Scott Peterson and Ted Wilson of FINE & RARE are opening their very own brick-and-mortar location in July. Scoop caught the news and notes that the space they are moving into is actually the home of the former Stars (and Maestro). As you may recall, Empire Room took over the building’s bar space, and now Fine & Rare is moving into the adjoining café/kitchen location.
The café seats 35 and will serve sandwiches, salads, and soups in a casual setting. You’ll order at the counter, and can then take your food to go or sit in the dining room. As has been the case at their stall in The Hall and their Off the Grid appearances, all ingredients are seasonal and locally sourced. On the menu, look for the wild king salmon pastrami Reuben, as well as a “San Francisco cheesesteak” with grass-fed bavette steak, Fiscalini cheddar, and chimichurri sauce. The plan is to open on Wednesday July 15th, and hours will be lunch Mon-Fri 11am-3pm and dinner Mon-Fri 5pm-9pm. After 9pm, patrons at The Empire Room will be able to order a selection of small bites too. Their Off the Grid appearances will continue. 555 Golden Gate Ave. at Van Ness.
As reported on tablehopper earlier this month, Michael Mina took over the Café Claude Marina space with plans to turn it into a sort of incubator concept. Well, details have emerged: it’s called MINA TEST KITCHEN and will serve as a place for Mina Group chefs to experiment with new techniques and explore cooking styles from around the world. The first pop-up dinners have been announced, from Mina himself and chef Adam Sobel.
The series is called Middle’terrenea and is all about the food Mina (who was born in Egypt) and Sobel grew up eating. The multicourse dinners will be served family-style Wednesday through Saturday, beginning Thursday July 23rd. Tickets are $45 per person, and optional beverage pairings will be available. For updates on when tickets become available and more, follow along on Twitter or join the mailing list here. 2120 Greenwich St. at Fillmore.
The future home of Fine & Rare. Photo courtesy of Fine & Rare.
