New high-end sushi comes to Hayes Valley, some great new tacos arrive in the Castro, and a huge new Korean marketplace that wants to compete with H Mart is headed for Daly City.
It's Black Restaurant Week in the Bay Area, and it's the fourth year that the Bay has taken part in the promotional campaign, which began in Atlanta. KTVU has a list of participating restaurants in San Francisco, Oakland, and Emeryville. In SF, that includes Gumbo Social (5176 3rd Street) and Voodoo Love (303 2nd Street).
A big new Korean grocery complex with in-house bakery and more, called Jagalchi — named after Korea’s largest seafood market — is coming to the former JC Penny space at Serramonte Center in Daly City. The Chronicle reports that the obvious H Mart competitor will clock in at 75,000 square feet, and the owner promises a "one-stop space where you can enjoy delicious food cooked in authentic Korean style, shop and experience Korean food culture." The complex will also include a full-service restaurant called Pogu from chef Tony Yoo, the owner of acclaimed fine-dining restaurant Dooreyoo in Seoul.
Tacos El Tucan has opened in the Castro, and I can personally attest it is delicious. Taking over the former Bonita Taqueria space downstairs from The Lookout, the new taco and burrito spot specializes in quesatacos — street tacos with griddled cheese fried right onto the tortilla — Tijuana-style grilled meats, and delicious, juicy quesabirria tacos. While those are bomb, I would also highly recommend tasting around the taco options, which also include seafood and vegan options. And don't miss the adobada (basically al pastor) quesataco. See the full menu here.
Tablehopper alerts us to the fact that weekend brunch has started at Fisch & Flore in the Castro, the new incarnation of the Cafe Flore space. Brunch is being served from 11:30 am to 3 pm, and no menu is yet online.
Also, the new sushi spot from the Sushi Sato folks has moved into the sleek space that was formerly home to Le Fantastique at 22 Franklin Street, which we first heard wind of in April. As Tablehopper reports, it's called Sushi Jang, and the omakase tasting menu ($85) includes eight pieces of nigiri that come in two waves, with an amuse, a seafood salad, and a soup. And there are supplemental course and sake/wine pairing options too.
One of the first franchise locations of Slice House by Tony Gemignani is debuting Saturday at the Village at San Antonio Center in Mountain View. Franchisee Pritika Rajasanshi loves apricots and the area's orchard history, which inspired Gemignani to create an exclusive slice for this location called Apricot Fields Forever — which is topped with Italian sausage, applewood-smoked bacon, mozzarella and ricotta cheeses, Blenheim Apricot Hot Honey Jam, red onion, Tony’s Hot Pepper Oil, and pesto.
One of the hot breweries the last few years at SF Beer Week, Santa Cruz-based Humble Sea Brewing Co., is opening its first SF outpost at Pier 39. Company spokesperson Lee DeGraw tells the Chronicle that the team has been searching for a perfect spot in SF for about five years. "As a bunch of kooks from Santa Cruz, we love all things ocean-related so when a spot came up at the pier, we jumped all over it," DeGraw says. This will be Humble Sea's third location outside Santa Cruz, with taprooms already in Pacifica and Alameda. There's no opening date, but construction is underway at Space N-111-1A at Pier 39.
And, in case you missed it, Almanac Beer Co. is landing soon at a new food hall in West Oakland, from the West Oakland Farmers' Market crew.
Chronicle restaurant critic MacKenzie Chung Fegan filed a Thursday review of Quince, which is the first major review of the Michelin three-star spot since its 2023 renovation. Fegan dined once in the main dining room, where guests pre-pay for a $390 10-course menu, and twice in the new salon/bar area, where a four-course menu and a la carte options are available. Fegan doesn't really review the 10-course experience, sufficing it to say that, if you can afford it and you can tolerate 3-4 hour meals, "You will have a wonderful time." As for the more casual options, the urchin beignets and chamomile martinis at the bar sound lovely, as does the classic deconstructed salad dish from Chef Michael Tusk, "a walk through Fresh Run Farm," which remains an a la carte special.
Top image: The adobada tacos at Tacos El Tucan