The news around the local food scene has been picking up lately, with openings and closings aplenty this past week. The three big openings, previously mentioned: Hawker Fare, Liholiho Yacht Club, and Mourad. And January has brought a couple more closures: The Coachman, Transit Cafe, and Samovar Tea Lounge in Hayes Valley.

Another closing: The Republic in the Marina. As Eater reports, some Yelpers made some reservations this week only to find the place closed with no explanation. The bar has had a bro-y reputation in recent years after opening in 2009, and it looks like the owners may have given up on the place.

Another big opening is afoot: Sous Beurre Kitchen, a high-end restaurant on 24th Street (at Potrero Ave.), which marks the second high-end, prix fixe restaurant opening in the deep Mission this month, after Californios. As the Chron reports, the place is "decked out in marble countertops and elegant blond oak paneling" and will feature "a talented young chef [33-year-old Michael Mauschbaugh], confit pheasant legs, mismatched antique dishware." Mauschbaugh has been working on this restaurant for over three years, beginning as a pop-up at Sugarlump Cafe up the street in 2011 and bolstered by a great review from Jonathan Kauffman in 2012. Mauschbaugh's food tends toward Provencal cuisine, and the tasting menu is $85. There are also over 20 daily changing a la carte dishes that top out at $25. The restaurant will be tipless. Update: The opening was delayed until Feb. 6

Over at Game, which got some less than great reception after its mid-2014 opening, chef Zack Freitas took his leave this week. Owner Sachin Chopra will be taking over as executive chef, and he said in a release, "I have tremendous respect for Zack," but, he adds, "I'm [now] happy to be able to execute my original vision for Game."

Also, there's a lawsuit happening: Chubby Noodle and its owner Pete Mrabe is suing Joshua Skenes and Adam Fleischman, the partners in upcoming noodle bar Fat Noodle, claiming trademark infringement. As Eater reports, Skenes and Fleischman are already laughing this one off.

And chef Brandon Jew will be offering a preview of sorts of his upcoming Chinatown restaurant Mister Jiu at a Chinese New Year pop-up at Central Kitchen on February 19. There are still a couple of tables left on OpenTable.

Week In Reviews

Michael Bauer offered his thoughts this week on Cockscomb, Chris Cosentino's new, meat-focused SoMa restaurant. He talks about "the dark, masculine space" and says Cosentino's menu represents the "ultimate guy food," but he notes some undercooked liver and some salting issues, and says "this is a kitchen where restraint isn’t part of the vocabulary." The verdict: 2.5 stars.

Update: This latest Sunday review is also now available, and it's a glowing, three-star rave for Huxley in the Tenderloin. Bauer says chef Sara Hauman's food "has a studied maturity," and everything from the service to the wine selection and the glassware show the hallmarks of the staff's fine dining cred. And he compares the tiny spot favorably with neighborhood game-changers like Frances and Delfina.

He also offered up an update review of longtime Willie Brown favorite Kokkari, saying the place is "back on top," that the lamb chops are the best in town, and giving the place three stars overall.

Anna Roth, meanwhile, also reviewed Cockscomb this week, and finds herself delighted with the "baller move" that was the roasted pig's head with a snout painted in gold leaf.