Big food news today from the the Michael Mina Group: Chef Mina is teaming up with Rohnert Park-based Ken Tominaga, chef-owner of Hana Japanese Restaurant, to open a new S.F. location of their izakaya-inspired Pabu concept, which premiered last year at the Four Seasons Baltimore. As the Chron reports, the two chefs are taking the long vacant, enormous ground-floor space at 101 California, which was supposed to become a big new brasserie as of 2010, but that deal fell through.

Actually, the space is so massive, that they're actually opening two separate but related restaurants, the second being called Ramen Market. Pabu will have about 150 seats between the bar, patio and dining room, and the menu will feature sushi, shabu shabu (which, notably, Mina has said he would want for his last meal), izakaya items, and robata grilled meat and seafood. At the bar, you can expect a lot of sake and beer as well as cocktails. Ramen Market, obviously, will be ramen-focused, and be smaller, with 50 seats. It will also offer Japanese breakfasts, tea, and coffee for the FiDi set in the morning.

Interestingly, this news comes on the heels of this summer's opening of Roka Akor, a London-born, upscale sushi/izakaya concept that brought is third U.S. location to Montgomery and Jackson Street in June. They just got a swell review from Mr. Bauer last week.

This will be Mina's fourth (and fifth) restaurant project here in S.F., after his eponymous flagship nearby on California Street, Bourbon Steak, and RN74. The successful restaurateur also has a stake in over a dozen other restaurants across the country, like Bourbon Steak locations in D.C., Miami, and Vegas, and Stonehill Tavern down in Dana Point, CA. Also, as reported last year, Mina and his right-hand wine guy Rajat Parr have been working on a new upscale Indian concept for the former Shanghai 1930 space down on Steuart Street called The Company Bar & Kitchen, but that is reportedly on the back burner and may never happen.

Expect Pabu and Ramen Market to make their debut next spring or summer.

[Chron]
[Inside Scoop]