You ready for a turbo roundup of news briefs? Let’s do this.
PICCINO in Dogpatch is reopening Wednesday August 3rd after closing the restaurant for a remodel. They added an additional restroom, expanded the kitchen and walk-in, and installed a new, state-of-the-art (and more efficient) pizza oven. Make your reservation for brunch, lunch, or dinner. Stand by for Bar Piccino next!
BAR AGRICOLE has reopened in a new SoMa location, with chefs Will Napoli and former Bar Tartine’s Nick Balla in the kitchen, and a natural-minimalist design by Boor Projects; read more details in this Eater piece. Tue-Sat 6pm-11pm. 1540 Mission St. at Van Ness.
Some optimistic news in the FiDi: SABABA’s Stevenson location just reopened. Their menu of Israeli street food is available Mon-Fri 11am-2:30pm. 71 Stevenson St. at 2nd St.
More downtown percolating: YUCATOWN just opened inside the International Food Court. You’ll find a menu of panuchos, tacos (including vampiros, tacos de pescado, and quesabirrias), burritos, birria ramen, and more! Open Mon-Fri for lunch 11am-3pm. 380 Bush St. at Kearny.
Over in SoMa, John Quintos (Cafe Lambretta, Cento Coffee) has sold his 13-year-old VEGA CAFE to his employee, Raul Sanchez, who has been with him since 2009. Sanchez has opened CAFÉ SUSPIRO in its place, a coffee/record/book shop named after his grandfather’s shop in Mexico. He is crowdfunding this venture and would really appreciate any help as he builds Cafe Suspiro—be sure to read his detailed plans, which remind me of the San Francisco bohemian vibes I love and miss! He’s also accepting book and record donations! We need to help support SoMa businesses during this transitional time, so thanks in advance for helping out. Open Mon-Fri 8am-4pm, Sat 9am-5pm. 1246 Folsom St. at 8th St.
POESIA in the Castro has opened their colorful café next door in the former Réveille Coffee, with fresh-baked pastries from the Castro’s Thorough Bread and Pastry/SF Baking Institute, plus espresso and coffee service. 4076 18th St. at Castro.
THIRD CULTURE BAKERY has been rolling out a soft opening of their new brick-and-mortar location on Valencia, and if you sign up to their newsletter, you’ll get an invite to their second preview party on August 19th. The technicolor store is showcasing their “Sativa Dreams” design concept (love it), serving mochi pastries (including donuts) and hand-whisked matchas, plus some swag and more. Open daily 9am-4pm. An Inner Sunset location is coming to Irving Street later this year. 1186 Valencia St. at 23rd St.
Just across from Potrero Center is the new KAYA HOUSE, which just opened in the former Mikado. The casual Japanese menu is focused on yakitori (skewers), ramen, and don (rice entrées), like chicken katsu, oxtail curry, and grilled salmon teriyaki. Open Sun and Tue-Wed 11:30am-2:30pm and 5pm-10pm, Thu 11:30am-10pm, Fri-Sat 11:30am-2:30pm and 5pm-12am (yay, later hours!). 1684 Bryant St. at 16th St.
Awww, this was a tough one: after ten years of teaching culinary students with SF chefs and hosting events and fundraisers, the San Francisco Cooking School is closing their doors on August 31st. In a letter from founder Jodi Liano, she says, “While restaurants and related businesses are desperate for cooks, the amount of students who want to pursue these paths has diminished dramatically. In addition, San Francisco has become a less desirable destination for out-of-state students. These things together make it infeasible to continue operating SFCS in San Francisco.” On a positive note, she adds: “While things have changed in San Francisco, the lifelong journey of food education across the globe is stronger than ever. I look forward to exploring ways to extend our educational reach in the digital age and foster community in the professional food space.” Best wishes and many thanks for all the memorable events and classes and holiday cookie fun. The community will miss the unique access and way SFCS brought people together. Sign up for their newsletter for updates.
The center of Piccino’s dining room. Photo: © tablehopper.com.
