This week’s tablehopper: Vent’Anni! (free)

what’s cookin’

Hellllllooooooooo! It’s me, I’m back in SF after running away to my family’s cabin in Tahoma for a quick summer break. I planned to send you a dispatch while I was there, but my parents decided to join me and my sister at the lake, so enjoying the precious time with my sweet family took precedence over laptop time. Fortuna was thrilled to have four people fawning over her and her daily nature walks (although Chip—her chipmunk boyfriend last month—didn’t come by to tease her; I think he realized they weren’t a good match).

Although so much for working on my tan and swimming in the lake every day—the first week was in the 50s and raining. (Not yet, fall! No soup for you!) I can’t believe I made a fire for two nights. Anyway, I needed to power-wash and stain the wraparound deck, so at least the non-beach weather was a good motivator for doing cabin chores. Sis and I also spent a day painting all the deck railing while playing the 70s music we grew up listening to at the cabin on our eight-track machine. Physical labor and the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack: recommended.

Fortunately, warmer temps returned for a few days, so we were back to swimming in the lake and grilling, and a sunset dinner on the deck at Christy Hill in Tahoe City to celebrate my sister’s birthday. I loved JB’s wine list (hello, Corsican rosé!), the gregarious staff, and chef Luis Vallin’s menu was full of creative touches and ingredients, like lemon verbena in a spin on a caprese salad with stracciatella, and a memorable venison tartare. While the furnishings are dated, the view (and warm hospitality) are timeless. Sadly, we had to cancel our family dinner at Savoie, but I plan to make it there later this fall for tartiflette season!

Just before leaving SF a few weeks ago, I pressed pause on the newsletter so I could throw a last-minute and intimate cocktail party (Vent’Anni) to celebrate tablehopper’s 20th anniversary at the remodeled 15 Romolo—Jon and Kelly Anne Gasparini oh-so-kindly offered to host this very early preview before they reopen the beloved bar next month. What a dream location for my party, our beloved 15 Romolo, right in the heart of North Beach!

The only difficult part was the extremely limited capacity I had to adhere to for the bar’s first preview, so please don’t be miffed if you didn’t see an invite—it had to be super-tiny, and the whole thing was arranged quickly and kind of felt like a shotgun wedding. There will be more anniversary parties!

For now, read all about the upcoming reopening of 15 Romolo below, and there’s a fun Vent’Anni party recap. (If you can read this on a laptop or monitor, it will be much more enjoyable.) This week’s column got way too big, so you can read all about the history of the storied location as The Basque Hotel in the next issue in the archivist (thanks to summer intern Francesca Gasparini).

Tremendous thanks to our longtime friends at Charbay for generously being our premier event sponsor for this first shindig in a series of events to celebrate tablehopper’s 20th anniversary. I hope to raise a glass with you at my next gathering, there are so many of you to thank and reminisce with. But only annual supporting subscribers will be able to get tickets to these anniversary soirées. I’m also launching some fun anniversary content and retrospectives, here we gooooo!

Speaking of: in October, I’m cohosting a supped-up tablehopper version of a PrimeBird dinner with Kim Alter and Ron Boyd of Nightbird (currently celebrating 10 years)! They’re going to be pulling out all the stops on this modern steakhouse dinner I fell in love with when they first ran it a couple years ago in their private dining space. Bring on the Flannery Beef prime rib au jus with smoked bone marrow wagyu Hollandaise and herbed horseradish, truffle, and cheddar Yorkshire pudding! It’s sooooo good. And raise your glass, because Champagne Telmont 🥂 is joining me once again for this anniversary event. Ticket info, pricing, and reservations will be released super soon, and seating is very limited. Watch for my email! This event is for annual supporting subscribers only (and patrons and super patrons will have access to a VIP reception).

If you (or a brand or company or product you work with) would like to be involved as an event partner or sponsor/donor/supporter/underwriter, please get in touch! There are a bunch of opportunities and ways we can work together. Are you in the media? I have story ideas and some cool content coming. Let’s talk! Thank you for supporting tablehopper’s 20th anniversary and event series!

It was a timely surprise to be included in this feature in SincerelySusye: Top Independent San Francisco Bloggers to Follow in 2027, which was written to include “independent bloggers whose work met the full editorial criteria: domain ownership, original long-form publishing, established archives, active publishing, and a meaningful San Francisco or Bay Area connection.” Yeah, that’s me. (Except for the blogger part, but still, right on and thanks.)

I also appreciate the shoutout in 48 Hills from my homie in bites and beats, Tamara Palmer, who wrote a preview of fall projects in last week’s Good Taste column.

There’s a bunch of news to catch you up on, which I’ll be able to dig deeper into after I get out from under this pile of emails and press releases, but for now, I’m sharing a few timely headlines and quick bites below.

I’m sad to report this is the last month we have summer intern Francesca Gasparini contributing to tablehopper since she has headed back to school at UCSB! It was such a pleasure to have her snappy writing, lively voice, enthusiasm, much-needed admin help, and dedicated research over the past few months—and I really appreciated her event support for Vent’Anni (her floral displays were beautiful).

This will likely embarrass her, but if you want to join me in saying thanks for her work and tip her some “walking around money” (which is what my grandmother used to call it) as she goes back to school, her Venmo is @francescagasparini. Grazie!

So, this week is going to be an absolute banger. I literally can’t wait to return to Despacio at Portola Music Festival this weekend (September 26th–27th), and I’m praying to get me and my bestie into the Despacio Extravaganza pre-party on Friday. (Let me know if you hear of any tickets, thank youuuu.)

I won’t have any Portola schedule conflicts since I will be in that tent the entire weekend. You can read my recap from last year’s Portola of this life-changing, soul-affirming, and incomparable musical and dance floor experience (which I ended up chasing to iii Points in Miami a month later for a second tour of disco duty). I swore to myself I would never miss another Despacio, no matter when and where it was happening, and lucky me/us, it’s gonna be in our backyard once again. It’s such a gift.

My dear disco friends, I better see you on the dance floor. I mean it. You’ve heard me talk about this so much. I know it’s Folsom weekend, but you can do both! You can buy a single-day ticket, and all you need is GA to get into Despacio. You’ll be outta there by 11pm (set times here), so I don’t want to hear about how you can’t stay out late. DO IT. Read my friend Vlad’s post on Magical Dancefloors for even more convincing and deep Despacio storytelling.

New this year: The Four Horsemen (James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem’s wine bar and restaurant in Brooklyn) is serving cocktails inside Despacio. (Dreams almost answered?? All I wanted was a glass of Champagne while I was in there!)

And if you can’t make it to the festival, this week is Portola Week, with acts performing all over town before and after the festival. Soulwax will be putting on one of their SICK shows at The Regency Ballroom this Thursday (low ticket alert!) and the next night, 2manydjs (the Dewaele brothers) will be playing a DJ set at 1015 on Friday night (can’t stop, won’t stop), as well as FCUKERS at Public Works, and Neil Frances at 888 Garage...and more! Buckle up!

Since I’m lighting a disco candle and praying to get into the Despacio Extravaganza on Friday night, I need to sell my two floor/GA tickets to the Kruder & Dorfmeister: K&D Kicks 30 Anniversary Tour this Friday September 25th at the Fox Theater in Oakland (8pm). I paid $133.50, and will let ’em go for $100! I hope someone wants to buy them. They put on such a great show—last year’s K&D Sessions tour was epic. I wish I could clone myself. Let me know! MWAH. 💋

Have a great week! XO!
~Marcia

the chatterbox

A Quick News Roundup

Before we dive into all of this week’s 15 Romolo coverage, here are some of the latest news headlines:

This Saturday September 19th is the last service for the Southern-inspired Prelude at The Jay, Autograph Collection hotel in San Francisco. The AvroKO-designed space was such a stunna, and executive chef Celtin Hendrickson-Jones made some delicious dishes (gonna miss those wings and catfish dumplings), and same goes for the bar team—that P.F.C Martini! Hendrickson-Jones will stay with Omakase Restaurant Group, working alongside ORG Culinary Director Dustin Falcon at Niku Steakhouse.

Moving in will be Shinka, featuring modern Japanese cuisine with French technique and NorCal ingredients, led by executive chef Fumio Yonezawa (Jean-Georges, Jean-Georges Tokyo, NO CODE in Tokyo and Taipei), who’s new to SF. Look for an October opening—Shinka will debut with a tasting menu and a selection of dishes available at the bar, with a full à la carte menu to follow. Franco Bilbaeno will still lead the bar team, cheers to that.

No more steamer baskets of har gow in the atrium at Rincon Center: Yank Sing is closing their longtime (and largest) Spear Street location after 27 years on Sunday September 20th (the lease is up); thankfully, their 49 Stevenson Street location will remain open. [Via SF Chronicle]

After closing Anomaly so he could take a mental and physical health break, the ever-driven, chef-owner Mike Lanham is back with the next iteration of his modern culinary vision: Athanor. The alchemy continues. (Read more in this SF Eater feature.] 2600 Sutter St. at Baker.

Another fliperoo: the former French Bistro La Chaumière on Divisadero (which had a short-lived transformation into Divis Taqueria) is now Anima Bistro, featuring legit Italian dishes, like Venetian fritto misto with shrimp and local calamari with lemon aioli; housemade lasagna of beef ragù and autumn truffle (for just $22!); pappardelle with slow-cooked Italian ragù and Fontina fondue ($24); and there are even a few pizzas. Lunch and dinner are offered.

I inquired about who the chef is, and was surprised to learn it’s Valentino Luchin, who was the executive chef of Rose Pistola back in 2007, and he went on to open and own the acclaimed Ottavio in Walnut Creek, which sadly closed due to financial and legal issues in 2016. Things began to really spiral for him, and Luchin was in the news in 2018, and then again in 2025, for allegedly robbing a number of local banks, acts of pure desperation. The New York Times ran this thoughtfully written and heart-wrenching story about his travails (a much-needed counterpoint to all the sensational headlines that churned through the news).

I asked owner Kamel Bouzidi how Luchin is doing, and he said, “He’s doing very good now, I hope people understand everybody has [the] right for the second chance.” (Or, in this case, a third.) Here’s wishing some stability for both Luchin and Anima Bistro—the restaurant business is truly brutal. Anima is open for lunch and dinner, and has some sidewalk seating as well. Open Mon, Wed, and Thu 11:30am–3pm and 5pm–9pm; Fri until 9:30pm; Sat 11:30am–9:30pm; Sun 11:30am–9pm; closed Tue. 607 Divisadero St. at Grove.

A tablehopper reader let me know that the Tunisian Gola on Valencia has sadly closed (you can read my preview from 2023 here). But, some good news: I hear owner Rafik Bouzidi (who is related to Kamel Bouzidi at Anima Bistro)...

Awwww, the cute and little old-school Corsagna Deli in Cow Hollow is closing after 47 years, on Friday October 2nd. 1668 Union St. at Gough.

After working together for 20 years, chef pâtissier Juan Contreras is departing his Willy Wonka workshop at Dominique Crenn’s Atelier Crenn, where he has delighted us with his innovative and whimsical creations for the past 15 years. According to Dom’s thoughtful farewell post on Instagram, he’s beginning a new chapter—I reached out for more, will let you know if I hear back.

After opening in 2021, Lower Haight’s Otra is sadly closing in December (no more tacos and totopos), but the talented Spencer Horovitz will be opening his brick-and-mortar location for his California-Jewish pop-up, Hadeem, in there in early 2027. I’ll share more deets on that soon.

Congrats to the ever-resilient Azikiwee Anderson, who just opened Rize Up Cafe, a public-facing space in the front of Rize Up Bakery in SoMa, where you can enjoy grilled cheese and toasts and quiche, and will be able to pick up a loaf of his many inspired breads (from masala to semolina hoagie rolls). SFGATE wrote up an early visit, with some details about the menu. Open Wed–Sun 8am–3pm. 1160 Howard St. at Rausch (near 8th St.).

I need to head over stat to Corey’s Pizza for a Staten Island–style thin slice—the shop opened last week in the former Turner’s Kitchen with a limited menu for now (and they just launched online ordering and delivery). Updates at @coreyspizzasf. Open daily 4pm–10pm. 3505 17th St. at Guerrero.

Just a block away from Golden Gate Park, a tablehopper subscriber shared a hot scoop that Mama’s Boy Pizza is opening its first-ever San Francisco location. This Oakland-based, New York-style pizza joint will be taking over the former home of Inner Sunset’s Reliable Rexall Sunset Pharmacy on Irving Street, which had previously resided there since 1932. Mama’s Boy Pizza has been building its reputation since opening in March 2023 for having one of the best NY-style slices in the Bay Area. It was ranked ninth in the nation by one Italian pizza ranking site—50 Top Pizza—which specifically complimented its Margherita grandma for its crispy undercarriage, fluffy crust, flavorful sauce, and the perfect ratio of cheese, basil, and Parmesan.

Owners Ezra Berman and Miles Palliser opened Mama’s Boy Pizza to offer a New York–style slice shop in the Bay Area, and as an additional business to complement their nearby sports bar the two previously started together, Athletic Club Oakland. Inspired by both of their New York mothers, the two friends set out on a mission to try as many slices as they could to understand and formulate the ideal recipe to bring back to the Bay. According to Nosh, Berman and Palliser took a four-day trip to New York for an intense pizza-tasting tour led by their friend Angelo Womak, where they tried 44 different pies. For the past three years, they’ve been bringing the taste of New York to Uptown Oakland, and, evidently, SF is next. [We reached out to them for confirmation, and Mission Local has since confirmed the project.] Stay tuned for more details soon. 801 Irving St. at 9th Ave. ~Francesca Gasparini

I spotted this early peek inside Bruno’s, which has been closed for the past six years, and I can barely reconcile the current club with my memories of dining at the bar on chef James Ormsby’s supper club menu in the 90s, or grooving to acid jazz in the stylish Cork Club. Anyway, I’m old. Mission Local reports the club is currently soft opening with some weekend parties until a grand opening in October. 2389 Mission St. at 20th St.

the socialite

Vent’Anni at 15 Romolo: The First in a Series of Celebrations for tablehopper’s 20th Anniversary

When Jon and Kelly Anne Gasparini invited me to host a preview party at the soon-to-reopen and renovated 15 Romolo, I couldn’t believe how perfectly their generous offer aligned with where I’d want to be able to celebrate tablehopper’s 20th anniversary. A dream! I know I’m not alone in having many years of fond memories (honestly, mostly hazy ones) from late nights at that stealth bar in North Beach.

It felt really good to be back, and the bar is looking so fine. It’s like finding the perfect shade of red lipstick or having a Martini made the way you like it—classic, chic, classy (but unpretentious). Just right. It’s exactly the kind of bar I want to hang out at for this stage of my cocktail-drinking life.

I know I’ll be seeing many of our guests back at the bar when it reopens next month. It was a puuuush for the Gasparinis to get the bar ready for this early preview party (there are design elements they’re still finishing up), and they put so much thought and heart into so many event details, but they pulled it all off beautifully, and we really loved the sneak peek!

A huge shoutout to all the incredible folks who worked the party—everyone was so fun, personable, and professional. It felt like a natural extension of a house party, but we were in a bar—the best kind of hospitality! For the first preview night, it was so impressive. Thank you! (And this is why Rye on the Road is amazing for cocktail catering, such pros.)

Mille grazie to summer intern Francesca Gasparini for all her event support (and the stunning flower arrangements!), I so appreciated her dedicated help.

It was an honor to be able to kick off the next era for the bar, and a new decade for tablehopper with many of the people who got me to this moment. Honestly, I need a stadium to host and thank all of you friends and longtime supporters and collaborators, but hosting a series of smaller and highly personal events feels right.

Thanks to all of you who followed the dress code and really turned it out! I love being in a room of friends looking so snazzy and sharp. We all need to dress up more. You’re beautiful. (And so sexy in the new amber glow of 15 Romolo!)

Tremendous thanks to emcee and dear friend Liam Mayclem for his rousing and heartfelt toast, and to the glam Juanita MORE! for her electric rendition of I’m Always Drunk in San Francisco—what a dame, what a moment! 

It felt like an only-in-San Francisco kind of party, the way tablehopper is an only-in-SF kind of column. Looking around the room, it was a vibrant gathering of our city’s creatives and culture-makers and bohemians, our incomparable food and beverage industry, North Beach friends, tablehopper collaborators...it was a celebration of SF queerness, our progressive values, our flair, and big, caring hearts. Such quality people. I cherish our community so damn much.

It felt wonderful to be able to work with people and brands I have known and loved for years. None of it would have been possible without the magnanimous support from our premier event sponsor, Jenni and Marko Karakasevic of Charbay Distillery, whom I first met for a tasting and tour on Spring Mountain in 2008! And when I held parties for my book launch in 2010, Charbay was there with a Plum Twisted cocktail for my poolside happy hour at Bardessono. We have some long history and many shared memories from SF’s vibrant craft cocktail scene 20 years ago. Just to add to the hopper connection: did you know Marko (who is a 13th-generation master distiller) pioneered the hopped-whiskey category in the U.S. when he cracked the code of distilling from bottle-ready beer in an alembic pot still?

Jenni was pouring some very special and rare cheekies for our guests, like a preview of Charbay’s upcoming petrichor gin (stand by for a 2027 launch of that one, inspired by the scent of Spring Mountain after it rains), Charbay 1983 Brandy (so damn gorgeous, a sipper from the heavens), and Charbay 2005 Double Aged Rum.

The 15 Romolo team pulled from the extensive Charbay portfolio for our party cocktail menu, which included a Charbay Vodka Martini (which will be on the 15 Romolo menu when it reopens!) and the Spaghetti Western (with Tapatío blanco tequila 110 proof, grapefruit, Campari, rosemary).

I started my night with the Charbay Espresso Martini, and I know I wasn’t the only one who appreciated a little pick-me-up from this guaranteed party starter. (Did you know you can just pour it from the bottle and shake and strain it at home?)

And I wanted to feature an SF original, the Boothby, which the 15 Romolo team made with Charbay Doubled & Twisted whiskey (a blend of five custom-brewed, individually distilled and aged Charbay whiskeys), Cocchi Torino sweet vermouth, and a float of Champagne Telmont. (I love having this cocktail at my parties.)

Guests also got to preview 15 Romolo’s Fords Gin Martini, and the Caprese Highball I mention in my Romolo recap piece below. (See you again real soon.)

I was so thrilled to have a Champagne tower be the first thing our guests saw on arrival—thanks to former Romolo bar manager Ian Adams for making that happen. (It felt so good to have him there—it wasn’t the first time he poured at a tablehopper event at 15 Romolo!) Merci beaucoup to Champagne Telmont for supplying oh-so-many coupes of their refreshing and elegant Réserve Brut (did you know they are the first Champagne house to obtain the certification Regenerative Organic Certified® for their vineyards?).

More bubbles! It was a treat to be able to spoil our guests with Domaine Carneros Cuvée de la Pompadour Brut Rosé, a forever-favorite sparkling rosé of mine, and I was so grateful for the gift of a big bottle o’ bubs for everyone to sign, what a thoughtful memento (thank you, CEO Remi Cohen and publicist extraordinaire Kimberly Charles of Charles Communications). See, this is what women do for each other. Pure class. I appreciate the excellence and female-centric legacy of this local winery (and their PR!). Cheers, ladies!

At the end of the party, our late-night posse piled into a booth and cracked a bottle of the Cuvée de la Pompadour Brut Rosé, the best after-midnight bubs. So refreshing. Think pink! We played songs on Romolo’s new jukebox, and had a moment listening to Dolly, and raised our coupes to that singular woman.

Another longtime friend who came through is the one-and-only Duggan McDonnell, who helped stock our party with the zero-proof Pentire Paloma. So good. (Thanks, Shotzi.) 

Chef Giovanni Gasparini and his kitchen team cranked out an abbondanza of delicious bites for our guests, from ricotta-stuffed fried olives with lemon aioli, to summer caprese salad. The star of the evening was a preview of the chophouse steak sandwich (you can read all about it in my Romolo renovation recap—it was such a hit). 

Grazie mille (again) to Kimberly Charles for the connection to Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co., who graciously donated their creamy Toma for Giovanni’s pancetta arancini, and a duo of crostini featured Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. pimento cheese spread topped with cornichons, and their Original Blue Date Spread, which Giovanni flourished with sweet pickled red onions. (Those are instant party bites for your next gathering!) And the bar team stuffed olives with the Point Reyes Original Blue for the Martinis, so damn delicious.

For dessert, I wanted everyone to enjoy a slice of a North Beach classic: the Sacripantina cake from Stella Pastry & Cafe, since 1942! (It also served as a taste of one of the items that will featured in my upcoming Hopper 100—more on that very soon!)

Charbay came through yet again for the gift bag, with minis of their Charbay Espresso Martini (I thought they would be a swell hair-of-the-dog present to get guests back in the game the next day). Cans are coming soon! 

Jon and Kelly Anne created the most charming memento: a Blue Note–inspired album sleeve that contained the original 45s that came in the jukebox they restored, and the track listing cleverly highlighted our sponsors. So thoughtful, so cool (just like them!). There were also jukebox tokens in the gift bag for guests to use when they return after the bar opens!

And where would I be without my gay glam squad? Mil gracias, my beloved Mr. Anthony, for taking such exquisite care of me all day, and always giving me the best goddamned event hair (the gardenias were intoxicating—everyone loved their romantic scent when I’d hug them). Book him for your next event updo or holiday party tresses or fab color and cut at Ginger Rubio.

Thank youuuuu to the talented Drex Campos (Form and Finish Beauty) for my 70s-meets-Xanadu makeup that managed to stay put on a hot day and with all my running around (a miracle!). Gang, he can do gorgeous, but if you need someone for scary Halloween makeup, Drex is your boo!

I am the luckiest lady evah to bask in the impeccable styling of my dear Scott Goble, who always knows exactly what I need (those gold shoes! That vintage Paco Rabanne chain necklace!), and whose sign-off before I walk out the door is like a blessing from the style gods. How can one person have so much taste?

I always want a friendly face and sparkly personality to run my door, and Marya Kahan of Moxie Proxy Events really understood thew assignment, showing up in full sequins, with tablehopper blue boots! She was a tremendous event support (some people just naturally know what you need while hosting an event, and she is one of them), and she is also a high-energy auctioneer, fundraiser, MC, and day-of event coordinator. Book her for your holiday events!

So, can you believe all these fabulous images? It makes a huge difference when you’re already friends with your event photographer, and even better when they move in the same circles you do, and really love cocktails, and know the shots you need to get. I have admired the talented Ashley Rose Conway’s stunning cocktail content for @craftandcocktails for years, and when our original photographer had to unfortunately drop out at the last minute, I was so stoked to find out Ashley has quietly started shooting events! Um, hello! It was meant to be. Her vivacious personality and bubbly energy and creativity shine in all these images, and she hustled allllll night. Thank you, goddess!

As a music obsessive, the soundtrack to any of my parties is one of the most important components. While I love Romolo’s new jukebox, I wanted the music for the party to be continuous and build a certain vibe. I thought I was just going to put together a playlist, and then my dear friend, Tamara Palmer (T$!)—a longtime music journalist, professional DJ, author, zine maker, Music Book Club founder, and fellow food writing freelancer and San Mateo homie—offered the sweetest gift: to do a party mix for tablehopper’s 20th. Awwww!

There’s nothing like a mix from someone who knows you, and she made me two—you can listen to both (linked below) and see the tracklists, too, ’cause she’s good like that. (Thanks, teemoney, for allowing me to be a control freak and request some of my personal faves, like Steppin’ Out, and some Italian tracks.) Here’s what she had to say:

“It was a pleasure to work with my food writing mentor Marcia Gagliardi to program two exclusive and Despacio-inspired fantasy disco DJ mixes for tablehopper’s 20th anniversary at 15 Romolo in North Beach. I am proud that she said that I gave her goosebumps upon the first listen, and that we are now sharing this celebratory soundtrack with her dear readers. Her taste is exquisite, and I selected some gems as well.

“I have over 30 years experience as a DJ who enjoys working with restaurant and food events. I’m available to spin, create custom mixes or original music for restaurant events as a soloist or with my new duo, Wealth + Hellness!” Yeah, hit her up!

tablehopper 20

Mix 1: 2.5 hours
Fantastic Plastic Machine — Steppin’ Out
Eartha Kitt — C’est Si Bon
Thundercat — Satellite Space Age
Nightmares on Wax — Calling
ESTA. — Jammin
The Stranglers — Peaches
Musical Youth — Pass the Dutchie
Eddie Hazel — California Dreaming
Ready for the World — Don’t Disturb This Groove
Señor Coconut — White Horse
Romeo Void — Never Say Never
Sister Nancy — Bam Bam
Grace Jones — La Vie en Rose
Tears for Fears — Everybody Wants to Run the World (Running Version)
The Beat — Mirror in the Bathroom
Sade — Feel No Pain (Cutso Slap)
Seals and Crofts — Summer Breeze
Kool & the Gang — Summer Madness
Al B. Sure — Nuit et Jour
David Bowie — Fame (Daniel Crawford Remix)
Marvin Gaye — A Funky Space Reincarnation
O’Jays — For the Love of Money
Sly & The Family Stone — Luv ‘N Haight
Steve Miller Band — Fly Like an Eagle (Phoreyez Remix)
Men Without Hats — Safety Dance (Extended Version)
New Edition — A Little Bit of Love (Instrumental)
Chaka Khan — Ain’t Nobody (Hot Classics Remix)
George McCrae — You Can Have It All
Hot Chocolate — Every 1’s a Winner
The Dominatrix — The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight
MFSB — The Message
Sheila E — A Love Bizarre
Diana Ross — Love Hangover
Hall & Oates — Go 4 That (LNTG Mix)
Pointer Sisters — Automatic

Mix 2: 75 min.
Bohannon — Let’s Start the Dance
Bryan Ferry — Don’t Stop the Dance
Les Rita Mitsouko — Marcia Baïla
The Clash — This Is Radio Clash (Different Lyrics)
Human League — Don’t You Want Me (Purple Disco Machine Remix)
Patrick Cowley featuring Sylvester — Do Ya Wanna Funk?
ESG — Dance (Cutso’s Shakedown)
Goya — House at the Sea (Psychemagik Edit)
La Bellini — Satan in Love
Mina — Capisco
Pino D’Angiò — Okay Okay
Milton Wright — Friends and Buddies
Isley Brothers — It’s a Disco Night (Rock Don’t Stop)
Tame Impala — Let It Happen (Soulwax Remix)

So, on that note 🎵, thanks to everyone who helped make this such a sweet and memorable gathering, and here’s to seeing you at 15 Romolo in October, and more upcoming tablehopper anniversary events! Cin cin! 🥂

the lush

The Renovated 15 Romolo Is About to Reopen, and at 28 Years Old, the Clandestine Bar Has a New Air of Timeless Elegance and Refined Taste 

When Greg Lindgren and Jon Gasparini opened 15 Romolo on a quiet alley in North Beach in June 1998, they were on the brink of SF’s latest craft cocktail movement (the groundbreaking Absinthe Brasserie & Bar opened that same year, creating seasonal and ingredient-driven riffs on classic cocktails). The place had such a cool vibe, with great music and a fun crowd who liked to drink. 15 Romolo was also ahead of the modern speakeasy revival that became a de facto style during the aughts with its dark lighting, wood plank floors, and hidden-away address (Bourbon & Branch wouldn’t be around for another seven years, opening in 2005).

Lindgren and Gasparini went on to open Rosewood Bar in Chinatown in 2001, and industry watering hole Rye in 2006 (which just celebrated its 20th anniversary as well, cheers!). They also founded Rye on the Road mobile beverage catering in 2009.

15 Romolo has always been the perfect hideout in North Beach, tucked away from the busy bar scene of Grant and Columbus on the steep Romolo Place alley, perched above the gaudy lights of Broadway and the Hungry I below—you’d see the glow of the red neon The Basque Hotel sign, and that’s about it. Inside, it was always dimly lit, and felt like a secret—it was custom made for a great date spot, and known for an excellent Pimm’s Cup, as well as Picón Punch (paying tribute to its Basque roots), and a late-night bite (those fries!). There was always something for anyone with taste there, and the menu went far beyond your standard bar meat and cheese plate, eventually focusing on tapas, and they even hosted a renowned Sunday boozy brunch.

There were a number of talented bartenders and managers and chefs over the years, creating different eras and styles of the bar, from the relaunch in 2008 with Aaron Gregory Smith and Scott Baird (with carnival food and their clever craft cocktails), along with the talented Brandon Josie, and then there was the sick sherry selection from Ian Adams. It had everything it needed to be an industry hangout for years. And the fricking drinks! They were always ahead of the times. I was looking at some old menus, and back in 2014, I had the Darjeeling Ltd., with gin, turmeric, Earl Grey, lime, gum syrup, and a sprinkling of black pepper (just $10, awwww).

After barely making it through the pandemic (remember their Basque picnic boxes?), Gasparini and Lindgren closed the bar for a remodel in 2024. It was also the time for new lease negotiations and ownership changes—at one point, the bar was on the brink of being leased to someone else, but Gasparini brought on his wife, Kelly Anne, as an owner and they signed the new lease together (Lindgren is still involved and remains a partner).

The couple decided to really lean into the upgrades the bar needed to shepherd it into its future decades—they’re redesigning it with the hope and vision that it outlasts them and lives on to be a North Beach standard. The space dates back to 1912, and was formerly a Basque boarding house and restaurant, which you can read about in the archivist next week. Jon shares that while he has been working in the space almost daily for the past seven months, numerous people have come by and rattled the gate, looking to see if The Basque Hotel and Restaurant still existed from their memories from 40-plus years ago. He said it feels like some good juju.

In an interesting crossover, Kelly Anne has her home in Boise, where there’s a strong Basque community (thanks to all the land for farming), and even hosts the largest Basque festival in the U.S., Jaialdi, with attendees coming from all over the world on the last week of July every five years. The community there even knows about 15 Romolo and The Basque Hotel.

After 114 years, the bar was in need of some foundational updates, from the electrical to plumbing. Since labor is so expensive, the Gasparinis have been doing the majority of the work themselves (including many family members, and their friend, Dwayne Hill, a woodworker who comes down from Boise to help), from installing an air conditioner (yay), to building a curving soffit above the bar with recessed amber lighting, to adding mahogany panels above the previous mahogany wainscoting, all the way to the custom ceiling (which they painted themselves).

This way, they were able to dedicate more money into materials and supplies, like the green Heath tiles their son Giovanni installed behind the bar, and recovering the 1950’s Thonet barstools (the new seating by the front window has porcelain bases that were originally from a soda fountain—you may remember them from Rosewood).

The former banquettes are now four spacious booths with black channel tufting, plus there are a couple big booths along the opposing wall that allow for tables to be added or moved out for flexible seating options (be sure to note the stacked and exposed plywood square edges on the tables that Jon made, which bring a mid-century touch).

Jon has been a fan of modernism all his life, so he was excited to finally find a home for his Art Deco milk glass sconces that he salvaged in his early 20s and has been storing for the past 35 years—you’ll see them on the center wood pillar. There’s a soft glow from the new globe fixtures and wall lights, and when you first walk in, there’s a chic Deco overhead light fixture with brass and folds of linen. While some things may feel the same (the layout, the bar, the sexy hideaway sensibility), the room feels more refined, polished, and elegant. Ms. Romolo has grown up a bit, and she knows some things.

The former CD jukebox, which was a favorite of many, proved challenging to find parts for, so it has been swapped out for a 1951 Seeberg Select-O-Matic jukebox that has its own newly created niche in the back of the bar. It needed a major restoration, but since the parts are all mechanical, it could be fixed—it took four months to completely rebuild it. It now houses a new collection of 100 45s, and since the Seeburg plays both sides of a record, there are 200 songs that Kelly Anne has searched for and curated, ranging from Motown to soul, David Bowie to Blondie, Prince to Patsy Cline. 

By the front of the bar, a former phone booth that was converted into a photo booth takes some cool black-and-white picture strips. (Take some pics with your date: I can see it becoming a kissing booth.)

The kitchen has been redone and looks lighter and airier—it’s freshly tiled and now has a wood pass, while the grotty hallway to the bathrooms now transports you to what feels like a 1930s supper club, with cork flooring in a black-and-red diamond pattern and more mahogany paneling, with retro WC lights they actually made.

Kelly Anne designed the women’s bathroom with a dark boudoir sensibility, featuring floral wallpaper, illustrations and paintings of nudes, a dusty pink vintage sink, and a black toilette. And then there are all the updates you don’t see, like the stripped and re-gasketed refrigerator doors, the soundsystem, the wiring, the list goes on. The team has been working so hard for months—there is so much craft and consideration behind every detail, and feels so personal. The bar is a beaut, a true labor of love.

As for the cocktail program, Jon is working on a super-simple menu of beautifully crafted drinks—he says if people want to know more, they can ask, or they can order off-menu and go deep, but he doesn’t want a long drink list with complicated ingredients and techniques (even though the drinks will be technique-driven). There will be around 11 cocktails (spanning Martinis, highballs, classics, house drinks, and a coffee drink), with clear and pronounced flavors yet elegant simplicity. They are also striving to make them affordable, but if you want something special to splash out on, you can find that, too.

Guests of our preview party for tablehopper’s 20th anniversary got a sneak peek of their Fords gin and Charbay vodka Martinis shaken with ice shards, with touches like a chilled glass and a sidecar—it should remind you of the House of Prime Rib Martini service. (As for all those olives, we were just having fun.)

Guests went pazzo for the Caprese Highball, which Jon said is inspired by nostalgia for his Italian grandpa’s garden. It was like a sparkling, savory kiss of late summer, with olive oil–washed Fords gin, heirloom tomato water, basil, lemon, and then force carbonated (see, there’s a lot of hidden technique).

Another star item my guests got a preview of was the upcoming chophouse steak sandwich, which their son, chef Giovanni Gasparini, has been workshopping with the family for months. He dry-brines New York steaks from Golden Gate Meat Company for a day, and cooks the pepper-crusted steak to medium, and then thinly slices it. If the sandwich makes you think of HOPR leftovers, it’s because there’s an herby creamed spinach sauce in there, whipped with ricotta, Parmesan, garlic, and white wine. There’s also some acidity from sweet pickled red onion and the peppery kick of arugula, all nestled in a ciabatta roll from Starter Bakery. Enjoy that bad boy with a Martini and you’re set. Just wait until you see the sandwich served on vintage-style plates that say 15 Romolo along the rim in green. It all feels so classic and timeless.

Since Giovanni worked in a Basque restaurant (Ansots) in Boise—it’s from the Ansotegui Inchausti family, which has been a part of the Idaho Basque scene for over a century—he’s developing some leek and bacalao croquettes, and there will be a presa pork sandwich, plus some snacky bites, like gildas. He’s making a Basque spin on a filet-o-fish by using beer-battered bacalao, but will be keeping it old-school with American cheese and tartar sauce. 

Meatballs are a 15 Romolo menu standard, and since the Gasparini and Lindgren families have a lot of history, Giovanni shares the latest version is inspired by the A16 recipe for their slow-braised meatballs, but will have a Basque spin by being made with lamb (with some pork fat).

I’m looking forward to trying his caramelized eggplant with roasted pine nuts, walnuts, and sun-dried tomatoes over arugula with a balsamic glaze, inspired by a dish he had in Barcelona. There will be other seasonal vegetable dishes—like stuffed zucchini blossoms in the summer—and a couple salads, too. Since Romolo is such a great date spot, you’ll find small bites to share, so couples can enjoy more than a drink or two.

Something that is really important to the Gasparinis is hospitality—Kelly Anne says they want to bury their guests in hospitality! We definitely got a taste of that at my party—everything was made and served with such care and warmth, with some snazzy flourishes and next-level presentations that made you feel like you were in a venue that has been around for decades, even if your bartender was young enough to be your kid. Good North Beach bars are like that: you’ll see different generations of customers in a bar, and it helps give them character. 

In one of our many conversations, Jon notes that North Beach is analog, and the opposite of tech and AI. He knows the neighborhood well—not only has he operated the bar there for almost 30 years, but he lived in North Beach for a long time, and knows the history, people, and its different eras. He can’t even count how many people swing by to see how it’s coming along. And now, with his wife Kelly Anne, they’re launching a new era for this treasure of a bar, built upon its solid roots, but with some strong new branches to climb and fruits to eat (and frosty Martinis to drink). 🍸

Stand by for an early October opening. I’ll definitely keep you posted on pre-opening details. 15 Romolo Pl. at Broadway.

the starlet