This week saw the opening of Del Popolo pizzeria on Nob Hill, a menu revamp at Mission Chinese Food, and the announcement of Namu Claypot headed for Divisadero. Here's what else has been going on.
Heyday, which just opened its first location two years back at 180 Spear Street, opened its second, larger location this week at 555 Mission Street (between 1st and 2nd). They cater to a lunch crowd primarily, with fresh, organic salads and sandwiches via a former Chez Panisse Cafe guy, Jeremy Scheiblauer, and the new location features an expanded breakfast service too with housemade baked goods and pastries. Also, expanded hours: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Check Facebook for their daily changing specials.
And just arrived at the former Horner's Corner space in Noe Valley is Hamlet (1199 Church Street), marking the second project for Caskhouse owner John Dampeer. As Eater reports, the new place has a chef from Urchin in charge of the kitchen, Pei Mew with "a workhorse menu of classic seasonal dishes like a baby lettuce salad, meatballs, grilled octopus and a burger." And manning the bar is another former Urchin guy, Rafael Jimenez Rivera, who's created a list of ten house cocktails. Hamlet is dinner only for now, serving until 10 on weeknights and 11 on weekends, but brunch service should be coming soon.
In North Beach/Jackson Square, the replacement concept for Bubble Lounge that we told you about earlier, Barbarossa (714 Montgomery), just opened a little bit behind schedule. As Eater reports, in addition to the leftover champagne collection from Bubble Lounge and plenty of beer wine, there is a full bar, with cocktails "all named after either a criminal, prostitute or brothel from the Barbary Coast era."
Down on Van Ness in the Nob Hill vicinity sits what is easily the most cursed restaurant space in town, 2080 Van Ness, most recently known as Million Thai, House of Crawfish and Seafood, and Rendezvous Tapas Lounge. Owner Roger Lwin isn't yet discouraged, though, and as Hoodline reports, he's playing on the joke of the curse by calling the newest venture Hex Bar & Kitchen. Setting aside the fact that everyone is pretty tired of the "bar and kitchen" thing at this point, I'm not sure that the new “international” food menu from chef Nadero Miller (per Eater) and tableside mixed drinks will be enough to make this concept a winner. But it may be opening in December, nonetheless.
Nearby on Larkin, two-year-old record store RS94109, which specializes in underground electronic music for DJ types and which mysteriously closed back in May, will be reopening soon with the addition of a new coffee bar, as Hoodline tells us.
Have you looked at a menu recently and balked at how much a restaurant was charging you for a half or whole chicken these days? Well, Inside Scoop has too, and now they've made a nice info-graphic showing all the prices side by side. That $48 chicken for two at Zuni sounds like a downright steal when you see that new spot Oro is charging a monstrous $46 for a half chicken, though that does include tip. Also high up there is Tosca Cafe, which charges $42 for their half-chicken.
In Hayes Valley, the corner space at Page and Laguna that was formerly Samovar Tea Lounge is becoming something called Revelry Bistro, as Hoodline reports. The chef behind it is Brad Roth, who worked previously at Epic Roasthouse and Bistro Central Parc, and it will be a daytime cafe with counter service that transitions to a bistro with table service at night. He's aiming for an early 2016 opening.
And Bernal Heights is about to get its own "great" pizza spot, according to owner Eliza Laffin. She's opening Red Apron Pizza at 3214 Folsom Street, on Precita Park. As Bernalwood tells us, she's aiming for a January debut.
This Week In Reviews
The Weekly's Pete Kane visited Myriad Gastro Pub (don't know why "gastro" and "pub" are separated) in the Mission, and found that the "globally inspired menu" may be "spreading itself thin." He is, however, fond of some brunch items, like the shakshuka and farm toast, and the pappardelle with pork cheeks. You may want to skip the weird low-ABV cocktails though.
Kane is also a big fan of Tacos Cala, which just began lunch-only service at Cala in Hayes Valley (149 Fell Street).
The Chron's Jonathan Kauffman writes what's basically a non-starred review of An Japanese Restaurant, the new spot from sushi chef Kiyoshi Hayakawa that we just recently heard was taking over the storied former Ino Sushi space in the Japantown Mall. The former Ace Wasabi's and Tokyo Go-Go chef just recently sold his Inner Sunset restaurant Koo, and Kauffman calls An "the most discreet project that the Bay Area sushi veteran has done and the most ambitious." The place only has 16 seats and three employees, including himself, and Kauffman sounds most impressed with the $80 omakase menu, which he calls "a series of bites stretched out, like a string of temporal beads, across 90 minutes."
Michael Bauer, meanwhile gives us only his Sunday review in which he's impressed with both the service and updated Tex-Mex fare at Cadillac Bar & Grill, which once upon a time had another home in SoMa and was a very popular after-work spot, until closing in 1999. In addition to a great Caesar salad and mesquite-grilled chicken, he likes the "spicy, rich posole" and can't believe that they're only charging $6 for a margarita. All told: two and a half stars.
