A new Nepalese and Indian restaurant is on the way to the Marina, Union Square gets a fancy new French patisserie, and there's a pop-up fish market on the docks at Fisherman's Wharf, all in This Week in Food.
Ilcha, a Korean restaurant in the Marina that's been lauded for its fried chicken, is closing after Valentine's Day, and the SF Business Times has news of its replacement. Coming soon to 2151 Lombard will be Kava, a restaurant serving Nepalese, Himalayan, and Indian cuisines, from Nepalese owner Kamal Kandel of North Beach's Yarsa Nepalese Cuisine. The menu, which will have some similarities to Yarsa, will feature Nepalese curries, momos, chaat, tandoori, and biryani dishes.
Not far away, Cow Hollow sports bar The Final Final, which dates back 92 years in the neighborhood, has just launched its first-ever food menu, just in time for the Super Bowl. The menu features bar food favorites including smash burgers, hot dogs, Buffalo wings, curly fries, and soft serve ice cream, with the kitchen led by executive chef Paul Toxqui of Left Door.
A legit-looking French patisserie has just opened near Union Square called Le Carousel, in the base of the Tilden Hotel (345 Taylor Street). As Tablehopper reports, the couple behind it, Claire and Jeremy Mullet, initially launched online only, doing special orders and occasional pop-ups, but they now have their first brick-and-mortar shop. Jeremy Mullet grew up in Royan, on the west coast of France, studied pastry for seven years, and worked in a patisserie from the age of 15 — and he knows his way around traditional Viennoiserie of all kinds. Everything looks gorgeous and the place is open from 7 am to 2 pm, Tuesday to Sunday.
The James Beard Award semifinalists were announced this week. And while it can be a somewhat diluted honor to be among 30 semifinalists "long-listed" for an award, with the actual nominees still to be announced in April, it's considered an honor nonetheless. And this year, in contrast to recent years, the Bay Area has a pretty strong showing, with 21 restaurants, bars, chefs, beverage professionals, and restaurateurs getting long-listed, including pre-nods for Foreign Cinema and Happy Crane.
The Chronicle alerts us today to a new pop-up fish market that is happening on Saturdays through March at 101 Al Scoma Way, by Fisherman's Wharf — near where fishermen are selling live crab off their boats each Saturday morning. The fish market will cook your crabs for $2 per pound (they cost $10 per pound off the boat), and they're also selling more of the local catch: rock fish filets for $17 per pound, sablefish for $19 per pound, and halibut for $24 per pound. Bring your own cooler.
Tablehopper has word that The Wild, the restaurant that replaced the hearth-centric steakhouse Gozu at 201 Spear Street, closed as of New Year's Eve. But chef Mark Zimmerman continues cooking his steaks over live fire at Superprime Steakhouse nearby.
Cru Chocolate, based in Placer County, has just opened its first SF pop-up inside the Humphrey Slocombe ice cream shop at 22nd and Third streets, in Dogpatch. As Eater reports, customers can order drinking chocolate by the cacao percentage, and the pop-up will run from 7 am to noon, seven days a week, starting February 1.
A new upscale Mexican restaurant, Amado, is opening next month in Burlingame. As the Chronicle reports, it's the latest restaurant from chef Gloria Dominguez and her family — who also operate Taqueria Salsa in Antioch, and Tal Palo in Los Altos (and they formerly ran Tamarindo Antojeria and Mia Comida Casera in Oakland). The menu will span all regions of Mexico, and the chic interior evokes modern-day Mexico City. Stay tuned for updates.
And FYI, if you're planning to attend the SF Beer Week kickoff tasting event at Salesforce Park this year, early bird tickets have sold out, but there are still some VIP early-access tickets available — which lets you avoid the crowds who come in at 1:30 pm.
Top image: Photo via Le Carousel Patisserie
