Opening July 6, 2022, in the former Flour + Water Pizzeria space on the prime corner of 18th and Valencia, Yellow Moto Pizzeria is from Flour + Water Hospitality Group alum David White, no longer with the F+W group). Chef Oleg Sheyner (formerly of RT Rotisserie) is helming the menu at Yellow Moto, continuing on from cooking at F+W Pizzeria since 2021. Read more →
Maybeck’s opened in 2016 in the Marina as essentially a renamed Spaghetti Bros. restaurant, going for modern “red sauce” Italian food. I still remember their spumoni ice cream. The restaurant wasn’t exactly worth crossing neighborhoods for but it was solid, and has been closed in pandemic not just for a refresh but a complete rebirth and ownership change, despite keeping the name. Read more →
These six newcomers (or new menus) cover the gamut, from Ukrainian dumplings to Nigerian food, Detroit-style pizza to hefty salads. These newbies are worth visiting, with last month’s standouts here (as always, I’ve vetted, visited or ordered from each place reviewed): Read more →
Chef Loretta Keller is a San Francisco treasure since she opened Bizou in 1993, which became the long-beloved COCO500 in 2005… I’ve dined at all her ventures multiple times over the last 21 years, so delighted I was to see her return… to open Uccello Lounge on the ground floor of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s (SFCM) new Bowes Center. Read more →
A few elements must align to come into one’s own voice and it’s never a one-time deal but an ongoing evolution. Maturity, experience and time are the oft-discounted but key factors to holistic integration for those pursuing it. However, other crucial pieces include timing and the right platform/s from which to express one’s voice…
Normally, this Friday review is devoted to restaurants: and both these new bars serve food, so we’ll get into that. But this week, it’s more about drink menus on par with great food and about two women coming into their voice on their current menus: Read more →
Handroll Project opened May 18, 2022, in a lofty, minimalist space with murals from local artist The Apexer. A handroll restaurant was actually Lee and Truong’s original plan even before Ju-Ni, with their vision of a casual, “quick bite” kind of spot… Read more →
As of April 19, 2022, Velvet Cantina is (dramatically) reborn as Shuggie’s Trash Pie & Natural Wine, no longer dim and dusty but colorful, loud and playful in bold yellow and green. Given the deteriorating nature of the front room, it had to be gutted and rebuilt, now all yellow and white, lined with yellow disco balls, lip-shaped sofa and cheetah mural, centered around an open kitchen with bar seats over a glittery gold countertop. Read more →
Opening a more upscale, untried concept on a block that already holds three Michelin-starred restaurants — State Bird Provisions, The Progress and Avery — is ambitious, to say the least. When it is one that needs tightening up, as brand new Bansang does, it’s even riskier. But in its initial soft opening month of May (opening the tail end of April 2022), Bansang’s promise is all on the plate. Read more →
Legendary Kezar Bar & Restaurant has been a Cole Valley staple since 1989, but even after revamps, couldn’t quite hang on. The good news is it’s staying neighborhood-owned with local Jim Angelus of nearby Bacon Bacon reopening it as Cole Valley Tavern (he became a partner in Kezar back in 2018). It’s packed every night since opening late April 2022, carrying on the tradition but with an upgrade: convivial, welcoming yet with heightened comfort food and cocktails. Read more →
You’d be tempted to call The Madrigal an upscale cocktail lounge with elevated bar food, ideal for pre-and post-show imbibing near the San Francisco Symphony, Opera, Ballet, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, and SF Jazz. And it is. But it’s much more. Debuting on Van Ness Avenue in December 2021 from Hi Neighbor Hospitality (Trestle, The Vault Steakhouse, The Vault Garden), The Madrigal feels like what the space should have always been. Read more →