If you come to North Beach icon DA FLORA, you won’t be seeing owner Flora Gaspar on the floor anymore—after opening it in 1994, she has sold the restaurant to her chef, Jen McMahon, and McMahon’s husband, Darren Lacy. Scoop reports she just turned 60 and it sounds like she wants to ease up and focus on her new shop just next door, Rialto Mercato, which we told you about at Christmastime. Don’t expect much to change (except maybe some more reservation-less folks will be let in—Flora was notorious for her watchdog stance at the door), and she will still be doing the wine list for Da Flora. 701 Columbus Ave. at Filbert, 415-981-4664.
Lunch deal alert: ~MICHAEL MINA~, ~RN74~, and PABU are offering a three-course lunch deal for $35 all summer long called Out to Lunch. Check out the menus here: Michael Mina, RN74, and Pabu.
One more note from Mina land: the latest pop-up concept at MINA TEST KITCHEN is International Smoke, which Mina is collaborating on with cookbook author Ayesha Curry (The Seasoned Life: Food, Family, Faith, and the Joy of Eating Well, and yes, she’s Steph Curry’s wife), featuring “the lighter side of barbecue, grilled, and smoked meats—with flavors from all around the world and fresh seasonal produce.” Here’s the menu. All dishes will be served family style; tickets are $45 for the four-course menu, and additional courses (like binchotan barbecue lobster) will be available for a supplemental price. Reservations are now available for tables starting Saturday June 4th. Open Wed-Sat. 2120 Greenwich St. at Fillmore St., 415-310-8371.
Also on the lunch circuit: THE TREASURY in the FiDi has started serving lunch, and not just cocktails and bites in the evening. You can get a chopped salad with blue cheese and Madrange ham, or a grain salad dressed with coconut curry vinaigrette, plus a pork banh mi with sambal aioli or a tuna melt with albacore confit and Roncevaux cheese. Served Mon-Fri 11:30am-2:30pm, and the full bar opens at 3pm in case you want to make your Friday lunch a late one. 200 Bush St. at Sansome.
Are you over pancakes and everything with an egg on top for brunch? Then check out The Brunch Pre-Game, a new event series brought to you by Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters. This weekend (Saturday June 4th and Sunday June 5th), you’ll get to enjoy two kinds of Wrecking Ball’s coffee in their SoMa microroastery space, along with a duo of toasts and a “breakfast salad” made by two local pastry chefs (Krista Allvey and Kari Shaughnessy).
Should be a fun and communal dining experience. 9am-11:30am. Tickets ($18) and more info here—and they’re even making a donation to Seven Tepees Youth Program.
The inimitable and Venetian-inspired dining room at Da Flora. Photo: © tablehopper.com.
