Hoodline reports that the former Villa Romana, which closed earlier this year after almost 60 years, has reopened as LALE. The fabulously vintage space has been completely redone, sadly, and the result is rather generic, though reportedly the enclosed back patio has been revamped, which is nice. The owner is Suzan Sarikurt, who is looking to her Turkish heritage for inspiration. The menu offers breakfast dishes like omelets and eggs Benedicts, as well as Turkish-inspired lunch options including wraps and flatbreads. They are also doing a lot of baking in-house, with many daily specials on offer. Recently, housemade English muffins and jam were on the menu. Hours are 8am-3pm daily; dinner service should be coming soon. 731 Irving St. at 9th Ave., 415-566-8814.
David Lawrence and Monetta White of ~1300 ON FILLMORE~ have a new project in the works, according to ABC license activity. Scoop reports that details are slim (there’s not even a name yet), but that a barbecue project is rumored (considering the name on file is Black Bark, it makes me hope for some brisket). We do know that the location is across the street from 1300 on Fillmore, and they hope to open in April. 1325 Fillmore St. at Ellis.
As reported last month, the Tenderloin’s BURMESE KITCHEN had to close after a landlord dispute. In an interesting turn of events, it looks like Burmese Kitchen will now be opening in the former To Hyang space, which closed earlier this year, also due to landlord issues. The Burmese Kitchen website calls the move a temporary pop-up, but they’ve also applied for a liquor license, which seems to suggest a more permanent situation. 3815 Geary Blvd. at 2nd Ave.
Here’s some very unfortunate news: it seems that the Fire Department had to pay a visit to TBD twice last Thursday. Eater reports that their fire suppression system went off during a corporate holiday party around 7pm in the evening, spraying the kitchen with foam and setting off lots of alarms. The Fire Department came and gave them the all clear, though they did have to send all the guests home. Then, around 1am, employees at AQ saw smoke coming from the building. It looks like there was a fire between TBD and neighboring De La Paz Coffee Roasters, and both buildings sustained significant fire and water damage. TBD is closed until further notice, though they hope the repairs will only take a week (though it’s a big week, with holiday parties and festivities). De La Paz is also closed, but will be roasting at Four Barrel in the meantime, so there shouldn’t be any issues with their bean distribution. 1077 Mission St. at 7th St., 415-431-1826.
This one just came through just in time for inclusion today, and it’s an inspiring one. HULI HULI HAWAIIAN GRILL is opening in Bayview early next year. The project is run by Project Bayview, a residential ministry committed to helping people in the neighborhood stay on track and building community within the neighborhood. Director Shawn Sanchez, who hails from Bayview, says they wanted to fund the ministry’s projects through work, so the idea for the restaurant was born. They’ve been working on the back garden of their building (it’s more than 100 years old), as well as the interior, and plan to open in February 2015. The food is Hawaiian-style barbecue, using high-quality meats and produce. They’ll also be offering healthful vegetarian options, including a kale salad. To keep everything accessible, they’ll keep menu prices around $8. Sanchez said that though they do have a good story, they want to be known first for their excellent food and inclusive atmosphere, and the story is secondary. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on this project’s opening! 4100 3rd St. at Hudson.
The interior of Lale. Yelp photo by Cherylynn N.
