what’s cookin’
Hey there, you’re getting this a day late since I needed some time to prepare my presentation to The Century Club of California, a historic women’s club (since 1888) where Julia Morgan was a member! It was my fourth time speaking at the club, which is now just a 10-minute walk from my new apartment. It’s always a treat to mingle, talk food, and have lunch with this fabulous group of women—I love hearing stories from longtime San Franciscans of where they used to dine out, like the Poodle Dog!
I’ve also been weeded trying to get my work environment back up and running—I finally bit the bullet and picked up my new laptop last week (woohoo!) after dealing with my busted brick for waaaay too long. (That thing was a time bomb—I won’t miss the running fan and spinning beach ball of death.) It’s a new world of blazing fast functionality over here, but, of course, a bunch of my settings are wonky and apps are gone—I spent the weekend trying to get shit sorted in time for my deadline, but alas, I’m still dealing with so many tech annoyances (like outdated printer drivers, so lame). So, after last week’s tome, today’s newsletter needed to be more concise.
You ready for a winter of comfort food? Boy, do we need it. And a stiff drink. (Make mine a double.) Last week, I went to a friends and family test dinner of the upcoming Dingles Public House (the chef is George Dingle, hence the name), opening in the Inn at the Opera on Fulton Street the day after Thanksgiving (November 28th). Chef Dingle was previously at Monsieur Benjamin, where he met his wife, sommelier Anissa Dingle, and they’re opening this classic British pub together. I’m going to send you my full writeup next week after I experience their Sunday roast service (with Yorkshire pudding!) this coming Sunday, but in the meantime, if you have any nostalgia for pub fare or British racing green, you’ll want to make a reservation now (their book just opened on Monday).
Maybe you’ve tried his meat pie or traditional English breakfast at his pop-ups at Casements over the past couple years? More from me in the next issue!
Last month, I wrote about Palio’s 35th anniversary festivities and special pizza offer and menu, and their party week is here! Take a look at the deals they’re offering, including a $35 three-course anniversary menu this weekend (November 21st–23rd), and you can add a $1 martini (one per guest). Cheers to that.
A tasty tip for you fab supporting subscribers: are you sometimes a solo diner? Do you love happy hour? Then you should definitely hang out at the horseshoe bar at Prospect.
This week’s column is dedicated to the memory of the fierce, brilliant, valiant, visionary Alice Wong. Last week, I was so shocked and gutted to see the news that our @disabilityvisibility warrior queen, activist, author, organizer, change-maker, thinker, and great lover of food and color (and cats) had sadly left us at 51—a powerful light has dimmed, but her impact will live on forever. You can read more about the brilliant Alice here and here, explore and buy her books, and contribute to her GoFundMe to continue the legacy of her work. Rest In Power.
Take good care,
~Marcia
the chatterbox
We Could All Use Something Sweet in Our Lives, and Honey & Pearl in Emeryville Has the Good Goods
Last week, I shared my picks for Thanksgiving, but let’s be honest, it’s pie we have on our minds. Based on my recent pickup of sweets and a cake from Honey & Pearl, I think you’ll want to preorder one of their holiday pies! I first read about this new Emeryville bakeshop in Good Taste in 48 Hills—it’s from baker Tamara Esparza and her husband, Vinnie Esparza (yup, the talented DJ who has been playing in SF for as long as I have lived here, since 1994, and he has been at Amoeba Records for 15 years!). Another DJ pal, King Most, wanted to make sure I knew about the couple’s new location and made some intros—you gotta love the crossover of our food and DJ community!
Tamara and Vinnie thoughtfully gifted me a sampling of Honey & Pearl’s sweets to try, and since their offer magically coincided with my birthday a couple weeks ago, I got to have their best-selling, double-layer guava chiffon cake as my birthday cake with Tamara’s fabulous lettering (she said she wanted to be a graffiti artist when she was a kid, and it shows!). It’s an absolute cloud of a cake, thanks to the whipped cream and Tamara’s technique—she says she has to be in a good mood when she makes it, and is always in awe of the batter. She said it freezes well, and is a fun thing to stash away for future midnight slices. You can order a whole cake (6” or 8”), and they also make individual parfait cup portions.
I was blown away with her banana pudding, which was so creamy and loaded with perfectly ripened banana—her scratch-made banana custard is epic, and I got lost in the fresh whipped cream. It’s tops! She said she only uses name brand Nilla Wafers, and it’s one of those desserts that’s better in a day or two after the wafers soften up. (I can’t believe Tamara is allergic to bananas, but makes such an incredible pudding!)
She also makes a Mexican-inspired, coconut-banana version with Maria cookies, cajeta, and toasted coconut. Honey & Pearl sells individual sizes (for now) for just $4.75, which may be one of the best deals in the Bay Area. There’s also a party size for 8–10 guests for $36. Hey, restaurants without a pastry chef, you should pick this up and put it on your dessert menu.
I really dug the menu’s multicultural style, which Tamara says is very Bay Area, influenced by her Korean Mom, her Black Dad from Georgia, and Vinnie’s Mexican background. The menu rotates each week, with items like ube sugar cookies, burnt almond cake, and tasty seasonal treats like a pumpkin spice cake with orange creamsicle cheesecake inside and pecan caramel on top. December is going to have all kinds of specials—get ready. Tamara shares the menu reflects everything she loves to eat and make—she won’t sell anything she doesn’t adore. And you can taste the deep, abiding love for her craft (and customers) in everything you taste—this is such personal food. It’s like having a family member who’s a great baker.
Right now, they’re taking preorders for holiday pies (pickups on Wednesday November 26th and 27th), and the lineup includes pumpkin mousse pecan pie, classic pecan pie, Southern sweet potato, pumpkin cheesecake swirl, apple streusel, a Boston cream pie, and I am dying to try their Mexican Key lime pie, made with limes from Vinnie’s Mom’s tree (I was told she would sing to her plants and trees). Tamara uses Plugra for her pie crust, and they come in a 10-inch, deep-dish, heavy-duty reusable pan. Just wait until you see the affordable pricing, it’s refreshing to see.
Tamara started as a line cook in the restaurant industry when she was 17, and let’s just say things were different 30 years ago for women in the kitchen—it’s where she learned to be tough and never give up. She went on to attend the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Greystone. Her baking skills are what saved her when she got out of an abusive relationship 18 years ago, escaping with her four kids and finding a job as a cake decorator, which helped get her closer to fulfilling her culinary dreams. (She tells me the kitchen is where she has her place.) She also mentioned her vegan mocha crunch cake placed first place and best in show at the 2011 Solano County Fair, and her Southern red velvet cake won second place!
Tamara founded Honey & Pearl in 2016 (Pearl is her oldest daughter’s middle name), baking from her home kitchen, and in 2018, she met Vinnie. They started building the business together, doing more popups and taking preorders for special occasions, and in 2019, she was working in a commissary kitchen in San Jose, hosting successful monthly bakesale pickups and popups for their adoring and devoted audience until October 2023, when Tamara and Vinnie got married (they had a coconut-pineapple wedding cake) and took a break from the business.
An Oakland native, she is now happy to be back in The Town, since she moved in with Vinnie (also an Oakland native), and they started looking for a permanent place to bake nearby. Their new Emeryville location hosts multiple businesses and caterers, but they have their own private kitchen—Tamara just loves being there and “feeding people with love.”
For now, they’re hosting weekend preorder pickups Saturday–Sunday, but the goal is to expand to Thursday–Friday pickups, and Monday, too. (They each have full-time jobs, so they’re working as much and as hard as they can.) They would love to have a storefront, so people can just come by when they need a cake or are craving a pudding (yes, please!), and they also plan to start nationwide shipping at some point. Place your preorder now for weekend pickups (custom orders welcome!) and follow @honeyandpearl for menu updates. 1145 65th St., Emeryville.
Sequels and Expansions
After a successful comeback in an upscale Financial District location (the former Barbacco), according to a liquor license application filing, Turtle Tower is going to be opening a second location on Fillmore Street in Cow Hollow. On a roll! They posted that they will be opening in spring 2026 in the former Ricco Mediterranean restaurant space, and in a statement to SF Standard, daughter Kathy Pham confirms they will have a bar, and will try out late-night hours at this location as well. (I previously wrote in tablehopper about their late-night service on weekends until 3am.) 3145 Fillmore St.
Meanwhile, Street Taco is expanding with a new location in the Financial District, targeting an opening in January 2026. Street Taco started on Haight Street in 2014, and this will be their fifth location, serving Mexico City–style street food with tacos made with organic, handmade tortillas, as well as tortas, burritos, quesadillas, salads, and bowls. Anticipated hours of operation will be 9am–4pm. 116 New Montgomery St.
Unfortunate Closures Include Bissap Baobab and K-Elements BBQ
After 28 years in the Mission, Senegalese-born Marco Senghor announced he’s closing the current location of his West African restaurant and community event space, Bissap Baobab on Sunday December 28th. His Instagram post says, “This decision is incredibly emotional. These walls have witnessed weddings, birthdays, revolutions, breakups, makeups, miracles, and thousands of nights where cultures blended like spices in a Ceebu Jen pot. However, sustaining such a large space has become too difficult in these times. Let us be clear: Baobab is NOT done. We are actively looking for a new home. The Baobab bends, but it never breaks.” They will keep on hosting events they have scheduled on their December calendar, so be sure to come by and support, and are throwing a farewell party on Saturday December 20th. 2243 Mission St.
In the meantime: “While we search for our next home, we invite you to join us for Baobab Flying Night every Saturday (starting December 1st) at Muddy Waters Café (521 Valencia). This is an RSVP-only event with a limited capacity of 49 seats. $35 per person (includes ceebu jen jollof rice, pastels, and bissap or a ginger drink). Enjoy the sounds of Makossa, Afrobeats, and Petit Maquis vibes with DJs from Cameroon and Gabon. For walk-ins, we will offer Afro Wraps, Crêpes, and Coffee in a cozy Petit Maquis ambiance.” Check it out and keep the vibes going.
A star tablehopper reader let me know there is a sign in the window of K-Elements BBQ in the Outer Richmond announcing they’re closing on Sunday November 23rd. The AYCE Korean barbecue corner restaurant has been in the neighborhood for eight-and-a-half years, but sadly, in their note they share the landlord “has raised the rent to a level we simply cannot sustain.” Damn. You can read their farewell letter on their Instagram page here. 2140 Clement St. at 23rd Ave.
Starter Bakery Albany Is Officially Open, Drawing Crowds of Pastry Lovers to Solano Avenue
by Savannah Leone Bundy
Master baker and founder Brian Wood recently opened the highly anticipated second retail location of Starter Bakery on Solano Avenue in Albany (we first mentioned this sequel was coming back in July). The new café is serving all of your faves—including their famous kouign amann, hearth breads, seasonal pies (place your Thanksgiving order now!), and other classic pastries. There’s also a brand-new, sugar-dusted beignet sold exclusively at the Solano shop (pick from classic, passionfruit cremeux, and chocolate cremeux). Get ready for his pannetone!
Lunch fare (salads, sandwiches, and quiches) and espresso are also available, and everything can be enjoyed in the cozy dining room (with 22 seats), on the spacious patio (with room for 245–make it a party!), or anywhere else as takeout. Local Caha Design is behind the airy and modern café look. Hours are Wed–Sun 7am–4pm. 1183 Solano Ave. at Cornell, Albany.
GTFOUT
It May Be Dark Early, But You Can Still Have a Lit Night
If you’re looking for something fun to do in our early evenings, take an SF Neon twilight walking tour! I believe I have taken all of the San Francisco tours—they’re endlessly fascinating, and founders Randall Ann Homan and Al Barna are full of cool neighborhood trivia and stories. Find a spot to have a drink at before (and dinner at the end) of a tour and make a night of it.
Sat 11/22: Chinatown SF Neon 4pm and 4:15pm Tours
Fri 12/5: Downtown Tour at 5pm
Fri 12/19: Lower Nob Hill Tour at 5pm
Sat 1/3: Cow Hollow Tour at 5:15pm
Wed 1/7: Matchbook-SF Neon Tour at 6pm
