I hate writing about every single restaurant closure, but some are definitely tough when it’s an operator you really admire and respect. In this case, it’s the one and only Bruce Hill, who’s closing the trail- (and wood-) blazing ~ZERO ZERO~ in SoMa after 12 years of business. The “Calipolitan” pizzas that came out of Hill’s wood-fired Mugnaini oven were part of the early wood-fired pizza wave in SF, and his soft-serve ice cream drizzled with olive oil and sea salt was also new to our culinary scene (he pioneered that one back in 2005). Zero Zero was a great neighborhood restaurant and the perfect answer when you wanted a cocktail and a seasonal salad and hearty bowl of pasta for dinner.
As we all know, the pandemic has been particularly rough on SoMa—no convention business and no office workers coming by for techy lunches and dinners and drinks made things extremely challenging, and delivery and frozen pizzas were not going to make up for it. It has been a tough decision after fighting so hard to keep going, but it was time to call it. Hill has retained employees for ten years and more, including his chef Jose Canto, who has been there since day one. Hill will continue as executive chef/partner at Bix, and his Chef’s Press is also keeping him busy. In case you’re on the hunt for a space, there are eight years on the lease—Hill is looking for a buyer.
Come by for a final pie and stoner garlic bread and goodbye this week. The last service will be Saturday November 12th. Sending them off with a great week of sales would be nice—you can book a reservation on Tock. Best wishes and thanks to the team for all the tasty carbs (and Negronis).
Over in Los Gatos: I received word that chef David Kinch and the MANRESA team have announced their final month of service will be December, closing out this singular restaurant’s 20-year-run on New Year’s Eve. December reservations will be released at 12am midnight (Pacific time) on November 14th on Tock. Manresa’s signature tasting menu ($595 tasting menu; $255 optional wine pairings) “will change and showcase in high style the expertise and dedication amassed over the past 20 years.” (Time for one last Into the Vegetable Garden.) On New Year’s Eve—Manresa’s final night of service—the “no-holds-barred menu” will be $725, with $325 optional wine pairings. That is going to be quite a night! In 2023, you’ll still be able to see Kinch at The Bywater, Mentone, and Manresa Bread (from founder and head baker Avery Ruzicka). Congrats on such a great run.
SF Standard broke the news that SEVEN STILLS BREWERY AND DISTILLERY has closed three years after opening their massive space in Dogpatch. Such tough timing on that one.
SFGate reports on the closure of PLOY II THAI CUISINE in the Haight, after 33 years.
I saw a post on Nextdoor that old-timer EXTREME PIZZA on Fillmore Street has closed after 28 years at that location. Other locations remain open.
Upstairs at Zero Zero; photo by Blair Sneddon Photography.
