The FiDi's only gay bar returns, Fiorella expands to Noe Valley, and longtime Mission stalwart Regalito is going to become something new in a matter of months.
Ginger's (86 Hardie Place), the reincarnation of a longtime-ago FiDi gay bar called Ginger's and its last offshoot to survive, Ginger's Trois, is rising from the pandemic ashes at last in time for Pride Weekend. As Eater reports, the bar, part of the Future Bars empire that also owns Rickhouse upstairs (Ginger's is on the basement level with its own alley entrance), is being revived by general manager Dana Marinelli, and Friday night's opening festivities include a blessing by Sister Bubbles Bathory of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and drag performances by Miss Shugana, Madd-Dogg 20/20, Kylie Minono, MGM Grande, and Laundra Tyme. More fun is in store Saturday night, and all day Sunday starting at 2 pm.
Charming wood-fired pizza pros Fiorella have opened their newest location in Noe Valley, in the former Patxi’s on 24th Street. As Tablehopper tells us, Fiorella Noe is offering a special menu of a dozen different spritzes to go with its handmade pastas and pizzas. And this location features a new pasta, an octopus ragù with housemade squid ink mafaldine, braised octopus, fennel broth, Calabrian chile butter, and herbed breadcrumbs. And they're starting brunch service this Friday, with brunch served weekly three days a week, Friday through Sunday.
Japanese ramen outfit Hinodeya is opening its fourth SF location — and seventh in the Bay Area — in the Marina in August. As the SF Business Times reports, Hinodeya is moving into the former Jaranita space — the short-lived Peruvian rotisserie concept from the La Mar folks — at 3340 Steiner Street. Hinodeya has quickly expanded here since opening its first location outside Japan in Japantown, at 1737 Buchanan Street, in 2016.
And there's big changes afoot at a longtime Mission District stalwart, Regalito Rosticeria at 18th and Valencia. The 18-year-old restaurant is being taken over by the niece of the current owner, and that niece, Andrea Becerra, already has a Mission District restaurant, the Tablehopper-approved El Mil Amores. The new restaurant will have a new name, possibly Mi Unico Amor, as Tablehopper reports, and will feature a new menu of recipes from Becerra's grandmother, including ceviches, and a pork stew with tamales in it. Also, there will be carryovers from El Mil Amores as well. Look for it to open around August, and in the meantime, Regalito remains open.
Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement, which recently opened a new location in the home neighborhood of chef-owner Fernay McPherson, the Fillmore, is now closing its original outpost at Emeryville's Public Market. The Emeryville shop will close July 28, as the Chronicle reports, so that McPherson can concentrate on putting out the best fried chicken and mac and cheese at her new, higher-volume location.
The New York Times showed some love for Berkeley's already well loved Rose Pizzeria, featuring it this week as the only Bay Area entry in a new list of "22 of the best places in the United States. "The pies put out by the married couple Gerad Gobel and Alexis Rorabaugh, who worked together in Chicago for seven years, draw from both the New York and Midwestern tavern traditions," says writer Brian Gallagher. And, "The crust is sturdy enough — no point flop here — that you can single-hand your slice."
Oakland Colombian restaurant Mago, which opened in 2019 and has gone through a few iterations, is changing its format and offering a discounted tasting-menu experience on weeknights. As the Chronicle reports, former AQ chef Mark Liberman is taking a cue from luxury services like hotels and airlines that often have premium pricing on weekends, and offering the same 10-course experience — structured like a dinner party with cocktails on the patio beforehand — for $110 per person on Fridays and Saturdays, and $82 per person on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Photo: Fiorella/Instagram