The Chatterbox

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…

A couple of upcoming openings include TSUTA from Tokyo. I heard a rumor it was coming to SF, and Eater confirms the Michelin-starred restaurant (the first ramen restaurant to earn a star) is opening in the Metreon. Chef Onishi Yuki also has two locations in Singapore, and the Tsuta group…

Scrolling through my Facebook feed last week, I saw a departure note from chef Yoni Levy of ~OUTERLANDS~, who was at the restaurant for the past three years. He wrote a thoughtful shout-out to his crew, you can read it on Instagram here. He’s going to be spending more…

Unfortunately, I am all outta time, so here’s a quick roundup of news around the East Bay—click through for more! Charlie Hallowell is returning to work at his remaining restaurants (Pizzaiolo, Penrose) after numerous sexual harassment accusations. There’s a new soba restaurant open for lunch, SOBA ICHI,…

Last Friday, I swung by the soon-to-open KANTINE for a friends-and-family sneak peek of this Scandinavian-inspired charmer from Nichole Accettola and husband Joachim Majholm. The name is the Danish word for canteen, inspired by Accettola’s decade living in Copenhagen, and will be open for breakfast, brunch, and lunch six…

I’ve been hearing rumors that chef Robin Song has departed GIBSON, one of my favorite openings last year, and he confirmed he’s no longer involved in the project. As for what’s next, he’s going to enjoy some family time for now (he has a new daughter)…

There are some exciting new projects coming soon, starting with the revelation of what is going into the former Thai Stick on Fillmore: it’s going to be NOOSH from Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz, who have made quite a name for themselves with their Istanbul Modern pop-up series on Feastly.…

In the last issue, I reported on the departure of ~TOSCA CAFE~ chef Josh Even and manager Dana Katzakian after negotiations to take it over didn’t pan out. But it’s now a bit more clear why that didn’t happen with the new details of April Bloomfield’s…

An update on the Divisadero Corridor: the windows at CAFE ABIR have been closed since 2015, but now you’ll see them open and with people inside. The Dajani Group has moved their TSUNAMI PANHANDLE a couple doors down from its original location (at 1306 Fulton) into Abir’s corner…

Some quick service updates for you, starting with the news that CENTO OSTERIA has started lunch service, Mon-Fri 11:30am-2:30pm. Peep the menu here. Brunch is next! 100 Brannan St. at Embarcadero, 415-543-1000. Meanwhile, over in Dogpatch, BESHARAM has launched dinner service, Tue-Sat 5:30pm-10pm, which means their wine…