Park Tavern is a few weeks away from a grand reopening with the great Jonathan Waxman in the kitchen, Teta Nahla debuts in Oakland, and San Jose's only Michelin-starred spot is making a comeback, all in This Week In Food.
The biggest SF food news of the week arrived Friday morning, with the Chronicle's news that Park Tavern will reopen November 15 in North Beach. The beloved brasserie has had a rough go of it the last few years and was sporadically open with menus that didn't resemble Park Tavern's heyday in the last decade. But original chef Jennifer Puccio is returning to the kitchen under own James Nicholas (Nicholas previously co-owned the restaurant with ex-wife Anna Weinberg) along with longtime friend, the great Jonathan Waxman — of Barbuto fame in New York, nicknamed "the Jedi" on Top Chef Masters. Waxman's involvement with the revamped restaurant was actually announced back in May, when Nicholas first revealed his plans. But now we learn that Waxman plans to be bicoastal, operating his New York businesses along with Park Tavern, where he is now a partner. And a big bonus: a version of Barbuto's iconic roast chicken with salsa verde will be appearing on the new Park Tavern menu.
Open as of earlier this week is Bon Delire, in the former Hard Water space at Pier 3 on the Embarcadero. The new, modern French bistro is the project of Sens owner Kais Bouzidi, who grew up in Paris, and who wanted to bring a taste of the Parisian bistro scene to the space. There is now a DJ booth where uptempo American and French tunes will be spinning, and a menu featuring bistro classics like escargots, steak frites, and steak tartare.
This one was easily predictable given the past few years: Dungeness crab season will again be delayed until after Thanksgiving. As the Chronicle reports, whale entanglements in fishing gear are again the reason, and while another delay seems likely, they're now saying the crabbing might begin December 1.
Over in Oakland, "Arab soul food" spot Teta Nahla has opened in the Uptown neighborhood (2123 Franklin Street). We first heard about the place a couple weeks ago, the latest project of Shawarmaji chef Mohammad Abutaha, and it is currently only open for breakfast and lunch, 11 am to 3 pm, Monday through Friday.
Down in San Jose, the city's only Michelin-starred restaurant, Adega, is making a comeback. Owners Carlos and Fernanda Carreira, who operate the more casual Portuguese spot Petiscos in San Jose's Little Portugal neighborhood, and they say they've heard from many customers that they should revive Adega, after deciding to close late last year. The new Adega 2.0 will open November 15, and will feature a seasonally changing tasting menu at 1614 Alum Rock Avenue.
And Chronicle restaurant critic MacKenzie Chung Fegan did not file a new review this week, but we await the next one.
Top image: Chef Jonathan Waxman attends the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival Dinner hosted by Jonathan Waxman and Brooke Williamson part of the Bank of America Dinner Series presented by Invesco QQQ at One Bryant Park on October 18, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images for NYCWFF)
