While you were traveling or preparing for your turkey binge, some things went down in the world of SF food this week. We revisited Mary Risley's best turkey-roasting advice, noted the opening of new boba spot Katea in the Mission, and pondered the waning of what many have called a new golden age of San Francisco dining. Here's what else was happening:
Blue Bottle just opened what it's calling a "cold bar" in South Park. SF Weekly tells us that that means the location will offer coffee-based cocktails that, importantly, have no alcohol in them. An Oji Old Fashioned and a Shakerato are both on the menu. This will be in addition to the standard coffee that one would expect from Blue Bottle.
Those who didn't get their fill of dessert yesterday will perhaps be pleased to learn that South San Francisco will soon be home to a new Dunkin' Donuts. The Chronicle reports that the opening will happen "very soon," although a specific date has not been confirmed. A specific location, however, has been: The doughnut vendor will occupy what used to be the Hungry Hunter restaurant.
A tiny new bar just opened up in North Beach right next door to Brandy Ho’s. Brandy’s Bar, as it is called, only has ten seats and Eater reports that it is nicknamed "Baby Ho's" as it is run by the Ho family. Visitors should expect traditional cocktails, beer, and wine — if they can get a seat.
Betty Lou's Seafood & Grill also just opened its doors in North Beach, with Hoodline informing us that it calls the former Viva Pizza location home. The menu includes treats like lobster ravioli, fresh seafood, and rib-eye steak. And for those who loved Viva Pizza, not to worry — it just moved next door.
In other opening news, Russian Hill just got a new American restaurant. Eater informs us that Split opened last Friday and is the work of the Good Food Guys restaurant group i.e. the people behind Mixt, and the growing sandwich-focused chain formerly known as Split Bread, of which this is the third location, now dubbed Split. Diners can expect more of the fast casual structure with orders being placed at the counter but servers delivering food to tables.
Hot Pot purveyor Nabe opened its second location last Friday. Hoodline tells us that the Marina location has a huge communal table as a centerpiece, and used to be a Pizza Hut (the interior was completely redone). It's a dinner-only spot, so don't go looking for lunch.
On a completely different note, Uber tapped into its wealth of customer data to tell us where riders are being dropped off the most when it comes to restaurants. In San Francisco, the most popular spot is Southern Pacific Brewing — which, interestingly, is right around the corner from Lyft's old Harrison Street headquarters.
Just a reminder about the December 2 opening for Finn Town Tavern in the Castro, and Hoodline offered up a sneak peek via a preview party last Friday.
The CNN commentator Van Jones, whose response to the Donald Trump election went viral, took a break from his television duties to chow down at The Commissary this past Friday. Tablehopper reports on the celebrity-sighting, but unfortunately has no word of what he ordered.
This Week In Reviews
The Chronicle's Michael Bauer returned to Old Bus Tavern to see how things have shaped up now that the previous chef Max Snyder has been replaced by David Zboray. After noting the in-house brewed beers and ample mezcal selection, Bauer makes it clear that he remains pleasantly surprised both by the quality of the food and the service. The pickled quail eggs, whole turnips, and beet spaetzle are all dishes that stand out for the critic — even if he has a gripe or two about presentation. The dessert also won him over, leading us to believe that if we head to Old Bus Tavern ourselves we're likely to spot Bauer putting back some lemon basil saison while nibbling on the toasted apple cake with chai tea and coconut whipped cream. He gives the place two and a half stars.
Taking a not-quite 10,000-foot view of the San Francisco food scene, Bauer investigates the restaurants around the Union Square area in a piece earlier this week. Observing that a decent amount of what that part of town has to offer when it comes to food is, well, lacking, he helpfully compiles a list of what he views to be shoppers' best bets. Including both lunch and dinner options, he highlights places like Scala’s Bistro, E&O Kitchen and Bar, Akiko’s, M.Y. China, The Rotunda, and others. He calls out Bluestem Brasserie as being one of his go-to lunch spots, and says Amber India is "one of the best Indian restaurants in the city." Basically, there's a lot of good stuff if you know where to look (or just refer to Bauer's guide).
Peter Lawrence Kane of SF Weekly strolls over to The Myriad, a food-hall type market on Market Street, and samples the goods offered by tenants Mrs. Jones and San Francisco Brewing Co. — a cocktail spot and tap room, respectively. He gives the impression that while he may have walked in, he stumbled out, as Kane samples the Boulevardier, a gin-and-tonic, Jell-O shots, grapefruit IPA, amber ales, and a nitro stout. He really liked that jello shot, with the purple option representing grape flavor hinted with Tanqueray and juniper berries. And while he enjoyed the drinks, the atmosphere — and especially the cleanliness of the bathroom — really left something to be desired. Something to perhaps consider if you're looking to put back Jell-O shots and stouts.
Kane seems much happier about the Hawaiian restaurant 'Aina. He waxes poetic about chef and owner Jordan Keao's precision in his cooking, and notes that a lot of the ingredients are flown in from Hawaii. Kane enjoys the brunch offerings, but makes sure to note that what you really want to do is eat dinner there. The smoked hon shimeji and king oyster mushrooms grab his attention, and the spam bao "couldn’t be more telegenic if it tried." He notes that lines out the door at 10:00 a.m. suggest this place is already a big hit, and he thinks it's only going to get more popular — so get in while you can.
