Opening this Thursday March 7th is FIORELLA POLK from partners Boris Nemchenok (managing director) and Brandon Gillis (culinary director), with executive chef Eli Franco. Similar to the original Fiorella, Fiorella Polk will have its laid-back but well-dialed style, from the Cal-Italian menu centered on pasta and pizza from the custom Mugnaini wood-fired oven to the modern interior.
Some new dishes include calzones with seasonal fillings like broccolini with provolone, mozzarella di bufala, ricotta, and banana pepper salsa, along with housemade ricotta cavatelli al chicken sugo (want). Chef Franco will be making pastas in-house from scratch, and doing in-house butchery from whole animals. Stand by for a housemade charcuterie program as well.
You’ll find Italian and California wines selected by wine director Chris Tarbell, and bar consultant Patrick Poelvoorde has crafted a selection of low-ABV cocktails. The dining room seats 35, with a communal table for groups of up to 8, plus there’s a large bar area with room for 12 at a marble counter with a view of the kitchen. Bonus: sidewalk seating provides 8 outdoor seats. Springtime can’t get here quickly enough. Open Sun-Thu 5pm-10pm and Fri-Sat 5pm-11pm. Brunch will come later. 2238 Polk St. at Green.
There’s a new fast-casual style dim sum shop that opened in the ground floor of the former Cathay House in Chinatown, DIM SUM CORNER, made from recipes developed by Koi Palace, and some of the items, like the dumplings, are supplied by Koi Palace’s commercial kitchen. It ends up Chris Yeo and his family are no longer involved in the project; San Francisco locals Jaynry Mak and her business partner, Eric Chung, have taken over both spaces (you can read more about their backgrounds in Eater)—the plans for the upstairs space are still in development, but fortunately the historic round bar and the bar lounge area remain intact.
Back to Dim Sum Corner: you will find xiao long bao, har gow, barbecue pork bao, and more, plus choose-your-own combos—check out the extensive and affordable menu. Order at the counter, and it will be brought to you, freshly steamed or cooked to order, or get it to go. There is also house milk tea with boba available. Open 11:30am-6:30pm. 601 Grant Ave. at California. [Via Hoodline.]
IZA RAMEN has a couple SF locations, and many fans of its ramen, and they have now opened a small shop in the Mission called HELL’S RAMEN. As you can gather by the name, they’re serving up some fiery ramen add-ons, like chile paste made from Carolina Reaper chile (one of the hottest chiles in the world), and there’s also a vegan ramen made with Impossible Foods meat, as well as a variety of appetizers, salads, curries, and more (menu here). It’s meant to be more of a “chef’s lab,” where you can try different dishes they’re developing. Sake and beer are also available. Open Tue-Fri 5:30pm-9:45pm (or until soup runs out). 2193 Mission St. at 18th St.
TROYA MEDITERRANEAN restaurant on Fillmore Street has opened a new location in SoMa from Turkish chef-owner Berk Kinalilar. It’s following the same fast-casual format, serving wraps, bowls, plates, and more with their braised lamb, roasted chicken, organic chickpea falafel, and housemade harissa and Turkish dips. There’s an outdoor patio and Turkish breakfast on the weekend is coming soon. Open Mon-Fri 11am-8pm. 214 Townsend St. at 3rd St.
The new Fiorella Polk. Photo: Sarah Felker.
