Guess who's in town this week? The great Jeremiah Tower has been stopping in to see friends like chef Mark Franz at Farallon, resurfacing after parting ways with Tavern on the Green in New York. Look for him probably to pop up elsewhere this weekend, though probably not at BottleRock. Also in the news we learned about the debut of House Rules, the newest bar in Russian Hill, and the closure of 17-year-old

First off, Inside Scoop brought word of a rebranding and refreshed menu happening at Epic Roasthouse on the Embarcadero, which heretofore shall be known as Epic Steak. Chef Parke Ulrich has been updating the menu and switching from wood fire oven roasting for the steak to mesquite grilling, and he's been sourcing the meat from local producers too, including San Rafael’s Flannery Beef and Schmitz Ranch in San Leandro.

There was big bar news in Thursday's print edition of the Chronicle: Local bar star Carlos Yturria, who's worked the bars at Rye, Cantina, Absinthe, Bacar, and Range, among others, is finally getting his own place, called The Treasury. He's partnering with Range chef-owner Phil West as well as Arnold Eric Wong (Bacar, E&O Asian Kitchen) to open a fancy, "friendly" new cocktail spot in the historic 115 Sansome Street. They hope to be open by the fall.

Also, we've got the second new Belgian spot in a month (after Belga), and it's called Bel. It's in Bernal, and it's a "gastropub" from the team behind Pi Bar in the Mission, as the Scoop reports. See the full story and menu here.

Over in the Castro, or at its edge on Church Street, Chilango (formerly Azteca) is now closed due to a landlord dispute. [Update: Also, SliderBar has been shut down by the health department for the second time in eight months.]

There are three new spots opening in the Richmond, as Richmond SF reports: Mitzutani Sushi (4406 California at 6th), a cafe called The Ritchfield (195 5th Avenue), and another cafe called Orson's Belly Café (1737 Balboa.

And, at last, KitTea, the much anticipated cat cafe, hopes to open on June 8 at 96 Gough Street in Hayes Valley. Hoodline brings us some preview shots, and like its counterpart in Oakland, CatTown Cafe, the space is divided in two, with a cafe that serves food and tea, and a "cat lounge" where you can meet and greet adoptable cats from Give Me Shelter.

Also of note: Blue Bottle has opened at Twitter HQ, as Eater shows us, with an unassuming entrance off a courtyard on 10th Street.

Week in Reviews

Michael Bauer, sort of strangely, devotes his midweek review to 21-year-old North Beach Asian fusion spot The House, which has pretty much remained unchanged in every way since the heady days of '90s Asian fusion mania. He notes a dish of miso cod with a sushi roll on top that is the exact same dish he described in a decade-old update review, and he sounds downright baffled that young people would even pay to eat here, calling the food "dated" and "heavy-handed." But the place still packs them in, and he comes around to saying "since we’ve already seen the 1970s trend come and go, can the ’90s be far behind?" I'm not sure what he's referring to exactly besides, like, fondue? But he gives them a respectable two and a half stars.

For his Sunday review, it's BDK, the new spot that takes the place of Grand Cafe in the Kimpton property near Union Square, the Hotel Monaco. He likes barman Kevin Diedrich's cocktails, calling them "well balanced," and former “Top Chef” contestant Heather Terhune's menu, he says, "has an everyman appeal," with generous portions sure to please tourists. He loves the Chianti-braised pot roast and a few other small items, like the mini truffle butter burger and the New Orleans barbecued shrimp. All in all: two and a half stars.

And at the Weekly, Pete Kane takes a crack at Aatxe, the new Spanish spot from the Flour + Water team in the Swedish American Hall space. He has "a wonderful meal almost without exception," but he does note a disappointing octopus salad and a pretty high noise level in the dining room.