what’s cookin’
Happy rainy day to you—I’m glad the rain has returned, because the City really needed a bath (she was getting scruffy!). It’s going to be back in full force for most of next week, which is a bummer for Tuesday’s Lunar New Year and Mardi Gras—we’ll have to see if the weather lightens up.
This coming weekend is (Not My) President’s Day weekend, so please note next week’s newsletter will be arriving later in the week. Since I won’t be sending my column on Tuesday February 17th, I want to wish you a Happy Mardi Gras in advance! Gumbo Social is hosting their annual Bayview Mardi Gras Celebration, a free, family-friendly street party from 11am–5pm, with music, and food for purchase from Gumbo Social, Let’s Eat BBQ, Pop’s Creole, and Smoke Soul Kitchen—free RSVP and event details here.
Dinner at The Front Porch or Brenda’s French Soul Food (and Brenda’s Meat & Three) would be fun places to let the good times roll, of course, and for lunch, you can visit Queen’s Louisiana Po-Boy Cafe, Po’Boys Kitchen, or pick up my favorite muffuletta from Cafe Zoetrope. You can order a NOLA-style king cake from Noe Valley Bakery, as well as their prince cakes, and Mardi Gras cupcakes.
This weekend is Valentine’s Day, and I have even more ideas and treats for you in today’s column. Personally, I’m looking forward to attending HAVE in North Beach with my gal pals on Thursday (with vintage dealers, jewelry, local artists, music), and on Saturday night, I’ll be dancin’ and foot stompin’ and hip shakin’ to the legendary DJ Greg Wilson at The Great Northern.
In today’s newsletter, I also have a feature full of places celebrating the Lunar New Year with special goodies and festive décor and menus. Here’s to the Year of the Fire Horse!
I have been on quite the movie binge lately (it’s a good mental escape). Last Saturday, I attended the SF premiere of Join the Club (it was part of SFIndieFest at The Roxie), a documentary about legendary cannabis activist Dennis Peron. There was some incredible archival footage of SF, and I was so grateful to see the documentary in a live audience full of so many longtime cannabis activists and local members of the cannabis community who were here back in the day—the lively crowd was shouting out their love for Brownie Mary, hissing at the cops, and clapping over the passage of Prop 215, which legalized medical use in 1996.
Telling Peron’s story shows how the roots of compassionate care and the path to the legalization of cannabis all spring from how SF’s LGBTQIA+ community fought to survive and respond to the devastating AIDS crisis. It was deeply moving and inspiring to see everything Peron did to courageously provide AIDS patients with access to cannabis, which led to the creation of the Cannabis Buyers Club, the first dispensary in the nation (in 1992).
Everyone should see this powerful documentary—look for it at local film festivals. I really hope it gets picked up by a distributor soon. Strong stuff. Bless your big heart, Dennis. Any time you buy a joint at a dispensary or get an eighth delivered (and don’t go to jail for it), you have Peron to thank. And big love to the folks who handed out free joints, seeds, flower, and rolling papers before the screening, truly kind. Dennis would approve.
Got the munchies? It’s time for heart-shaped pizza. (I have a couple for you today.) And a patty melt. And cake!
Stay cozy,
~Marcia
the chatterbox
Goldenette Diner Opens on Polk Street with Some Sparkle and a Smash Burger Patty Melt
Last month, I mentioned Goldenette diner is going to be the latest incarnation of the former Toast Eatery on Polk Street, and over this past weekend, I was invited in for a test brunch service before it opens. Toast owner Eddie Naser has partnered with Wes Rowe (founder of WesBurger) on this new-school, all-day diner, which I’m thrilled to have just a block away from me.
The space got a sparkly update from David Marks Design, with a gold mirror–tiled post out front, which matches the gold hex-tiled coffee bar (where solo diners will be happy to perch for their breakfast or a burger), plus a newly upholstered gold banquette along the wall (there’s even some sparkle in the bathroom). There are mid-century modern, Stilnovo cone–inspired light fixtures, pops of millennial pink on the walls and the plates and cheerful wallpaper, and a new black-and-white tiled floor.
As for the preview of the all-day menu, there’s a variety of breakfast sandwiches (around $14) with the softest, fluffiest, scrambled eggs, from the BEC (smoked Benton’s bacon, American cheese, housemade jalapeño salsa), to the SEC (an herbaceous smashed pork sausage patty made in house, American cheese, with some Monte Cristo vibes from the spicy strawberry jam).
If you want a classic diner plate, the Goldenette Plate is a two-egg combination served with hash browns or tots, toast, and your meat of choice (bacon or sausage).
There are a few breakfast burritos ($14); we dug the chile relleno burrito, with refried black beans and molcajete salsa inside a locally made Ozuna tortilla. If your palate leans toward the sweet, the custardy bread pudding French toast should be your pick, with big dollops of cloud-like banana crème anglaise on top, and squiggles of salty butterscotch (let’s just say my cold leftovers at midnight were stoner heaven). B-A-N-A-N-A-S!
Since we’ve got Wes Rowe involved with this project, you can be sure there are tots on the menu (try the spicy gold dust addition, with tingly whispers of Sichuan peppercorn and fennel seed), and you can get your tots loaded with cheese sauce, bacon jam, caramelized onions, and scallions. Uh-huh.
Rowe is also our burger man, and he assures me the Goldenette Melt is gonna be the best patty melt in the City (which was invented here in SF—supporting subscribers will have fun reading all about it in today’s archivist!). Here, it’s a double-smash burger (featuring Brandt Beef), with deeply caramelized onions, Point Reyes Toma, and Russian dressing on rustic sourdough-rye from Panorama, sign me up.
The grand opening is Monday February 16th, and since you’re a tablehopper subscriber, here’s a tip:
Regular hours will be daily 9am–9pm, closing at 3:30pm on Sunday nights. 1601 Polk St. at Sacramento.
Go Get It: Sforno Is Making Una Pizza Molto Napoletana 🤌 (and More) in a Tiny Location in Hayes Valley
Last month, SFist wrote about the opening of Sforno in Hayes Valley, which has a menu of authentic Neapolitan-style pizzas, plus panuozzi (Neapolitan-style panini made with pizza dough), calzone, and the ultimate street pizza: the portafoglio. The name Sforno means “from the oven,” which, in this case, is a traditional, wood-fired Neapolitan oven from Acunto (made in Naples, since 1892). I knew with these menu items that the owners had to be legit Italians, so I ordered a pizza for takeout on Friday night in order to scope it out.
I followed up later with the owner, who came to the Bay Area from Verona in 2000, but she prefers not to be named—she shares this is her first restaurant, and she’s launching it with her children, along with two main pizzaioli who grew up in the heart of Napoli. While both of them are young (in their 20s–30s), one of them has been making pizza since he was 12, apprenticing in one of the oldest pizzerias in Naples (the famed L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele, which dates back to 1870); they already have over 15 years of experience making traditional Neapolitan pizza, and it shows.
Me being me, I ordered the Spicy Trouble (San Marzano tomatoes, Spianata piccante salami, fior di latte mozzarella, Parmesan, basil, EVOO; $23). Normally, I wouldn’t dream of ordering a Neapolitan pizza for takeout since it’s at its finest as soon as it comes out of the forno, but since there are only three tables in the pizzeria, I figured I’d likely need to bring it home. I cranked my home oven to the max and threw my pizza in to reheat it for a couple minutes, and still, it was so damn good. The tender, lightly chewy crust was perfection, with even leopard spotting underneath, and a smoky kiss from the oven (but not too much). The technique, the ingredients, and the authentic flavors took me right back to eating pizza in Southern Italy, especially the Calabrese Spianata piccante, a type of pressed soppressata with a kick of peperoncino.
The owner tells me the majority of their quality ingredients are shipped from Italy weekly, like fresh fior di latte mozzarella, and 00 flour from Naples (they follow the Verace Pizza Napoletana pizza-making methods and use certified ingredients), while they source seasonal produce locally.
Open Mon–Fri 4:30pm–9:30pm, Sat–Sun 11:30am–9:30pm. 514 Octavia St. at Ivy.
Falasteen Palestinian Kitchen + Bar Reopens in Noe Valley
Sweets for the Sweets
This Saturday February 14th is Valentine’s Day, and over the past few weeks, I’ve been posting menus and events and ways to celebrate here (and in my Instagram highlight). Here are a few more ideas for you:
Have you stalled on making your dinner reservation? The youth-run Old Skool Cafe in Bayview will host its annual Valentine’s Dinner, a three-course meal with live music and a bubbly toast. The menu includes starters like an Anjou pear and parsnip soup, main courses like roasted flank steak or pan-seared sea scallops, and desserts like pecan pie or an OSC favorite: sweet potato tartlets. $72 per person, and it includes tax and gratuity! Reservations can be made at this link.
I wrote about the delightful Carousel Patisserie a few weeks ago, and they have a red heart cake (delicate madeleine base layered with dark Valrhona chocolate cream and a vibrant raspberry mousse, finished with a glossy red glaze), and a black heart (madeleine base, topped with smooth raspberry cream, and dark Valrhona chocolate mousse, coated in a sleek chocolate glaze). $25, serves 2–4. Preorder for pickup 2/14. Or you can swing by for some of their many special pastries in the case the day of. Open Tue–Sun 7am–2pm. 345 Taylor St. at O’Farrell.
Giddy Up! Tasty Ways to Ring in the Year of the Fire Horse
With Lunar New Year kicking off on Tuesday February 17th, restaurants and bars and shops are offering all kinds of specials and meals and more. Take a look at my Instagram highlight for an ongoing recap of things to do and eat over the next month.
The Chinese New Year Parade is in Chinatown on Saturday March 7th, FYI. If you’re planning to visit Chinatown this month, you can get a free hour of parking at Portsmouth Square Garage (through March 8th), and it’s only $8 to park all day on weekends at St. Mary’s Garage.
Here are some LNY treats and menus to add to your list:
Abacus Row in Chinatown collaborates on an annual Lunar New Year calendar with photographer Andria Lo, and this year’s (their seventh) is all about edible arrangements. View the entire Abacus Row Lunar New Year shop here, and their window display of thousands of mandarins is always something to see, so be sure to visit the shop in person. Heads up: they’re hosting nâu coffee for a Vietnamese coffee pop-up on February 21st (11am–3pm). 1256 Mason St.
Empress by Boon in Chinatown will debut their Lunar New Year tasting menu, with nine courses, like XO dim sum trio (pak choi and prawn dumplings, dried scallop turnip cake, and vegetarian pumpkin dumplings); Dungeness crab with kaluga caviar (如意珍寶, a symbol of good fortune); braised abalone with fat choy (包您發財, representing wealth and prosperity), and more. Reservations can be made on OpenTable here; running February 16th through February 28th, 2026.
the lush
Have a Hoppy Time During SF Beer Week
SF Beer Week is running February 20th to March 1st, 2026, kicking off with the official SFBW Fest on Saturday February 21st at Salesforce Park from 12pm–5pm (tickets are going fast), with an after-party at Enterprise Brewing (5pm–10pm).
There are taproom events and takeovers and pairing dinners happening all over the Bay all week long: check out the many activities here (you can click the tabs on the top left to limit the events to a particular area, like North Bay), and view the extensive calendar by day here. IPA lovers can read about the six regional guild beer collaborations highlighting 30 years of IPA. 🍻
sponsored event
James Beard Taste America Is Back at Saluhall on March 1st
The James Beard Foundation’s Taste America® culinary series returns to San Francisco on Sunday March 1st, 2026, with an unforgettable walk-around tasting at Saluhall, bringing together the city’s most celebrated chefs for one dynamic night of food, flavor, and community.
Headlining the evening is Azalina Eusope of Azalina’s, a James Beard Foundation semifinalist and member of the prestigious 2025–2026 TasteTwenty class, recognizing the nation’s most exciting culinary “ones to watch.” She’ll be joined by an all-star lineup of San Francisco talent, including other James Beard Semifinalists, like Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski (The Progress) and Monique and Paul Feybesse (Tarts de Feybesse), alongside chefs from Copra, Lazy Bear, Birdsong, The Slanted Door, Stateline Road Smokehouse, 7 Adams, and more.
Guests will explore more than 35 food and beverage stations, sampling standout bites that showcase the creativity and diversity of the Bay Area’s independent restaurant scene. Expect bold flavors, innovative dishes, and craft beverages, all under one roof.
Taste America celebrates the chefs and restaurants shaping the future of American dining while supporting the James Beard Foundation’s mission to build a more sustainable, equitable, and thriving restaurant industry.
If you love great food and want to experience the best of the San Francisco Bay Area in one night, this is it.
Secure your tickets now. Premier tickets ($235): 5:30pm; GA ($185): 6:30pm. Saluhall at 945 Market St., floor 2.
the starlet
Some Super Star Sightings
Since the Benito/Super Bowl happened in our backyard, there were all kinds of famous musicians and celebrities in town. Here are some fun sightings at local restaurants:
the archivist
In honor of the patty melt...
