This week on the food scene we learned that Wise Sons is expanding to Hayes Valley, likely with a bagel shop, and we learned some behind-the-scenes secrets from an In-N-Out employee. Also, Namu Stonepot is about to debut on Divisadero, the Chronicle did a piece about chefs fleeing the Bay Area for more rural areas, and we had yet another (possibly spurious) update on Hamburger Mary's in the Castro, which may finally open soon but who knows with that project. Here's everything else that's been going on.
First up, Mason Pacific (1358 Mason Street) is calling it quits after a year and a half in business on the edge of Nob Hill. They suffered a fire not long after their opening, in the winter of 2016, and lost chef Max McKinnon in December after just six months. Wine director Eric Railsback tells Eater that the team "wants to bid farewell on a high note," which they will be doing on July 30. Until then, though, starting Tuesday, all bottles of wine are 50 percent off!
Some exciting news up in Calistoga: The well loved Calistoga Kitchen has been bought by Zazie owner Jennifer Piallat along with three other partners, Shaun McGrath, Jenna Hodges, and Kaitlin Jones, who all formerly worked at nearby Sam’s Social Club. McGrath and Hodges have taken over the kitchen, and so far things are mostly status quo with just some slight menu tweaks. But as Eater reports, the place will close for a brief remodel in January and reopen as Lovina, named for a local legend, Lovina Graves Cyrus, who survived the Donner Party when she was 12.
The Bar Tartine space in the Mission finally has a taker, and it's Stonemill Matcha, a matcha cafe and retail shop. The place will feature "better tasting matcha," as Eater tells us, and the owner wants to "assimilate premium matcha’s peaceful energy and harmony into San Francisco culture." The place will also serve bento boxes and Japanese breakfast, and they hope to be open by the end of the year.
Down in the Financial District, Bocadillos is calling it quits after 13 years. The tapas-focused spinoff of Piperade was always a "a good, easy restaurant, [and] still one of the few restaurants in San Francisco where you could feel transported to the Iberian peninsula," as Inside Scoop says, but owner Gerald Hirigoyen says he'll now be refocusing his attention on his flagship, Piperade.
The prix fixe mezzanine bar at ABV, Over Proof, is about to switch up to its third iteration, which is called Este Oeste, on August 10. The concept is Spanish-inspired, and therefore the drinks are focused on Spain's favorite tipples, gin and sherry. One drink, in a nod to Karl the Fog, is called Don Karlos, and it's a twist on a Fogcutter that flips the gin and sherry ratio of the original. As before, chef Collin Hilton has prepared a food menu to accompany the drinks, all in a Spanish style. They're taking reservations now, and the current iteration, Double Back, runs through July 29.
Oakland Raider Marshawn Lynch is taking over ownership of Emeryville soul food spot Scend's Restaurant & Bar, as KTVU reports, as 80-year-old owner Cassie Nickelson retires. There was a celebration for Nickelson Saturday, and Lynch, who's known Nickelson since he was a young boy, officially takes over in August, with no plans for any major changes.
The Impossible Burger, that rather convincing plant-based burger that "bleeds," is now available at another venue in SF: Umami Burger. The SF location started serving them on Friday after some SoCal locations of the chain already did, as Eater reports, bringing its availability to three spots here, including Jardiniere and Cockscomb.
Over in the Mission, beloved dive bar Doc's Clock reopened in its new digs at 2417 Mission Street, two blocks from the original location. As the Chronicle reports, the new spot boasts the original bar and the same shuffleboard table, and an artist will be recreating the Aztec-style mural from the original space.
Eater got a first look at the menu at Barcino, the new Spanish spot from the Absinthe team that is taking over the Boxing Room space in Hayes Valley. Building off of culinary director Ryan McIlwraith's work at Bellota, Barcino will serve daily changing paellas and rice dishes, oysters, patatas bravas, a Spanish fisherman's stew, and a flatbread with foie gras and membrillo. The place opens Tuesday, July 25.
And finally a new ramen izakaya called Shinmai has just opened in Oakland, per Eater, at 1825-3 San Pablo Avenue in the Uptown neighborhood. They've got a full bar and cocktail program, with ramen from chef-owner Andy Liu and a full izakaya menu from executive chef Jerrod Doss, formerly of Aziza and Chez TJ.
This Week In Reviews
The Weekly's Pete Kane took a trip to the Oakland Zoo and their new hilltop restaurant, The Landing Cafe, which is accessible only by gondola. He writes, "The view is incredible, nothing about it evokes the Rainforest Cafe, and the major decorative motif is strollers." Also, the food is pretty decent, he says, including a white pizza, a good seasonal salad, and some great Gilroy garlic fries.
Michael Bauer returns to Oakland's Wood Tavern, where chef Esteban Escobar recently took charge. He finds it still feels like a "comfortably worn brasserie," and Escobar hits some good notes with smaller dishes, and needs to show some more restraint with the entrees, which he says have too many ingredients. All told: two and a half stars.
Bauer sticks to Oakland for his Sunday review, which is of Kebabery, the new takeout spot from the team behind Camino. Bauer likes it, especially the trumpet mushroom kebab, but finds that things come up short somehow. He calls it "slow food in a fast-food format," and seems mildly satisfied, but when compared to the very popular Souvla, he says it isn't quite as good. The verdict: two stars.
Eater's new SF critic Rachel Levin turns out to be pretty hard to please. After giving a one-star review to A Mano the other week, she gives a one-star review to new downtown lunch spot City Counter, despite the review itself sounding fairly positive. She likes the tuna melt and the "fatty, fabulous hot mess" called the Mezzogiorno (pictured above), as well as some salads, but she hates on lunch in general, and yeah, one star.