The Chatterbox

Opening today (April 3rd) is SUNDAY AT THE MUSEUM, a new café at the Asian Art Museum, with fried chicken master Deuki Hong (Sunday Bird, previously Baekjeong in New York) once again partnering with Andrew Chau and Bin Chen of Boba Guys (they host his Sunday Bird window in the…

You fellow fans of all things caffeinated will have some new options to get your buzz on, starting with the opening of a location of SoCal’s KLATCH COFFEE in SF’s Mission. Owner Mike Perry sources coffee from around the world, and their accolades include an award-winning espresso at…

A few fun things to go with our sunny, springlike weather. First, STEAP TEA BAR is collaborating with HoneyPot Hemp CBD on a new beverage, The Green Queen, a matcha mint lemonade sweetened with 10mg of hemp-derived CBD. (You won’t feel any psychotropic effects—although it may help you…

The iconic UC Berkeley hangout, HENRY’S, located in the former Hotel Durant (recently renovated into the Graduate Berkeley) is getting quite the new culinary team and concept. Chris Kronner (of KronnerBurger fame) is getting some support from Tartine Bakery (Kronner used to be a chef at Bar Tartine) and…

A couple of weeks ago, on a Monday night, I was thrilled to host another special chefs-only dinner in The Family Meal series I started back in 2014. The very first dinner was an after-hours spaghettata at Locanda in conjunction with Sosh, and then we did a follow-up Oceanic Treasure…

“Che fico!” It’s a phrase I remember saying quite a bit when I lived in Italy, which basically translates into “how cool!” or “badass!” And it’s pretty much the reaction I’m having to this pretty cool project opening just a block away from my place called, suitably,…

TRULY MEDITERRANEAN has been holding it down at 16th Street and Valencia since 1992, and now they have opened a second location in Mission Bay, also on 16th Street. You can order their trademark halal lamb or chicken shawarma (wraps, plates), kebabs, falafel, combo plates, and more. Plus you’ll…

UPDATE: THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT! Calling all dumpling lovers! (That would be most of us.) The ladies behind Rice Paper Scissors are hosting a pop-up this Thursday March 29th, called Rice Paper Dumpling House. They are offering a big range of handmade dumplings, from boiled pork tapioca dumplings (bánh…

I’ve got some upcoming projects for ya, starting with FIFTH ARROW, opening this May below the upcoming August Hall in Union Square. Fifth Arrow is going to be a cocktail, dining, and gaming parlor with three bowling lanes—it was originally a 1930s Prohibition speakeasy. (It takes its name…

Saturday evening, I was home in bed and watching in horror on Twitter as a four-alarm fire in North Beach tore through the 650 block of Union Street, primarily the building at 659 Union (between Powell and Columbus). Amazingly no one was injured, and it ends up the majority of…