The Chatterbox

I have some quick notes about some exciting upcoming openings for you, starting with the great news that Tracy Goh of @eatwithtracy— known for her Malaysian pop-ups and amazing laksa suppers (since 2013!) and cooking classes—has found a brick-and-mortar location to open her restaurant, DAMANSARA. Since I’m a…

It’s a great week for bagel news. Now open in Nopa (after the typical bureaucratic delays and other shenanigans) is SCHLOK’S, which started as a pop-up out of The Snug in the Fillmore from Zack Schwab and James Lok during the pandemic. These hefty, crusty, New York-style bagels…

This is always the section I wish I didn’t have to write. MAGNOLIA BREWING COMPANY (which New Belgium took over in 2018) announced the closure of the Magnolia Dogpatch location on Instagram: “COVID-19 has been a huge challenge for every hospitality business, including ours. When it came time to…

I’m thrilled to share the VERY exciting news that TAISHOKEN, the iconic tsukemen and ramen shop brand in Japan, will be opening their second U.S. location in San Francisco (they opened their first shop in San Mateo in 2019). Tsukemen—the dipping of cold noodles into hot broth—…

If you follow me on Instagram, then you already know that FLOUR+WATER has reopened after a refreshed interior (after 12 years, we all need a makeover!) and updated menu from co-chefs Thomas McNaughton and Ryan Pollnow. Take a peek at the menu, with new appetizers from the grill (like…

Fellow fans of Turkish cuisine will be excited to hear about TAKSIM, a newly opened, upscale, modern Mediterranean restaurant from the Lokma team in the former Cockscomb in SoMa. (Anyone who has been to Istanbul will recognize the name, a famous square in the hip Beyoğlu neighborhood.) You can check…

There’s a new bagel shop coming to the Inner Sunset from MIDNITE BAGEL founder Nick Beitcher (he was the lead baker at Tartine Bakery for five years). Eater reports he’ll still be baking his creative, tangy, whole-grain sourdough bagels out of his commissary space in Dogpatch, and will…

Last week, I was thrilled to have a long conversation with Anya El-Wattar, the chef and owner of the soon-to-open BIRCH & RYE in Noe Valley. After traveling throughout Russia with my father for three weeks during World Cup, my eyes were really opened to so many incredible dishes and…

Some exciting expansion news for SF restaurants, starting with the Roman ~MONTESACRO~, which is opening a second location in the Marina in the former Karaweik Burmese Cuisine. Known for bringing pinsas to the city (and their fantastic wine list), this latest Montesacro has a full kitchen, so they’ll be…

Exciting news from Charles Phan: he’s emerging from the pandemic bunker with a new banh mi and sandwich shop running out of the front of his commissary kitchen in the Mission: CHUCK’S TAKEAWAY. Eater reports he has been working on the perfect baguette roll for years, and is…