The Chatterbox

Francophiles, Russian Hill residents, longtime SF diners, fans of tasting menus, and many former chefs and cooks who came through the kitchen at ~LA FOLIE~ were dismayed with the news yesterday that chef-owner Roland Passot and his wife Jamie have decided to close the restaurant and La Folie Lounge on…

The second location of famed croissant-maker ARSICAULT BAKERY has opened in Civic Center, an offshoot of the original Inner Richmond location. But now, owner Armando Lacayo has much more production space to work with, which means he’ll be expanding the current lineup of croissants, croissants, kouign amanns, and chocolate…

According to an ABC license transfer, the chef-owner of Ideale in North Beach, Maurizio Bruschi, is possibly taking over ALLEGRO ROMANO from another fellow Roman, Lorenzo Logoreci. I reached out to Ideale and Maurizio’s business partner, Giuseppe Terminiello, for confirmation and more information, but didn’t hear back in…

The former Squat & Gobble in the Castro is now the second location of BONITA TAQUERIA Y ROTISSERIE, serving rotisserie chicken, tacos, burritos, bowls, quesadillas, nachos, tortilla soup, salads, sides, and weekend brunch (Fri-Sun) with bottomless mimosas. You’ll also find micheladas, sangria, beer, and more. I tried confirming the…

The 8th Annual Crab Feed is this Saturday February 1st at The Alice Collective in Oakland, featuring fresh Dungeness crabs from our local fishermen, plus bottomless mimosas and endless beers will be flowing. You’ll enjoy sourdough garlic bread, a seasonal mixed green salad, housemade garlic noodles, and the main…

Owners Andrea and Nicolas Delaroque of Michelin-starred NICO in Jackson Square decided they wanted to spend a year off with their daughter in France, and instead of selling the restaurant, a very novel solution was found. Their good friend Paul Einbund of The Morris (whose wife, Vanessa Yap Einbund, designed…

The lights are back on at the corner of Chestnut and Scott, with the reopening of ~RISTOBAR~, after being closed for a building retrofit since 2017. Owner Gary Rulli decided the timing was right to overhaul the layout and look of the spacious restaurant—it has now been divided into…

It’s time to take a new look at sweet-and-sour chicken and kung pao chicken (with “pizazzy mala peanuts”). Get fired up to try the brand-new MAMAHUHU from Brandon Jew (Mister Jiu’s), who partnered with Anmao Sun and Ben Moore on the project. This Inner Richmond, fast-casual spot is…

Some quick chef updates: after a year and a half of running the show at ~SAISON~, co-owner and chef Laurent Gras announced in an Instagram post that he was moving back to New York “to be closer to my wife, family and friends.” (But first, he’s enjoying some time…

I still haven’t gotten over the closure of Green Chile Kitchen in NoPa—I keep thinking I’ll swing by for green chile stew, a heartland taco salad, or a breakfast burrito, and then I’m like, oh yeah, that one is long gone. It’s tough to deactivate…