The food news from us this week: Mr. Bing's, the dingy-ass apple of our dive-bar eye, has been saved, essentially. Also, the former Betelnut space will be a thing along the lines of Uno Dos Tacos from restaurateur Adriano Paganini. Bon Marché, the large Twitter building project that is becoming, at least temporarily a group of market stalls, has received its first vendor in Minnie Bell's Soul Movement, which is serving southern food from SF native Fernay McPherson. Powder, a Taiwense-style shaved snow shop, is open today on Divisadero. The former Slow Club space in Potrero flats will soon have new life thanks to the Morris, a restaurant from Paul Einbound (who is behind the wine at Frances and Octavia) and Gavin Schmidt (of Coi). Last, The Lazy Bear folks, highly popular and well-regarded for their communal dining experience, are opening a cocktail-focused spinoff in the Tradesmen space. Here's the rest:

Contrada will soon open on Union Street in Cow Hollow, Eater reports, occupying the former La Cucina space. There's not a lot to know yet, but we've been told to expect rustic Italian with fresh pastas, pizzas, and more. No chef has yet been announced.

Despite its popularity, after just a year in the business, the Filipino spot Pampalas is facing possible eviction and has set a closing Date. “I’m really determined to reopen again... If [I] can find cheaper location," first-time restaurant owner Jennifer Villamin told Inside Scoop.

Behind their Mission District factory at 298 Alabama Street, Dandelion Chocolates is planning to build a new four-story building with — get this — a rooftop pool. Socketsite got wind of the development proposal, which includes 4,000 square feet of new Production, Distribution and Repair (PDR space), indicating possible expansion in the chocolatier's output.

While Drexl owners Demetrius Chapin-Rienzo, Adi Taylor, and Nathan Johnson get ready to open a casual restaurant called Fort Green with food from Bar Tartine's Cortney Burns and Nic Balla, they've already thrown back the curtain on The Miranda. That, Eater reports, looks something like a hotel lounge... "minus the hotel" with 44 seats for swanky cocktail swilling

Tablehopper and Elite Cafe got some wires crossed, and though we at SFist repeated their report that the Fillmore Street spot would be open by now, it won't open its doors to the public until October 3. This time around, however, Tablehopper adds some nice bits of news, such as the fact that bar director Kevin Diedrich, of Pacific Cocktail Haven, has a frozen drink machine for iced Irish coffees, sazeracs, hurricanes, etc.

A new executive chef is in at Nick’s Cove in Tomales Bay according to Inside Scoop. That's Joshua Seibert, who until now has been at Mission Beach Cafe. It sounds like a good gig for him: Nick's Cove is known for brunch, as is Mission Beach Cafe of course, and he'll have the reins at a new on-site farm and garden.

Atelier Crenn chef de cuisine Rodney Wages has left his post there to start R.T.B. Fillmore, ramen-ish pop-up on Mondays at the Izakaya Kou space. He tells Eater to expect “Chubby Noodle meets Mensho Tokyo ramen,” and he promises a fun atmosphere where K-pop, J-pop, and French rap will be playing

Saison of SoMa is extending its hours, Inside Scoop reveals. The restaurant, which boasts three Michelin stars, will be open from 5:30 to 9:30, as chef Joshua Skenes explains he wanted to give industry colleagues the chance to swing by. Yet "one has to question how many restaurant industry colleagues will be able to afford the $398 price tag for the tasting menu," Inside Scoops quips knavishly.

Duc Loi, the go-to, cheap-but-good grocery and banh mi palace on Mission Street, is expanding to the Bayview. Hoodline had word, quoting district Supervisor Malia Cohen as saying "This neighborhood has waited far too long for access to the healthy foods they need and have worked so hard for." The spot will be at 5900 Third Street and will be called Duc Loi Pantry. It opens on October 5 at noon.

This Week In Food Reviews

Ms. Esther Mobley, wine and spirits writer for the Chronicle, tried Epic's fog martini, which at $43 is a pretty penny out of the paper's expense account. Made with local Hangar One vodka that the company diluted with fog-derived water, it's actually a spirit distilled from wine. So, is it worth the money to get it at Epic, rather than to buy a bottle or something, or to just drink something else altogether? While Mobley raises the question, she demurs, because the answer is so obviously no.

The Weekly's Pete Kane took to Black Cat, which SFist wrote about recently as well. The Chronicle's Michael Bauer was rather critical of the food, writing that it was not such a "fancy feast," but Kane doesn't seem to mind it, although he isn't blown away. "The cocktails, though, are great, and not just because happy hour Manhattans and martinis are $8," he adds, and after all, as a lush lounge with music and other entertainment, Kane counts it among "venues that are simply so enjoyable to be in, it almost doesn’t matter what the food is like."

Also, the Weekly has another review, this one by Jeffrey Adalatpour, who calls Bon, Nene a gracious spot for noodles. We note this mostly because he adds that a mushroom dish is "crimini-ally delicious," a turn of phrase offered without irony and for which Adalatpour deserves a raise.

Finally, Michael Bauer has been at the Chronicle and reviewing restaurants for 30 years. He's celebrated the occasion of his anniversary at the paper with a bit of reflection, which SFist summarizes here.