Anchor Brewing shows more signs of life, Bar Skula debuts in Oakland as a "remix" of Luka's Taproom and Sidebar, and Shuggie's is auctioning off all its funky, Vegas-y decor, all in This Week In Food.
Sadly, this week kicked off with another fire on Divisadero that has indefinitely shuttered another food business, The Mill — following the fire three weeks ago at Che Fico, on the next block. The bakery-cafe posted photos of the damage from the June 29 fire, which looks significant. The team is working to find a temporary bakery wherein to continue their highly in-demand bread-baking operation until The Mill can be repaired. A GoFundMe has raised $64,000 so far out of a $100,000 goal.
In a further clue that Anchor Brewing is inching toward starting up the brewing operation again, the company has applied for and been approved to use its former illustrated labels, pivoting back from the not-well-liked redesigned logo and labels the brewery was using before it shut down in 2023. KQED caught the news via an application to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, and so we await the final word from new owner Hamdi Ulukaya, the CEO and founder of Chobani yogurt, as to when Anchor Steam beer will once again be getting brewed and bottled.
The Chronicle has the first word on Bar Skula, the reincarnation/remix of the much loved Luka's Taproom and its former offshoot Sidebar in Oakland's Lake Merritt neighborhood. It has just debuted in the former Trio Bistro and Sidebar space on Grand Avenue, and includes versions of Luka's/Sidebar favorites like the burger, fries, and mussels, as well as oysters, ceviches, Spanish-style gin and tonics, and more.
As they prepare for a goodbye party on July 11, Shuggie's is auctioning off everything in the restaurant, and they're taking bids on Instagram for select items through July 6. There will then be a live auction at the July 11 party for all remaining items, but this is your chance to own a green hand chair or a dip-serving bowl that looks like a mouth.
Tablehopper brought word this week on the expanded service at Bruno's Italian Taste, an all-day operation in Yerba Buena (606 Mission Street) serving coffee, morning pastry, Roman-style pizza, arancini, panini, and take-home prepared meals like eggplant parmigiana. The place is open Monday to Friday, 8 am to 7:30 pm.
Acclaimed SoCal brewery Ballast Point closed down their three-year-old SF taproom near the Chase Center on Monday. In an Instagram post, they say, "We’re grateful to everyone who visited, shared a beer, celebrated milestones, and made this location part of the local craft beer community over the years." And they direct all Ballast Point beer fans to check out their tasting rooms in Anaheim, Long Beach, and San Diego.
In further mid-year closure news, Mission District Thai restaurant Funky Elephant closed its doors last week, as they announced on Instagram. The team is continuing to serve at their smaller Berkeley location.
And Chronicle critic Cesar Hernandez filed his highly negative review of JouJou this week, which is sure to spark some debate — is the new French brasserie from the Lazy Bear team really as irredeemable as he says? I actually liked most of what I had there, but Hernandez was disappointed in the pink-peppercorn steak au poivre — he also posted video of the steak with its sauce beginning to congeal — and he didn't care for several other things, like the crustacean omelet, that he calls "about as graceful as a diner omelet."
Top image courtesy of Shuggie's
