Flour + Water Hospitality Group as consulting partners on the project. She was missing Australian-style, grab-and-go handrolls since she moved here in 2019, which back home are a casual lunchtime staple and available everywhere.
The menu features some Aussie classics, like cooked tuna (imagine tuna salad in olive oil with mayo and cucumber), alongside popular picks like spicy tuna (which isn’t chopped up like we do here), spicy salmon, tempura shrimp, and California faves like salmon avocado (or cucumber avocado). Trower says she could just open a store serving spicy tuna, salmon avocado, and shrimp tempura (those are good ones to try first).
There’s also a crispy chicken roll if you’re feeling adventurous, and cooked shrimp with avocado, cucumber, and sesame seeds. Some of the rolls feature housemade mayo or spicy yuzu mayo, which some people may not like, but I’m definitely on team mayo (I have three kinds in my fridge).
These are a far cry from the premade temaki you’d find at a local market—the first thing that stood out for me is the rice, with a texture and flavor right up there with the shari you’d find at some of our better sushi restaurants. Trower brought on executive chef Tai Trinh, who was formerly head chef at Robin for three years, which explains why the rice is so good (he uses a combination of white and Japanese red vinegar). The ingredients are well-sourced, and since the fillings are simple, the gorgeous pieces of tuna (not chopped up trim), fresh salmon, and perfectly ripe avocado stand out.
All the rolls are $7 each, and you can get a price break with sets (3 rolls for $18, 4 for $24)—they’re just under four inches long. For lunch, I ate two-and-a-half rolls, and snacked on the rest after my pilates class. They make everything fresh daily, and since it’s all premade, you can’t really request modifications. I compared the rolls fresh from the shop versus hanging out in my fridge for a couple hours, and I actually preferred the cooked tuna and spicy salmon with a bit of chill. The nori wrapper on the rolls is soft and easy to bite, and contains everything pretty well (although the spears of cucumber were a bit awkward and fell out in big pieces).
These handrolls are a no-brainer for when you want a quick bite on the go: instead of a filling burrito or sandwich, you can snag a couple handrolls that are fresh and light (although, if you want to go for the crispy chicken, you can do that, too). I can see these going into heavy rotation for folks after working out at the gyms and fitness studios in the neighborhood—I know where I’ll be going after yoga. There’s also miso soup in a coffee cup for $3.50, and I enjoyed the refreshing yuzu lemonade ($4) on the sunny day.
The space is mostly designed for grab and go, but there are a few tables inside and pink ones (of course) outside on the sidewalk. While you wait in line, be sure to take a closer look at the mural by Serge Gay Jr. for some fun custom details.
Trower has been thrilled by the enthusiastic reception by the neighborhood (she says it has been bananas!), with lines down the block, and repeat customers already coming back for more—even little kids are into it, and catering orders are rolling in (lol).
They can’t even think about delivery right now, so you gotta swing by in person. Open daily 11:30am–7:30pm. 2360 Polk St. at Union.
Restaurant Rotations in Union Square and the Former Leo’s Oyster Bar
Heads-up, kouign amann lovers: come March 1st, 2027, the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department just announced b. Patisserie will be leaving its Union Square kiosk after two years, and the Bay Area restaurant group that’s behind Colibrí and Il Parco in the Presidio (Buen Rallo, LLC) will be bringing an all-day Italian concept to the space called La Piazza. Come spring 2027, you can start your day with espresso drinks, housemade pastries and baked goods, breakfast sandwiches, and frittatas, while later in the day, the menu will shift to salads, pizzas, panini, and pastas, along with beer, wine, cocktails, and seasonal non-alcoholic drinks. The café will have a wraparound veranda with seating for more than 30 people, and will be open daily 6:30am–7pm, staying open until 8pm on Fri–Sat. La Piazza is anticipated to secure a nine-year lease, and FYI, Super Duper Burgers is preparing to open in the east café on the Stockton Street side this fall.
A few weeks ago, the news came out in the SF Chronicle that Brad Kilgore—the Miami chef who was at the three Transamerica businesses that abruptly closed in May (the stylish Ama by Brad Kilgore, Café Sebastian, and MadLab Kakigori)—is taking over Anna Weinberg’s recently shuttered Leo’s Oyster Bar to open The Bonacker with managing partner Julian Uribe.
A Grab Bag of Updates and News Bites
Did you know that Sam’s Grill (my favorite old-school SF seafood spot) has brought back Saturday dinner service? I went in for dinner last Saturday (I got to introduce my friend Victor to celery Victor), and the place was busy, with tables and private booths full of folks soaking in the classic ambiance (while enjoying the A/C). It’s probably the only time you could sit at Willie Brown’s front table—while enjoying my Oliver Twist Martini at the bar, I informed a group of diners that they were about to be seated at an impossible table to book during the week. Open Sat 5:30pm–9pm. 374 Bush St.
Another spot open for Saturday service is Bruno’s Italian Taste, the casual Calabrese spot in Yerba Buena (you can read my opening story here), serving panini on their housemade bread, pizza, pasta, homey dishes like eggplant parm, desserts (don’t miss Fabio’s pistachio tiramisù), and Italian wines. Open Sat 12pm–7pm. 606 Mission St. at 2nd St.
Good news: after suffering damage from a fire in June, Che Fico is reopening on Sunday October 18th, and reservations are open now. 838 Divisadero St.
Closures Around Town
After 15 years, Castro dim sum and Sichuan standby, Mama Ji’s, is closing at the end of October. Hoodline reports owners Lily Ji and husband Marv Wolpa posted a sign in the window announcing the upcoming closure. 4416 18th St.
A friend who lives near the Castro told me that The Rustic (in the former Chow) had been closed for a few weeks, with a makeshift sign on the door that said: “Temporarily closed until next week.” I noticed they were still taking reservations on OpenTable, and after waiting a week, I reached out to the restaurant via Instagram, but didn’t hear back. Yelp users report it’s closed, and now Hoodline confirms it has been sold to a new owner. I hope things improve on that block, it’s a tough one. 215 Church St.
Over in the Inner Richmond, the longtime (since 1979!) Vietnamese Mai’s Restaurant has closed. What a run. 316 Clement St. [Via SF Chronicle]
the sugar mama
San Francisco Restaurant Week Returns October 16th—Enter to Win One of Two Gift Certificates to Dine in Style!
Attention all food lovers! Get ready for San Francisco’s most exciting culinary event of the fall: San Francisco Restaurant Week (running Friday October 16th through Sunday October 25th, 2026). Celebrate the flavors of The City and enter to win a gift certificate at participating San Francisco Restaurant Week restaurants: we’re giving away a $150 gift certificate to Pazzia, and another $125 gift certificate to Crustacean!
Delectable weekend brunch? Indulgent five-star dinner? SF Restaurant Week brings you lunch and dinner options from nearly 200 restaurants, including Besharam, Copra, Che Fico Pizzeria, EPIC Steak, Penny Roma, Rose’s Cafe, Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, and more!
Restaurants will offer special prix-fixe menus at one or more of the following price points:
- brunch or lunch (2+ items or courses): $15, $25, $35, $45
- dinner (3+ items or courses): $30, $45, $60, $75, $90
Visit sfrestaurantweek.com to see all participating restaurants and make your reservations now!
To enter to win a $150 gift certificate to Pazzia OR $125 to Crustacean, visit this @tablehopper post on Instagram! Two lucky winners will be selected on Wednesday October 14th at 11am PT. Good luck!
sponsored event
A Powerful Night of Women in Food and Wine in Support of the Next Generation of Chefs
On Sunday November 1st, the Bay Area’s most influential women in food will gather at The Aviary in the Yerba Buena district in San Francisco for Sprouts Chef Training’s Annual Gala: Powerful Women in Food. And you’re invited!
It’s going to be an unforgettable evening of exceptional food, brilliant chefs (like Nari’s Pim Techamuanvivit and chef Meghan Clark, Laura Ozyilmaz of Maria Isabel and Dalida, Gayle Pirie of Foreign Cinema, Nancy Oakes and Dana Younkin of Boulevard, Melissa Perello of Frances and Octavia, Pam Mazzola of Prospect, and more, plus hospitality leaders, sommeliers (including Shelley Lindgren and Debbie Zachareas), and community champions, with honorary guests Alice Waters of Chez Panisse and Debby Soo, CEO of OpenTable. Emmy Award-winning broadcaster Liam Mayclem will lead the evening’s live auction and fundraising program.
There’s a cocktail and bubbles and nibbles hour at 5pm, followed by a four-course dinner, live auction, and more. And the purpose goes well beyond the plate: proceeds support Sprouts’ work equipping youth facing economic hardship with culinary training, mentorship, and pathways to meaningful employment.
Tickets start at $650, tables are available. (70% of ticket price is a tax-deductible donation.)
Sunday November 1st, 2026 (5pm–9:30pm)
The Aviary (at The Metreon), 135 4th St., San Francisco
Jobs change lives. Kitchens heal. It takes a village.
the lush
Scoop: Take a First Look Inside Olde Fashioned, a New Nob Hill Bar Designed with an Old-School SF Sensibility
After Nob Hill’s cute mini disco, Zhuzh Bar, sadly closed on Pride Sunday, I was wondering what was next for the stylish lil’ spot (especially since it’s just blocks away from my still-new-to-me apartment). As I was driving by last week, I noticed some people inside, and I’m happy to report the Polk Gulch/Nob Hill neighborhood has a new bar that’s eager to host us with true SF-style hospitality.
Meet Olde Fashioned, from Eric Passetti, who brought on Will Herrera, operating partner of Harlan Records, to transform the space into its latest iteration and concept (they partnered on Harlan Records, which opened in 2022, and have worked together on many projects over the years, like Café Terminus, and recently Bar Malone’s in SoMa). Both of them have been deeply embedded in SF’s hospitality scene for decades, and they know the neighborhood well—Herrera shares they worked together at Pesce when Ruggero Gadaldi ran it up Polk Street in the aughts, and have been reminiscing about the authentic kind of hospitality and community they built there. (Trust me, I already requested Herrera to please bring back the sgroppino they used to serve.)
Herrera envisions Olde Fashioned to become a third space to balance people’s lives, where you can come have a drink without pretense, or a conversation (or even several) at the long bar. He says, “We think we know what one of our favorite neighborhoods in San Francisco deserves, which is a neighborhood bar, a bar that actually understands them, that can read the tea leaves in just the right way. We have catered to this clientele for a really long time, and it’s a community that we absolutely adore.”
As for the décor, Herrera wanted to reimagine the space as if the Victorian era never went out of fashion. As San Franciscans, he observes how we love our history, and our architecture, and the people (and characters) who have shaped our city—he plans to pay homage to prominent local figures, like Mary Ellen Pleasant, Julia Morgan, and Maya Angelou. He wants folks to come in and have the bar offer a familiar San Francisco sense of place, reminiscent of a drawing room or a salon or a Victorian library (but there would have to be a draft, haha).
Zhuzh’s former disco ball cluster now features vintage pendant lights, while the wallpapered wall and curving arch remain. Photos: © tablehopper.com.
So, Zhuzh’s leopard wallpaper and hot pink DJ booth are kaput, and the cluster of disco balls has been replaced with a grouping of vintage pendant lights. The room feels warm and classic, but not fusty or old timey. (Herrera says Marissa Jade Marsh helped bring the design to life.) Zhuzh’s floral wallpaper along the wall with the curving ceiling arch remains, and the long bar now has a wood top instead of copper, with glowing globe lights overhead (akin to the lighting at Passetti’s new Bar Malone’s—ditto the glossy epoxy floor), and upholstered barstools in a slate blue that matches the color of the painted wainscoting that runs under the standing bar ledge.
In the back is a wall of vintage art (there is one piece that absolutely commands your attention), mirrors, maps, and framed pieces hung in an eclectic salon-style, and the former DJ booth is now a petite corner stage. Since they have an entertainment license, the plan is to have some live jazz—Herrera has been hosting a lot of live music at Harlan, so they have a pretty good pipeline of jazz bands.
As for the menu, like the bar’s name, they really want to get back to the classics and eliminate the pressure that patrons sometimes have reading through a whole menu of ingredients they don’t know while trying to imagine the cocktail (Will quips: “Our drinks won’t require a chemistry exam for every single order”). Instead, they want to develop a bridge of trust with their patrons much sooner through a cocktail program that is familiar and approachable. You’ll see all your old friends: an Olde Fashioned, Sazerac, Manhattan, Negroni, Americano, and Daiquiri, with some N/A options. Amazingly, the house cocktails are only $13, with $10 well drinks, and beers are $8 (still slightly under market).
But, if you want to order something off-menu, or have your bartender surprise you, they will have a crew that is receptive to that. Since I was just rolling in from a wine tasting, Herrera made me a delightful spin on a Hugo Spritz-meets-Gambler, with notes of bitter orange and dry vermouth (he made it with Italicus and Dolin’s Genepy Le Chamois), topped with the crémant they have on the menu and a sprig of mint. It was made with care, garnished with flair, and served in an engraved vintage glass. Yup, I think I just found my new local. To that point, Herrera says, “Yes, we need people to come back out, but what I think is even more imperative is why or what’s the motivation?” $13 well-made cocktails served in vintage glassware with a friendly staff and a comfy bar open late three blocks from my apartment will motivate me.
They’re in soft-opening mode right now, and just getting up to speed with staffing, service, and dialing in the cocktails, so they’re keeping the hours limited (and have been trying to keep things quiet). Hours for now are Tue–Sat 5pm–12am, eventually expanding last call to 1:30am, and they will be opening on Sundays and Mondays as well (which all the industry people in the neighborhood should be happy about). They look forward to serving you. 1548 California St. at Polk.
the socialite
Next Sunday October 18th is the Foodwise Sunday Supper, their big, annual fundraising gala featuring 35 restaurants, and this year, they’re offering a special reception-only ticket, a walk-around tasting experience showcasing hors d’oeuvres and drinks from 30 restaurants and beverage makers in the Ferry Building front plaza. (It’s always my favorite part of the event.)
Here’s a little teaser of some bites: Abacá: pork jowl tocino with marinated K&J Orchards apples; and from Tsar Nicoulai Caviar Café: tartlet with kabocha mousse, honey-glazed squash, and caviar. Beverage makers include Bar Orso, Brucato Amaro, Buddy, Charbay, plus California wines, and more! See you there! 4:30pm–6pm.
And, yes, they still have tickets to the four-course dinner, A Farm-to-City Feast, which also includes the reception and a live auction with one-of-a-kind packages. Some dishes served at the dinner upstairs will include The Happy Crane: “mouthwatering” last of summer salad: mian jin, 8 treasure tomatoes, marinated eggplant and celtuce; and from Californios, lamb barbacoa: smoked and grilled whole lamb and shoulder with grilled Jimmy Nardellos and dates with pinquito beans, tortillas, consome, and three salsas.
For the next few days, Abacá is hosting a bunch of guest chefs, bartenders, and winemakers for a week of events to celebrate Filipino-American History Month, including Pulutan Nights (a night market) on Monday October 12th, a Kamayan (communal feast) on Wednesday October 14th, and Paubaya Tasting Dinner (wine-paired tasting) on Friday October 16th. Read more about the guests and formats here. 2700 Jones St. at North Point.
Cheers to 20 years! Let’s celebrate! 🥂 Become an annual supporting subscriber and save 20% forever! I’d love to see you at PrimeBird on the 15th! 🍸
