The second location of DABBA has opened, bringing its uniquely borderless fine-casual cuisine that is “comfort food just like your Californian-Indian-Cajun-Jamaican-Mexican Mom would make.” You got that? It’s delicious, healthy, and made with fresh ingredients, featuring customizable bowls, salads with grains, seasonal vegetables, chutneys, yogurt, and topped with a customer’s choice of Cajun chicken, Caribbean jerk pork, or curried lamb. Vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options are also available.
Chef Walter Abrams (who formerly worked at The French Laundry and Spruce) has further developed family recipes that come from Marin County’s popular Avatar’s, another creative culinary concept. The location also offers local beer and organic wines on tap, a housemade turmeric-ginger-lime aqua fresca, nitro hibiscus tea, and soft serve. There are 26 seats, with another 12 on the sidewalk. Now through September 30th, in celebration of the opening, Dabba is donating a portion of proceeds from both Dabba locations to benefit Summer Search, a Bay Area nonprofit dedicated to helping students from low-income backgrounds strengthen the skills they need to become college-educated leaders who give back to their families and communities. Open daily 11am-10pm. 2240 Chestnut St. at Avila.
Some quick tips on more new openings that caught my eye:
WHAT THE CLUCK has opened in the Upper Haight, serving khao mun gai (chicken rice) from Bangkok native Koonz Vannasetta (which is enough to make me ignore the pun name). Hoodline reports you can also order your kmg with riceberry (a jasmine and black rice hybrid). There’s also chicken and rice soup, and a KMG version (“The Ultimate”) with poached egg, chicken liver, and extra sauce. Open daily 11am-8pm. 1782 Haight St. at Shrader.
There’s a new restaurant in the Mission called CASA DE LA CONDESA RESTAURANT, and the name should be your clue that there are some dishes from Mexico City on the menu. Just seeing pozole verde is enough to make me want to visit (weekends only), plus tortas, huarachitos, and gringas, which I never seem to find here—to be clear, I’m talking about flour tortillas with cheese and fillings, not girls in Lululemon in the Marina. Open Mon-Fri 8am-9pm, Saturday 9am-10pm, Sunday 9am-8pm. 2763 Mission St. at 23rd St., 415-829-3300.
Trio of tacos. Photo courtesy of Dabba.
