Remember when Alexis took a look at San Francisco tiki bars of the past and present? That was great, but it made us kind of sad the genre has ebbed since it's heyday (an aside: Check out the photos of the The Crepe House front pillar on Tiki Central Forum. Turns out the place used to be a joint called Tiki Bob's).

But today a Daily Candy bulletin announced the opening of Miss Pearl's Jam House in Oakland, and while reading the description of the interior, we had something very close to an epiphany:

Jack London Square’s newest address emulates a Caribbean manse with vintage cruise liner nuances. Decked out with porthole windows, coral mosaic walls, and shell-encrusted menus, the island-inspired resto serves up tropical Southern flare: Florida conch and sweet corn fritters, jerk chicken, sugar cane barbecue shrimp, baked clams, and twice-fried plantains.

Pony up to the resin bar encasing pseudo-sea floor treasures for a stellar offering of light and dark rums, Key lime martinis, and the house specialty: Cuba Libra Jell-O shots.

Nautical and tropical-themed food and drink? A warm, party atmosphere? Authentic (or even better, faux-thentic) decorations? These things hark back to the tiki craze in a big way. Substitute the Caribbean for Polynesia and you have a new, island-themed bar and restaurant trend.

Only in this case, it seems the emphasis is heavy on the food, which is great. During a meal at the Southern/Caribbean-themed Front Porch back in spring, the waiter told us that many of the kitchen staff had just returned from a visit to the Caribbean, where they picked up creole cooking tips. That place has all sorts of wacky accoutrements, too, like wicker chairs out front and chicken served in paper baskets. If this is the new version of tiki, we say Tik-on!

And by the way, a great way to die would be drowning in a vat of the Front Porch's crab-meat grits. Honestly one of the best thing's to enter this mouth all year. Time to "Jam" over to Pearl's to see how they stack up.

Tiki Bob's, San Francisco, CA [Tiki Central]
Miss Pearl's Jam House [Official Site]
The Crepe House [Official Site]
The Front Porch [Official Site]

[Photo: via Tiki Central Forum]

Finally! Four Barrel Coffee is open and ready for business.

With the motorcycles and the cardboard boxes removed we have to say that Four Barrel cleans up nice. There’s a starkness to the décor—exposed pipes, absence of all things plush, soft or comfy—but the warm yellow wood of the exposed beams, counter and tables keep the steel and boar heads from harshing the mellow.

But enough about the space, let’s talk about the coffee.

Bright, bold, flavorful—this is coffee-lovers coffee. We’ve been battling caffeine headaches so we don’t think we’ll be able to frequent Four Barrel, but we do know where to go when we’re not messin’ around with the java.

We had the iced coffee (tasted a lot like the New Orleans iced coffee at Blue Bottle) and Sweetie had an expertly crafted cappuccino. Everything met our expectations—maybe even surpassed them a little. We know that’s hard to fathom because how does a café go about exceeding expectations in the wake of power coffee houses like Blue Bottle and Ritual? But trust us, Four Barrel is raising the bar.

They have a simple menu of staple coffee and espresso drinks and this morning they had lovely looking pies from Baking Pies and Taking Names (the Raspberry Ginger looked mythical). Dynamo Donuts were on the way, but we didn't stay long enough to catch them.

We were thinking that location might be an issue, with Four Barrel a bit far from heavy foot traffic. But at 8:45 this morning the place was bustling, and life East of 16th Street is starting to pick up on Valencia—Little Star Pizza has held down the opposite corner for years. We suspect that gentrification’s long-reaching stretch will soon make it up to Market Street before long and Four Barrel is now there to help.

Four Barrel Coffee [Yelp]
Dynamo Donuts [MenuPages]
Little Star Pizza [MenuPages]
Little Star Pizza [Official Site]

[Photo via Alexis Wright]

Guess what?

Four Barrel Coffee is NOT open today.

Not to boast, but we pretty much called that in a previous post.

We went by this morning to get dibs on our first cup on opening day and were met with a trashcan and black bars on the windows. Of course, the door was open and there were three people chatting behind the counter, but there were motorcycles parked in the entryway and cardboard boxes lining the floors. We weren’t sure what the deal was, but the thing that really tipped us off about today not being the first day of business was the espresso machine hanging out on a table unplugged and not at all ready for service.

We asked the girl behind the counter when they expected to be open.

“Thursday,” she said. Quickly followed by, “Well, depending on other people.”

Cool. Don’t know what that means, but we’ll let you know what happens Thursday.

Four Barrel For Sure Opening? [MenuPages Blog]

[Photo via Alexis Wright]

The Four Barrel Coffee opening continues to loom near and yet, hasn’t Jeremy Tooker’s (Ritual Coffee) new promising roastery and espresso bar been set to open in the next two weeks for the past couple of months?

As of today we were told that it’s scheduled to open Monday, August 18. Not to be too cynical, but we’ll believe it when we see it. In the meantime, you can still sample a short list of café favorites down the Caledonia alley off of 15th near Valencia, bringing to mind a certain other popular local roaster’s humble beginnings. Here’s what you can get now:

Coffee: $2
Espresso: $2
Americano: $2
Latte: $3
Cappuccino: $3

They’re not roasting yet so they’ve been serving espresso from Stumptown, the renowned boutique coffee house in Portland, Oregon. Eventually, when 4 Barrel opens for reals they’ll be roasting their own bean and there’s talk of stocking a few pastries. Things not on the opening checklist? A full menu or Wi-Fi. To which we say, “Cool beans;” sometimes you just gotta do what you do best.

The Mission Report: Four Barrel Coffee (An Early Review) [Man Seeking Coffee]
Ritual Coffee [Official Site]

[Photo via Alexis Wright]

So the Chronicle has an interesting write-up on Candybar, the dessert restaurant and lounge in the Western Addition that opened four months ago to mixed reviews. We had dinned there a few days after it opened and agree with the Chronicle article that the original menu was a bit ostentatious—we do like fois gras, but sometimes fois gras just doesn’t belong.

But Amanda Gold reports that owner Tan Troung seems to have come to his senses and got someone to craft a more approachable menu that includes more savory dishes and less adventurous desserts like a vanilla brioche that she claims is the best she’s had in a while.

Of course, the new menu may be a mute point because we walked by the Candybar last night attempting to show it off to Out of Town Friend (as in, “Hey look East Coaster, we can be cool and hip too with our new dessert lounge”), but guess what? They weren’t open.

Checking out the scene it’s unclear if Candybar is undergoing renovation or if Tan Troung has thrown in the towel—the POS system was on the floor, there were ladders strewn about, wiring hanging form the ceilings and a general look of abandonment. But, maybe with the new menu comes a new look. A phone call this morning didn't shed any light. Their end just rang and rang.

In any case, there’s no way of knowing because there’s no signage to let patrons know when or if they’ll be coming back. The only thing taped to any of the large picture windows is the July 18 menu.

Dining Out: A little dessert goes a long way at Candybar
Candybar [Official Site]

[Photo via Candybar official site]

Sad: The Chronicle's Michael Bauer is reporting that Scott Howard, which closed "temporarily" a few weeks ago, will remain closed. Bauer quotes the namesake chef from an e-mail Howard sent him:

"It is with much disappointment to report to you that SCOTT HOWARD will not be reopening, After many discussions and careful thoughts it was determined the best move would be to sell the restaurant and move on."

The death of a restaruant [Between Meals]
Scott Howard [MenuPages]
Scott Howard [Official Site]

This past weekend was the first for the newly opened Le Club, and reviews are mixed for the city's seminal reservations-only bar. While the website of Le Club is still under construction, Julib brings us this bit of promotional copy:

Marble floors and an onyx bar are the perf [sic] backdrop for some old school cocktail sipping (sidecar, anyone?). Shoot pool, er, billiards in the room designated just for that. And nosh on eats like oysters and lobsters pot pie, thanks to Boston native Bob Cina (who hails from Cambridge's famed Chez Henri). if it sounds like your father's supper club, then you're exactly right.

While B&B supports its gimmick with expertly made and well-received cocktails, Le Club's gimmick apparently did it some harm, at least according to Yelpers. While some liked it, others found the staid environment "le lame," with a lack of music, expensive drinks and some reportedly poor service.

Looks like reservations are in order, but not necessarily for a table.

Le Club [Yelp]
Le Club [Main Site]
Bourbon and Branch [Yelp]

Just picked up the news from Eater SF that Myth chef and Top Chef contestant Ryan Scott is leaving Myth to start his own business, called Ryan Scott 2go. Also, Myth and Myth">Myth Cafe will apparently close temporarily later this month. From Eater:

The wrinkle here is that this intel comes from Team Ryan Scott, not Team Myth. Sources at the restaurants are staying mum on the whole matter, insisting that nothing is certain yet, which means that a) Scott's exit has nothing to do with any Myth Cafe closure, or more likely, b) the long-rumored Myth overhaul is finally here, and Scott spilled the beans. Story very much developing...

Another big-time opening in SoMa today: Following on the heels of Orson and the newly re-worked Fifth Floor, the new tag team of Luce and Bar888 opens today in the Intercontinental Hotel at Fifth and Howard streets.

The menu features Italian/Californian fusion, with two house specialties--a Mediterranean sea bass and an aged cote du boeuf--that serve two and must be ordered 24 hours in advance. There's also a four-course vegetable tasting menu and a six-course version that includes seafood and beef.

Eater SF got a sneak peak inside the design-heavy space, which you can check out on their site.
Also have a look at the menu on Thrillist and, soon, here.

Intercontintental Hotels [Official Site]
Eater Inside Sneak Peek: Luce and Bar888 [Eater SF]
Get With The Menu [Thrillist]
Fifth Floor [MenuPages]
Fifth Floor [Official Site]
Orson [MenuPages]
Orson [Official Site]

[Above: the old look. Click through to Thrillist for the new.]

Word comes this morning that Fifth Floor, the restaurant at the hotel Palomar has re-opened after it's little makeover. According to Thrillist,

Relaunched after a culinary and aesthetic overhaul, the Hotel Palomar resto [sic] is stepping back into the opulent date-spot fray, minus the swarms of obsequious servers and table linens so white they seared the naked eye. Decor's similarly tweaked, with modern, vaguely asian appointments, a marble communal table, and loungey leather chairs/banquettes as overstuffed as your wallet will soon not be. But the modernized Gascon fare, cheffed up by Aqua and Ame vets, is nonetheless top-notch: chestnut soup, cured sea scallops w/ caviar, and "poule au pot" -- poached free-range chicken stuffed with foie gras and a starry-eyed dream to convert Cambodia into an agrarian utopia.

If you remember, back in January the San Francisco Chronicle's Inside Scoop column reported that Aqua and Cafe de la Presse vet Laurent Manrique would act as chef consultant, and Jennie Lorenzo, who stinted as executive chef at Ame, will do the day-to-day cooking. The front of the front of the house has also been converted into a no-reservations cafe.

Look for an updated listing on our site over the next day or so. Meanwhile, here's a copy, courtesy of Thrillist, of the new menu.

Fifth Floor's new menu [Thrillist]
Inside Scoop [SF Chronicle]
Fifth Floor [MenuPages]
Fifth Floor [Official Site]
Aqua [MenuPages]
Aqua [Official Site]
Ame [MenuPages]
Ame [Official Site]

Remember that new Canadian Japanese chain called "Made in Japan Teriyaki Experience" we told you about a while ago? Well, word comes from Eater SF that the joint is actually open on Kearny Street. Someone wrote into that site with a bit of a review. From Eater:

The veggies are great but the meat is cooked in water not oil, and tastes like you think it would taste - boiled meat with some good teriyaki sauce on top ... In short - not a chain I'll be visiting any time in the future. And what's up with the name, anyways - "Made in Japan Teriyaki Experience" - sounds like an amusement park ride!"

Go check out the rest over there, but come back here for the menu soon.

Openings [Eater SF]
Made In Japan Teriyaki Experience [Homepage]
The Next Big Chain Battle? [MPSF Blog]

Starbucks is planning a nation-wide service hiccup later this month. On Feb. 26, according to the Seattle Times, the ginormous coffee retailer plans to close all of its roughly 7,100 nationwide stores for three evening hours to retrain its roughly 135,000 employees. From the Times:

"We will have all new standards for how we create the drinks," said spokeswoman Valerie O'Neil. "They will be trained in creating the perfect shot, steaming the milk and all the pieces that come together in a drink."

Some people have speculated Starbucks will return to manual espresso machines, but O'Neil said the espresso-making equipment will be the same. "It's really about ensuring that the customer experience that we provide is the best that it can be."

Well, that's unexpected. This must be a super big deal, as a three-hour training seems like the kind of thing most stores could fit in on a by-the-store basis, allowing other stores to remain open for overflow during the closure. Could closing the whole chain for three hours also double as an experiment to see how much people miss their beloved frappuccinos? Suppose we'll find out.

Meanwhile, the company's roughly 4,000 kiosks and counters will remain operational.

Starbucks Is Closing Their Doors For Three Hours [Yumsugar]
Starbucks stores to shut 3 hours on Feb. 26 for retraining baristas [Seattle Times]

Why has it been all about Thanksgiving-type foods today? Well, all that's gonna change:

News has reached us at its usual leisurely pace that the Velvet Cantina, over in the old El Zarape spot on 23rd and Bartlett, has re-opened after a fire in December forced it to close. The fire wasn't well-documented at the time, so there's not much news to which to refer you on the subject. We did find this thread on Yelp that mostly makes a dirty joke out of the place's name, but does render some basic information.

Anyway, all you need to know is that it's back open and the time is right for some margaritas and nachos. It's after noon, right?

Velvet Cantina [Menupages]
Velvet Cantina [homepage]
Velvet Cantina closed? [Yelp]

In case you missed the opening party for Waterbar and Epic Roasthouse, Pat Kuleto's latest pair of ventures positioned prominently just south of Rincon Park (that's the one with the big bow and arrow on the Embarcadero), Cooking With Amy has a whole bunch of photos, as well as a nice write-up about the evening.

Sounds like a hell of a do. Mountains of food, a Doobie Brothers cameo and even a fireworks show under the Bay Bridge. The pair of restaurants, which Kuleto told the Examiner are, "the first free-standing structures to be built solely for culinary purposes in The City in more than 100 years," are due to open to the public tomorrow.

You're surely familiar with the concept here, but let's revisit anyway: Epic Roasthouse, headed by chef Jan Birnbaum is a new take on an American steakhouse. Waterbar, with Mark Franz and Parke Ulrich at the helm, will serve seafood. The side-by-side restaurants will share a 6,500 square-foot patio in the shadow of the Bay Bridge.

From the Examiner:

“I think these will be two of the best restaurants of their kind in America,” Kuleto said. “We’re at the best location in San Francisco and we have some of the very best chefs in the country.”

So there you have it. Big talk from a big-time developer. Tomorrow's the first day you can judge for yourself, and we'd love to get your opinions.

Photo Credit: Cindy Chew, The Examiner

Pair of restaurants set to make history [Examiner]

We weren't that jealous of Sarah Sung for getting a tour of the upcoming Pat Kuleto duo, scheduled to open at the end of the month next to Rincon (giant arrow on the Embarcadero) Park. Then it turned out the tour included lunch from Epic Roasthouse chef Jan Birnbaum. It looks like it was delicious:

We won't post all the pictures, cause you should go see them at Bits and Bites. There are also shots of the Epic Roasthouse space, which seems to combine industrial-chic with dark-wooded steakhouse comfort. We can't quite get a firm mental picture from the post, but maybe you can.

The previous post has shots of the interior of Waterbar. This looks kind of like we had expected. Still cool, though. The surf-and-turf pair is due to open on Jan. 29. Look for port commissioners!

By Land and by Sea [Bits and Bites]
The Before and After [Bits and Bites]

Shoot, we're seriously behind the times. Out of the North Beach loop entirely, some might say. But this is big. Somehow we missed last week's news that the Washington Square Bar and Grill, or "Washbag," has closed, apparently for good.

Eater SF reported on Jan. 2 that the beloved one-time Herb Caen hangout did not open its doors Jan. 1, notifying patrons of the abrupt closure via a note taped in the window.

An update on Eater today indicated that some hopeful locals want Ed Moose, formerly of Moose's, to take over the (other) old favorite. But for now, it looks like Menupages will be adding a "closed" tag to the Washbag's page. Sad.

The Shutter: The Washbag Never Sees Light of 2008 [Eater SF]
Mourning The Washbag [Eater SF]

There's nothing like synchronicity. On the heels of news that Gavin Newsom is engaged to actress/girlfriend/s**t-talker Jennifer Siebel, comes word through Eater SF that his Northern California empire of restaurants has a target date for its expansion into Marin County. A Balboa Cafe location is due to open at 38 Miller Ave., in Mill Valley, in fall, 2008.

Meanwhile, on the East Coast, professional s**t-talker Frank Bruni ate dinner with Gavin, which we got really excited about until it turned out Gavin is the name of Bruni's nephew. Bruni was all about a local Mexican restaurant empire, Rosa Mexicano at whose three locations waiters (or in this case, children) mix fresh guacamole at the table.

So can we expect a small Gavin in San Francisco soon? When and if the city's first couple breed, will the kids take over the empire? Will they serve guacamole? Will it get everywhere (as we like to think it did in New York)?

It's pretty unlikely that the two Gavins will ever meet, and almost as unlikely that any Newsom offspring will mingle with the Bruni brood, but it's somehow comforting that, 3,000 miles away in Manhattan, there's a boy named Gavin making a mess of things.

Congratulations, you two!

Plumpjackin' [Eater SF]

Dining with Gavin and Bella: Rosa Mexicano [Diner's Journal]

While we wait for the Guardian to post its food section to its website (come on, guys, you're a weekly. You've had seven days to prepare for this), let's head over to the Examiner and see what's cooking.

Oh, what's this? Looks like the Warming Hut at Crissy Field is back in business. This is good news, as the last time we heard anything from them, they were all about missing deadlines and being evasive. Good thing that handsome Examiner reporter stayed on the case way back in July.

The new joint is much like the old one, which was damaged when an electric car parked outside it caught fire. The re-opening was delayed after inspectors found a "microbial growth" on parts of the shed that had been soaked by firefighters extinguishing the Jan. 25 blaze.

Most of the noticeable changes took place on the menu, which now includes more salads and no hot sandwiches.

Warm it up, Crissy: Beloved hut is back [The Examiner]

Heads-up: There's a new celebrity chef coming to town. Yep, another one. Only this one is not going to serve the same old foie gras and duck confit salad (snore). And she's not coming to San Francisco, nor Berkeley's Gourmet Ghetto, nor even Yountville.

No, Tanya Holland, Food Network star and author of New Soul Cuisine, is opening her new joint, Brown Sugar, right in West Oakland.

The San Francisco Business Times' Ryan Tate reported today that Holland has lined up funding for her venture, to be located in the site of the former Triangle Cafe, at 26th Street and Mandela Parkway. Her website lists January, 2008 as the projected opening.

Good luck, Tanya, and be good (sorry, we couldn't resist).

Food Network star to open West Oakland restaurant [San Francisco Business Times]

The latest victim/cause celebre of the city's aging Castro District population, the inimitable Cafe Flore is scheduled before the Planning Commission this Thursday to argue for permits to have DJs, 24-hour food-service and to serve alcohol until 2 a.m.

The famous cafe, with its large, glass-enclosed patio and wood-heavy decor, has been a neighborhood landmark for about 35 years. Long a well-known cruising/flirting spot in the gay scene, SFist hangs some of the blame for the cafe's declining revenues on the Internet and its myriad pick-up opportunities that don't require users to change out of pajamas:

Homosexual men in the Castro went out to nightclubs and bars to get laid; community-building, hanging out with buddies, doing bumps in the bathroom, and hurling cruel but clever bon mots always came in at a distant second. If Cafe Flore wants to remain open, flourishing in the fertile SF nightlife scene, they should work around that... somehow. The powerful convenience of online sex is the reality nowadays.

The cafe's supporters and detractors will likely pack Thursday's meeting of the San Francisco Planning Commission. The meeting starts at 1:30 p.m., but Cafe Flore is on the agenda at item no. 15. If you can't make the meeting, Save Cafe Flore has a page on which you can write a letter to the commission.

Cafe Flore Closing? [SFist]
Help Save Cafe Flore

This is it, folks. In just a few short hours, Yoshi's opens its San Francisco location on Fillmore Street. At 8 p.m., Roy Haynes is due to take the stage, backed by a super-group calling itself Yoshi's Birds of a Feather. Guests who purchased the $100 tickets long ago will pack the sold-out house, and bloggers will salivate on themselves debating the merits of the new place.

As for us, we'll just have to remember to actually order food when we finally make it in there. The last time we visited the Oakland location we purposefully filled up in advance, hoping to save money. We realized, as Taj Mahal entered the second hour of his set, that the whole point of Yoshi's is to munch sushi while enjoying jazz and blues, and that we were cheating ourselves by simply digesting our Nation's burger while nursing a Budweiser.

Unfortunately, Yoshi's hasn't released any information regarding dinner at the new location. If you're one of the lucky few ticket holders, this may come in handy.

Item: name that family-style Italian restaurant South of Market that closed eight weeks ago for "renovations." If you said Buca Di Beppo, you're right, and guess what? The oh-so-charming chain restaurant really did close for an upgrade and, with little fanfare, re-opened today.

The renovation focused mostly on the kitchen, said marketing director Katy Springer, reconfiguring it to efficiently produce individual plates. You heard right. Buca's new inception includes a new menu called "Buca Mio," that lists many of the restaurant's signature family-style dishes as solo courses.

So there you go. Sometimes when restaurants close, it's because they're doing so well they want to enlarge themselves, not just because they're going under. Heartening. Let's hope we get to write a similar post about Original Joe's soon.

Looks like the opening a little over a week ago of two new Trader Joe's stores and a new Whole Foods in Oakland has relieved some pressure on the East Bay grocery scene.

A thread on Chowhound indicates that, even at peak weekend grocery store hours, the Rockridge location is nigh on empty. If anything, the laws of fluid dynamics must apply to the throngs of TJs fans that previously had to cram themselves into the sole East Bay location in Emeryville.

Also, the new Whole Foods in the Adams Point neighborhood generated a lot of buzz, with commenters debating on whether it actually was a paradise on earth, or was just shiny like one.

We found a barely-related video montage that really has more to do with our insatiable Monday hunger for reggae than with anything in the realm of grocery stores. Except maybe that they sell Red Stripe:

This post in Burritophile’s Burrito Files should strike fear into the heart of all green-blooded guacamole lovers. While San Franciscans look from their redwood structures to the fog bank and back to their tinderbox homes with thankful eyes, it does appear the Southern California wildfires will affect us locally after all.
How will a city that runs on super burritos be transformed by a jump in guacamole prices? Probably very little, aside from more folks calling for “regular.” It’s still too bad, though.
But in more cheerful disaster-related news, the lauded Helmand Palace, a victim of February’s landslide in North Beach, has opened a new set of doors in Russian Hill. A commenter on Chowhound reports that the buffet is gone, but the menu and famous-by-association proprietor remain intact. The hillside restoration, on the other hand, has not gone as smoothly.

Burritophile's Burrito Files
Helmand Palace

San Francisco is a city of superlative Mexican food, but the more, the merrier, right? Rick Bayless, of the Frontera empire in Chicago, is opening a branch of his quick-service Frontera Fresco restaurant (well, the second one) at the Union Square Macy's in around two months. The one in Chicago is also in Macy's (née Marshall Field's), implying some sort of grand corporate scheme with nationwide consequences. Is Bayless selling out like the Bay Area's own Tommy Keller? We hope so!

Rick Bayless' empire ventures to S.F. [The Stew]

French Laundry's Keller Takes Plunge With Frozen Foods, Burgers [Bloomberg]

Oh goodie.

The Castro has a new casual cafe: Frisee.

Located near the always-fun corner of Market and Castro at 2367 Market St (also known as the former home of the restaurants formerly known as Khun Phoa II, Crave and Malacca), Frisee is the brainchild of Brett and Nathan Niebergall. The salad-centric modern menu consists of a veritable pantheon of organic, sustainable and gourmet ingredients, from biodynamic wines and Acme bread to sushi grade ahi and pistachio-dusted salmon fillets.

Our initial reactions to the menu is that it looks absolutely delicious, but we can't help wondering if $12 salads will fly in that particular area of the city. After all, it's not the FiDi, where there are plenty of officegoers ready and willing to shell out the cash for a gourmet salad. Plus, 2367 Market has, thus far, been somewhat of a cursed location.

Thoughts? Will Frisee flourish in the Castro?

Frisee [MenuPages]
Frisee [Official Site]

Yesterday, the Chronicle's Inside Scoop reported that the venerable Fisherman's Wharf Italian-seafood restaurant will close on November 4:

"My sister and I, we just think it's time," said Antone Sabella II, the fourth generation of his Sicilian family to work the corner of Taylor and Jefferson streets since 1920. Their first fish market and restaurant was kitty-corner to the current location at 2966 Taylor.

Sabella first worked at the restaurant 45 years ago, when he was 12, and has been running it for almost 20 years, most recently with his sister, Laureen. When he realized it was time to remodel again and no one from the next generation wanted to take over, he asked himself, "Do I want to keep doing this?" The answer was no.

A. Sabella's to close after 87 years [Inside Scoop]
A. Sabella's Restaurant [MenuPages]
A. Sabella's Restaurant [Official Site]

[Photo courtesy: SF Boating]

Via Metroblogging SF comes news that the Frjtz location in Hayes Valley has closed due to the landlord's refusal to renew the lease. The good news is that, according to a vigilant Flickr spy's photo of the goodbye note on the Belgian cafe's window, it seems that the Frjtz people will merely slide into the space next door as soon as it is remodeled ("sometime around the holidays"). In the meantime, get your fries-crepes-beer fix at the newly-opened and much more expansive Mission location.

Hayes Valley Munchies Update [Metroblogging SF]
Frjtz [MenuPages]
Frjtz [Official Site]

A week or two ago, one of our favorite blogs, Bay Area BItes, did a little post on the various difficulties afflicting potential San Francisco restaurateurs. Among the hurdles to be hopped: the hefty price tags, the preponderance of food blogs and well, the sacrifice of life as its known.

Tinderbox Restaurant's trio of owners, GM Ryan Russell, Front-of-house Manager Miles Clark and Chef Blair Warsham, are first-handedly experiencing the growing pains--not to mention chaos--of opening an ambitious restaurant in the middle of a major urban city:

Launching a restaurant gets referred to as a high-wire act, but high-wire acts tend to be over within an hour. Russell, Warsham and their front-of-house manager, Miles Clark, haven't worked less than an 18-hour day in as long as they can remember. They have no recollection of their last full meal. There's the optimal refrigerator temperature to settle on, and a system for servers to get what they need without getting in the way of the kitchen, and learning how many dishes to prep for. There are purveyors to call, and menus to send to MenuPages.com, and repairs to make daily, and bloggers to communicate with, and recipes to improve (today, Warsham is adding blueberries to his molé). There's the front of the house to manage, and the large wine list to maintain. And because the staff is already something of a family, there's Kyle's flat tire to fix at 1 a.m.

Can they take the heat? Inside the launch of a San Francisco restaurant [SFGate]
Tinderbox Restaurant [MenuPages]
Tinderbox Restaurant [Official Site]

When it comes to the Richmond Starbucks saga, the closer we get to the fateful Board of Supervisors meeting on September 11th, the more and more juicy little tidbits come out. For instance, an article in yesterday's Examiner unearthed a city ordinance passed last November. The ordinance, passed by voters, essentially made it much more difficult for chain stores to open in San Francisco; for example, new chain-store proposals are now required to hold public hearings at the Board of Supes. If the last year is any indication, the ordinance has been succeeding in curbing chain stores:

Since San Francisco voters passed the ordinance ... there have been less than a dozen permits pulled for name-brand businesses.

Lawrence Badiner, zoning administrator for The City’s Planning Department, said that although it’s speculation, his gut feeling is that fewer chain operators are attempting to open stores because of the ordinance.

Countdown to the hearing: five days.

Richmond Starbucks fight tests ordinance [Examiner]
Earlier: San Francisco's Anti-Starbucks History [MenuBlog]

• The corner of Embarcadero and Brannan is empty once again, as Jocelyn Bulow has closed down his second enterprise in the the 100 Brannan space. Earlier, Bulow's French brasserie La Suite succumbed to the shutter, and this week, the short-lived Pan-Asian project Sutra bit the dust. Despite Sutra's closing and Baraka's sale [note: it's still open], Bulow still has plenty on his plate, with a pair of high-profile restaurants opening in the upcoming revamped Mint Plaza at the end of the month. [Inside Scoop]

• Over in the Castro, Bullshead Restaurant has apparently lost its lease. The buffalo-meat destination's shuttering is surprising, considering its seemingly steady flow of business. According to the Castro Shopper, Bullshead is the fourth restaurant to recently fail in the (apparently cursed) 18th Street location. [Castro Shopper]

The long weekend marked the anticipated debut of Tinderbox Restaurant. It's a very modern New American project from co-owners and co-executive chefs Ryan Russell and Blair Warsham; to be precise, the daring duo describes their little project as "an experimental American bistro with a foundation on sustainable food and wine" that serves a "playful interpretation of American cuisine." And playful it is. In fact, to get an idea of the gamut being run here, look no further than the appetizer section. On one hand, you've got a (comparatively) simple white bean salad; on the other, a peach salad (fruit in a salad? what will they think of next?) with heirloom tomatoes, with aged white cheddar, with walnuts, with pesto, with balsamic. Of course, it sounds delicious, but it's no traditional preparation to be sure. If nothing else, Tinderbox will surely be a topic of conversation in Bernal Heights.

After the jump, the complete menu is revealed, complete with uncapitalized items, because you know, that means it's a modern eatery.

Continue reading "Openings: Tinderbox Restaurant" »

Yes, we know that Mojo Bicycle Cafe opened earlier in the summer, but we finally snagged a menu for the little Western Addition cafe/bike shop, so we thought we'd announce it to the world.

Simply put, Mojo is a neighborhood gem and its snowballing popularity is a testament to how well it's doing the little things it set out to do: high-quality coffee and espresso, healthy breakfasts (try the granola), fresh sandwiches, sunny outdoor patio seating, a friendly environment and plenty of, um, bike-related stuff. The reviews on Yelp are nearly glowing across the board.

It's a perfect fit for the 'hood.

Mojo Bicycle Cafe [MenuPages]
Mojo Bicycle Cafe [Official Site]

A week or two ago, we took note of several restaurants that were temporarily closed for the summer due to renovations or the like, including Jardiniere. Today, via Zagat Buzz, it seems another big-name, quintessentially San Francisco restaurant will also be taking a break:

Citizen Cake, Elizabeth Falkner's beloved eatery on Grove Street, has closed for the rest of August for remodeling. Come September 1st, the restaurant known for its pastries is expecting to re-open with a larger dining room and bar. In the meantime if you simply must, Cake's sister operation, Citizen Cupcake, is still open for business.

Citizen Cake Closed, Temporarily [Zagat Buzz]
Citizen Cake [MenuPages]
Citizen Cake [Official Site]
Earlier: Openings/Closings: Not Dead, Just Resting [MenuBlog]
Earlier: Jardiniere To Close ... For A Month [MenuBlog]

Northern California's alleged "flagship" Whole Foods has opened its sliding doors to the denizens of Cupertino. The new 64,000 square-foot monstrosity is the largest Whole Foods in the western United States and replaces the one across the street. It is full of all kinds of amenities, going far and beyond your run-of-the-mill supermarket:

.. this Whole Foods at 20955 Stevens Creek Blvd. features a Market Bistro (open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily) that serves made-to-order sandwiches, soups and salads. The store includes a center for cooking classes, as well as free wireless Internet access.

Shoppers will get their fill with a carvery and tossed-to-order salad station, a dim sum bar, a wood-fired pizza oven, hot teriyaki bowls and an expanded sushi section. Besides a bountiful organic produce section, the Cupertino store - reflecting its surrounding community's large Asian-American population - will boast a large selection of Asian produce.

More Morsels: California's biggest Whole Foods opens [Mercury News]

The burger craze is officially arrived.

Custom Burger is now serving lunch and dinner on the corner of 7th and Howard in SoMa. As seems to be the requisite with new San Francisco restaurants these days, all ingredients are locally sourced, from meat from Golden Gate Meat Company to buns by Bay Bread (say that five times fast).

Rather than a traditional menu, Custom Burger has a five-step guide to creating "your perfect custom burger." First you select your patty (Angus beef, American "Kobe" beef or Veggie). Then, you encounter a bevy of options, some free and some not. And there are a lot. Uncommon toppings vary from grilled pineapple and hoisin glaze to a fried egg (a la Fat Burger, we presume). Also, an interesting twist comes with the inclusion of one free sauce, and like the toppings, the sauces are very ... eclectic: ketchipotle, peppercorn ranch, Spanish romesco, cucumber raita and more.

Yelp reviews have been pretty positive so far. Anyone have further details to share?

Custom Burger [MenuPages]

[Photo courtesy: Yelp/Ed. U]

Raw bar fans, rejoice!

According to the always-excellent Tablehopper (aka Marcia Gagliardi), Bar Crudo will be opening a second location near the corner of Divisadero and Grove:

NOPA residents, something fishy is moving into the 94417: ~BAR CRUDO~ is opening a second location, hopefully by the first of the year. Color me excited. The restaurant will be opening in the short-lived Amina Pizzeria space, just across the street from the Independent. The 60-seat space will have a mezzanine and long bar where you can savor some foamy goodness off what is sure to be a long list of ales. (The Selvera brothers have a knack for Belgians. Beers, that is.) Since the kitchen is bigger than their slip of a space on Bush Street, look for an expanded and different menu.

Meanwhile, the gentrification of NoPa continues ...

The Chatterbox: August 13, 2007 [Tablehopper]
Bar Crudo [MenuPages]
Bar Crudo [Official Site]

• File this in the "Huh?" Category: "...now there’s news that [Gwyneth] Paltrow will be cohosting a cooking show with Mario Batali." Rumor has it that the PBS program will feature the lithe Paltrow and rotund Batali on a culinary tour of Spain. Oh my. [The Grinder]

• The king of Cow Hollow returns. Brasserie Vache will be back in November. [Zagat Buzz]

• The big bowl of braised beef at Bar Bambino beckons. [Daily Feed]

• Cooky folk abound in New York. [Eater]

Jardiniere, one of the best restaurants in the Bay Area and a Beard Foundation favorite, will reportedly close its doors on August 19th (this Sunday), until September 13th. When Traci Des Jardins' renowned restaurant reopens, it will feature an entirely new, walk-in only lounge/bar area in its downstairs area:

On Sunday, the restaurant will close for an overhaul that includes turning the downstairs dining room into the J Lounge. The current 26-seat bar will double its seating with sofas, banquettes and cocktail tables, and offer Traci des Jardins' food and bar manager Thad Vogler's cocktails.

"It's something Tracy [sic] always wanted to do," says general manager Greg Rowen. "The bar has always been so popular."

Also in the fall: Des Jardins competes to be the next Iron Chef.

The Inside Scoop [SFGate]
Jardiniere [MenuPages]
Jardiniere [Official Site]
Earlier: Cosentino, Des Jardins To Compete On "The Next Iron Chef" [MenuBlog]

A wealth of openings to report today.

• After a long wait, Spruce finally opened last week on Sacramento and Spruce. It comes from the Bacchus Management Group, which is also responsible for The Village Pub and Pizza Antica. There are tasting menus and bar menus to accompany the decidedly New American dinner offerings, most of which take advantage of local (if not housemade) ingredients, including the SMIP Ranch in Woodside. Oh, and in true Baccus Management form, there are nearly 1,000 selections on the wine list.

• Breezy's is the latest Hayes Valley upscale spot. The modern American spot serves up tapas and entrees alike, but Yelp reviews have been up and down thus far.

• Brazilian comes to SoMa with Bossa Nova, a trendy new restaurant/bar with plenty of exotic specialty cocktails. It's also open late.

• Unicorn, an offshoot of the popular East Bay Pan-Asian restaurant, is not yet ready to go, but is expected to open soon enough on Pine Street in the FiDi.

In most European countries, August is the time of the year that traditionally sees a deluge of businesses--including restaurants--lock their doors, shutter their windows and take a break from the grind. Obviously, America works a bit differently, but the dog days of summer still see a lot of restaurateurs close shop for a period of time. In some instances, it's merely for the staff and owners to take a well-deserved break; in others, the summer lull is an opportunity to remodel the interior and reopen better than ever.

A bunch of San Francisco restaurants are currently closed. How to differentiate between the ones that are closed forever and the ones that are due back soon? Here are some updates on the resting giants:

• Following a fire, Mecca has been closed since June. They had hoped to reopen by August, but the date has been pushed back to late September. [SFGate]

• Suppenkuche is set to reopen on Monday (August 13th). [also SFGate