Saison's new SoMa wine bar has opened, a new Greek spot lands in the TenderNob, and Napa is getting its first Kansas City-style smokehouse and barbecue.

Saison Cellar & Wine Bar has opened in SoMa, offering high-end and lesser-known pours of wine, a lot of them from France, along with pate and snacks from Maison Nico. As SFist reported in April, it's occupying two spaces on Townsend Street not far from Saison, 228 and 234 Townsend Street, one of which was formerly home to Petit Marlowe. One half is a wine bar, while the other half of the space, The Cellar, is reserved for members of Saison Cellar's wine club. Saison partner Mark Bright, who has long been the restaurant's beverage director, launched Saison Winery in Santa Cruz County in 2016, and later opened a tasting room in Los Gatos and the first Saison Cellar & Wine Bar in Scotts Valley. The new wine bar, formerly home to another Bright venture called Le Clos, is open Tuesday to Saturday, 2 pm to 10 pm, and most of the glasses are priced between $12 and $25.

Some big news in the TenderNob as the former Hogwash space (582 Sutter Street) has been transformed into a new Greek restaurant — a rarity in these parts — called The Parthenon. Tablehopper had the news about the new venture from the owner of the Mission District's Gyros & Tzatziki, which is set to open this weekend. Expect plenty of seafood dishes, lamb with French fries, a pork chop with fig sauce, and a few Turkish dishes like manti (beef dumplings). The plan is to be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, serving from 11am to 3pm, and 4:30pm to 10pm.

There was also big news in North Beach this week, with the announcement that the longtime owners of old-school red-sauce Italian spot Tommaso's, the neighborhood's oldest restaurant, have sold the business and are retiring later this year. Eater had the scoop on the 90-year-old restaurant, and owners Carmen, Agostino and Anna Crotti say they are ready to hand the business off after managing it for the last 51 of those years. The new owners reportedly won't be changing anything, including the wood-burning brick oven that was, allegedly, the first to make wood-fired pizzas on the West Coast when the restaurant used to be called Lupo's. (The current name came from the brief ownership of chef Tommy Chin in the early 1970s.)

A new coffee, wine, and snack bar is opening in the former Sluts wine bar space (also formerly the wine bar Terroir) at 1116 Folsom Street, near Seventh. It's called Nosh Box SF, and Tablehopper tells us that owners Stephen Wade and Edwin Stoodley (who have experience at Sightglass and Philz) are planning for an August opening. But they'll be softly open on Sunday, July 28, for the Dore Alley street fair, if you want to stop in for a nosh. They're also seeking some GoFundMe assistance to finish their construction, and there are perks.

A new Kansas City-inspired barbecue restaurant is getting ready to open in Napa, and it's called Stateline Road Smokehouse (872 Vallejo Street). Chef-owner Darryl Bell, who worked in the Michelin-starred kitchens of Bouchon and Press, has been working for a couple of years to convert an old auto body shop into a restaurant in Napa's Rail Arts District, and it's now set for an August 8 debut. As the Chronicle reports, there will be brisket, KC-style ribs, and plenty more, including ample vegetarian options — because Bell himself doesn't eat much meat. And it will be cafeteria/taqueria style service, with trays, and pricing based on how much of each item you want — one rib and one slice of brisket is fine.

The Chronicle also has the sad news that Bellota, the Absinthe Group's once-bustling Spanish restaurant at 888 Brannan Street (aka the Airbnb building) is closing in September after seven years in business. The restaurant group's operations director, Eric Vreede, tells the paper, "We never really rebounded since COVID. It’s been a struggle."

Top photo by Adahlia Cole & Colin Peck