This week’s tablehopper: high gear. (free)

what’s cookin’

Howdy, gang! Greetings from my party-producing bunker, where things are full freaking throttle, because this Sunday April 14th (4pm–7pm) is A Bohemian Sunday at the Savoy Tivoli: A Renewal Party from tablehopper. Tickets for supporting subscribers are almost gone, so we won’t be able to release any GA tickets for this event. (No tickets at the door, this is a private event.) Today is likely the last day to become a supporting subscriber and be able to get a ticket to the party, which is going to be one for the books!

I wanted to share a quick party update with you since supporting subscribers have been getting allll the details (membership has its privileges, LOL): there will be antipasti provided by Lettieri & Co. (I had so much fun picking out some incredible salumi and cheeses, generously sliced up by our friends at Il Casaro), craft made-in-SF cocktails (plus n/a options!) from West Bev Consulting (including a Venetian Spritz, courtesy of Montenegro’s Select; a Boothby, with local Hotaling & Co.’s Old Potrero whiskey; a Tommy’s Margarita—gracias, El Tesoro tequila; a Cunningham, featuring Highland Park whisky; we’re paying homage to Daniel Hyatt with his Southern Exposure with No. 3 Gin; plus two non-alcoholic cocktails, thanks to Free Spirits).

I have shared a bit about the entertainment (Dottie Lux and Stanley Frank), but we’ve added performers Paige Turner and Amoura Teese as part of our queer burlesque 👠 and singer lineup! The prizes benefiting North Beach Citizens are super swell (including tickets to Dear San Francisco, the grand tasting at Healdsburg Wine and Food Experience, gift certificates to Tony Gemignani’s North Beach businesses, and more)! Artist Paul Gallo will be doing fashion portraits for donors at certain levels (trust, you want one!). The crowd is going to be outrageously fun. We are gonna raise the roof. I can’t wait!

Now is definitely the time to upgrade to a Patron or Super Patron level! You’ll enjoy a special VIP hour an hour early (at 3pm), with luxe pours from Laurent-Perrier Champagne and Domaine Carneros sparkling wine, top-shelf Highland Park whisky drams and blinged ice from Camper English (Alcademics), Tsar Nicoulai caviar and culinary treats, and a gift bag (and a guaranteed +1 spot). There’s also a special announcement happening at 3:45pm. 😎 I can send you the VIP ticket code once you upgrade!

Since this party has taken over my life (it’s a big one, we’re hosting 235 guests!), it’s why this week’s column is posting a day late and some updates are more like a cheat sheet compared to last week’s deep-dive pieces on Fisch & Flore and Broad Street Oyster Company. Just trying to stay afloat over here. I also don’t have time to edit this thing down, so you get a complete newsletter today! 🎊

Next week, I’m going to be absolutely fried after the event, so there won’t be a tablehopper dispatch on April 16th. Instead, I’m going to be decompressing and heading up to Mendocino for a Cannescape glamping getaway in honor of 4/20 at Mendocino Grove! There will be an infused dinner from Chopped 420 Champion Solomon Johnson (I actually worked on that show as a cannabis consultant!), beverage bars hosted by the delightful Jamie Evans, wellness workshops, hiking, and hanging out. Can’t wait to hit the sauna. If this sounds like your kind of hellavated getaway, use code CANNESCAPE100 for $100 off the overnight experience. Yay, weed camp!

Just a reminder, I hope you’re out there checking out all the San Francisco Restaurant Week deals for lunch and dinner, running through Sunday April 14th!

Either I will see you in person Sunday for a kiss-kiss and cin-cin, or will be back in your inbox in a couple weeks on the 23rd (with news and pics from the new Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement opening in the Fillmore on April 19th)! MWAH!

XO 💋
~Marcia

the chatterbox

One of SF’s Biggest Food Projects Opens This Thursday: Saluhall

Last Friday evening, I bopped by the new Saluhall (Swedish for food hall) for a friends-and-family preview before their grand opening this Thursday April 11th at 11:30am. This massive project (23,000 square feet over two stories!) is part of Ingka Centres’ (IKEA’s parent company) mixed-use concept the Meeting Place, just next to the newly opened IKEA on Market Street. It’s the first Saluhall in North America, co-created and operated by KERB, and they plan to open more globally.

But this isn’t a Nordic food hall with the famed IKEA meatballs—instead, there’s a mix of local food vendors serving international styles of food, along with some Scandifornian and Scandinavian-influenced American offerings, cocktails, beer and wine, n/a drinks, and more. While the focus is primarily on serving plant-forward and plant-based dishes throughout the hall, which is a pretty visionary overall concept (those Swedes, so sustainable), but you’ll still find some meat in a few dishes.

The ground floor is 100 percent house-run, with Smörgåsland, an all-day bakery-restaurant developed and consulted on by Copenhagen-based Claus Meyer & ko (with some Danes in house!), with housemade breads and pastries (try the cardamom bun), smørrebrød (Danish open-faced tartines on rye, including a locally inspired crab Louie version with asparagus) or regular sandwiches (chicken, tofu, or pastrami-spice beetroot), and seasonal soups and salads. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be offered.

The baking team is behind the extraordinary bun they developed for the Burgare Bar, which is vegan and uses plant-based butter and JUST Egg wash. They’re using Beyond Meat patties that they’ve tweaked for the burger and cheeseburger (I just want a harder sear on the patty), and then there’s the Smørrebun, an open-faced situation with vegan roe, applewood-smoked cheeze, fennel slaw, crispy onion, and seaweed. You can get fries with fresh herb “forest salt” or fried maitakes (Salunuggets), and can finish with a cone or cup of plant-based soft-serve from Snöberg with some creative toppings. 

There’s also the Lagom Bar (which means “not too much, not too little”), with fresh and fruity low-ABV drinks (I really enjoyed the Scandifornian Spritz, with Aperol, aquavit, cherry, lemon, soda), radlers, n/a drinks, and an array of Fort Point beers, including their collab Saluhall Nordic-style lager.  

There’s a variety of seating at tables, booths, counters, and bars, 200 seats in all. There are all kinds of clean Scandinavian design touches, with a spacious and airy feeling, and I dug the ’70s color palette. The illuminated symbols they use for each concept/stand are playful and groovy too.

Upstairs is the cooking school/skola (also developed by Claus Meyer & ko) for team-building corporate events, as well as helping non-profits and local kids’ programs—they’re planning to partner with Tenderloin and SoMa schools on cooking classes and after-school programs. Classes will focus on plant-forward cooking, sustainable sourcing, baking (including how to make bread), and more. 

There are five local businesses with kiosks upstairs, including a new home for La Venganza, an Oakland vegan taqueria known for their quite incredible versions of plant-based carnitas made with king oyster mushrooms and “carne” seitan asada on La Finca tortillas, and Casa Borinqueña, a vegan Puerto Rican restaurant that recently closed and is now open here (love their vegan beef pastelillos). Another business that found a new home is Kayma Algerian Eatery, formerly in the La Cocina Municipal Marketplace, serving their homey vegan harrita stew and Algerian desserts, too. Such great comeback opportunities for these businesses! There’s also Curry Up Now (with their deconstructed samosas) and MOMO Noodle (dry-style Sichuan noodle dishes). I’ll be posting a Reel on @tablehopper with my food pics from the preview soon.

You can sidle up to the Punsch Bar, named after the traditional Swedish drink, with cocktails that are a bit more refined and higher alcohol than downstairs, plus wine (including Broc Cellars and Revel Wine) and beer. Just next to it is Sauna bar, a private bar setting for events or spillover for busy nights—it will be great for cocktail classes, tastings, and 20-person gatherings.

There are 300 seats upstairs, and there will be an event and entertainment space designed to host live music, talks, and community gatherings. A fun component to the overall experience is the really upbeat playlist, I dug the music selections. Your food will come out on a tray, but a nice touch is that you eat on actual plates with real silverware, instead of disposables. The staff was also incredibly warm and kind, another big differentiator with this food hall concept. They are hiring almost half their staff through the SF Office of Economic & Workforce Development (OEWD) program for disadvantaged populations. 

It’s very uplifting to see such an ambitious, well-designed, locally-minded, and forward-thinking project open in Mid-Market. Ian Dodds, a co-founder of KERB, says, “We believe in the value of local, independent business and good food—creative, delicious, bold, fun food—to activate public spaces and encourage people to take a positive role in the development of their city—we’ve had that experience time and again in our work in London. We are eager to contribute to the revitalization of mid-Market and be part of building some positivity around the area. We want to be less about the doom loop and more about the cinnamon swirl.” Amen. Check it out!

Bakery and café: Wed–Sun 8am–10pm; bars, burger bar, local restaurateurs, soft serve: Wed–Sun 11am–10pm. 945 Market St. at 5th St. 

The Portola District Gets a New Restaurant and Bar

I received a note from Chris Lawrence (who built and designed The Sea Star in Dogpatch and built and operated Southern Pacific Brewing) about his new bar and restaurant, Out the Road, which just opened in the old FDR space in the Portola district. He tells me the name refers to San Bruno Avenue and the Garden District being the last stop out of San Francisco (before the 101 was built) when it was a rural farming and cattle area. Lawrence lives with his family on the southeastern side of the city, and wanted to create a neighborhood spot with quality food and cocktails for this underserved area. 

He had to navigate quite a bit of permit hell (for six months!) before he could even begin construction. The space is full of natural light, with lots of clean lines, and a bar designed and built by Snake Craft. There will be future expansion to a back patio, and they can reserve tables for 6-plus, as well as host private events/parties.

Chef Josh DeClerq (currently head chef at Heirloom Cafe, previously lead at Delfina and Foreign Cinema) is helping with the menu and kitchen consulting. They’re offering an approachable and family-friendly menu with fried cauliflower or maitake mushrooms, a few sandwiches, a burger, and pizzas that sail out of their Pizzamaster oven in six minutes (the menu is on their site). All are welcome, whether you’re at a bar stool, or your kid is in a high chair. Bartenders Deborah Gamble-McConihe and Rich Pazderka will be serving cocktails, beer, and wine. Open Wed–Thu 5pm–11pm, Fri–Sat 11:30am–11pm, Sun 11:30am–9pm. 2636 San Bruno Ave. at Burrows.

Bellaria Is Back!

After navigating through some snags, pastry chef Luis Villavelazquez will be reopening his Bellaria project on Sunday April 14th at 10am! Bellaria will offer café service in the morning with breakfast pastries like scones, biscuits, croissants, cookies, and some light brunch fare, including stinging nettles focaccia with soft-poached egg, rose geranium couscous with rhubarb and strawberries, and a soufflé egg sandwich until noon.

Bellaria will then transition into being a dessert café and roll out their dessert menu from noon until 4pm, with six or so à la carte items, and a special tasting menu (take a look and reserve for this Sunday or the 21st!). The experience starts with a few savory snacks, complimentary sparking beverages, and a two-piece box of chocolates to enjoy. It’s a seasonal bounty of treats and flavors!

The plan is to be open every Sunday moving forward from 10am–4pm. Once they’re able to staff up, they will be able to open earlier and stay open later, and add Friday and Saturday service. One thing (and treat) at a time. 442 Hyde St. at O’Farrell.

Quick Tips

Did you know Woodhouse Fish Co. is celebrating 15 years on Fillmore, and they’re offering $15 lobster rolls all month long?! What a gift! Limit is two rolls per person. 1914 Fillmore St. at Bush.

A tablehopper reader let me know there’s a new OSHA Thai that opened on Montgomery and Bush, love to see it. Check out their menu of soups, curries, noodles, salads, and more. Open daily 11am–9pm. 250 Montgomery St. at Bush.

A tablehopper tipster noted there’s a new owner of North Beach’s former Grumpy’s (previously Rick Howard and George Karas), a longtime dive bar and pub that dates back to 1980, which was such an advertising agency hangout in the ’90s! The new licensee is none other than Eric Passetti, who is behind multiple bar projects in the city, including the recently opened and faaabulous Zhuzh Bar, as well as Harlan Records, Café Terminus, House of Shields, and Natoma Cabana. My tipster let me know Grumpy’s has been closed since the pandemic and was gutted, so we’ll just have to see what Mr. Passetti has in store for the space. I contacted him but didn’t hear back in time for this piece. 125 Vallejo St. at Front.

Closures and Unexpected Moves

After opening in 2021, the swanky Estiatorio Ornos from Michael Mina is closing after service on April 11th. Sadly, things seemed to slip a bit over there compared to how it was going when it first opened, but I’m going to miss those coral booths. Eater reports Mina Group is not renewing their lease for the space, where Michael Mina has deep roots—he was a line cook under George Morrone when it was Aqua (back in 1991), eventually becoming executive chef-owner in 1993, and then he opened his eponymous restaurant there in 2010. That block was refreshingly busy with Tadich Grill, Perbacco, and Ornos all next to each other—a much-needed pocket of activity in the FiDi. 252 California St. at Battery.

I was so surprised with the news that Hing Lung, aka Go Duck Yourself, decided to close their Chinatown shop, a beloved outpost for their epic Cantonese barbecue, after 43 years. Family partner Eric Cheung said in a post on Instagram: “Our decision to move comes after careful deliberation, primarily due to the hazardous conditions of our current building and our landlord’s reluctance to address them, along with extorting us with increased rent. With safety being our utmost priority, we believe this move is necessary for the well-being of our team and customers.” 

In an interesting twist, the Chronicle reports they will be reopening in the former Meraki Market at 927 Post Street in June, so cool! But, it’s obviously a big change for their Chinatown customers. 

But wait, there’s more! In the meantime, their new Go Duck Yourself dine-in restaurant and shop in Bernal Heights is starting their takeout and delivery today, April 10th! Wow, they are moving fast. The dining room will open when the team settles in. More on all that soon! 439 Cortland Ave. at Wool.

After 16-plus years in the Mission, The Monk’s Kettle SF is closing this summer and relocating to Rockridge this fall (to 5484 College Avenue, in the former Citron). Owner Christian Albertson is pleased to be opening in a larger space in an excellent neighborhood with a large back deck (and there’s that better weather over there); you can read his reflections on their 16-year-run and business in SF here. They anticipate being open through June, and will be running a series of specials, events, and cellar sales, with weekly specials of dishes from the past 16 years with vintage beers. Stand by for updates on timing. Cheers to a great run, and new beginnings! 3141 16th St. at Albion.

Over in Oakland, Lion Dance Cafe announced the impending closure of their groundbreaking vegan restaurant on April 27th, citing family reasons. Oh, meow. Go enjoy the flavor-packed cooking and hospitality from chefs C-Y Chia and Shane Stanbridge while you can. Best wishes to them. 380 17th St., Oakland.

The Tragic Passing of Chef Stephen Simmons

I was so sorry to start seeing the news of the sudden death of Bay Area chef Stephen Simmons start showing up in my email and on Facebook; he died unexpectedly of a heart attack on April 28th. You can read his obituary here—he was known for being so kind and talented, and you can read notes of remembrance from friends and colleagues here.

Simmons was most recently chef de cuisine of Michelin-recognized Birch & Rye. He was a consulting chef-partner at Full Plate Consulting with Joan Simon, who wrote to me, “Stephen was one of the few Black chefs to make it into the upper echelons back when the Bay Area food scene was exploding. One Market is paying him a special tribute by serving one of the dishes he created when he was opening chef de cuisine there.”

In an In Memoriam posted on One Market’s site, they mention, “Stephen teamed with founders Michael Dellar and Bradley Ogden as opening chef of both The Lark Creek Inn (1989) and One Market Restaurant (1993), after serving as Executive Sous Chef at Campton Place Restaurant in San Francisco and Chef of The Casa Madrona Hotel in Sausalito….From April 8-12, we honor Stephen by serving his famous Ham Hock Ravioli, a dish he prepared for the 30th Anniversary of One Market Restaurant on February 16, 2023.” They also posted the recipe, so thoughtful.

Stephen is survived by his three children, Alexander, Liliana, and Kaleb. There is a GoFundMe to help support his family and memorial expenses. Simon also tells me the family has authorized her to share the news, and industry people can contact her at about a memorial gathering to be held in the summer. Condolences to his family and wide circle of friends and many colleagues.

Passover Meals You Won’t Want to Pass Up

by Savannah Leone Bundy

Passover is just a few weeks away (Monday April 22nd to April 30th), and we’ve got a few local faves offering up traditional and semi-traditional meals that celebrate modern and Old World classics…

From Monday April 22nd–Friday April 26th and Monday April 29th–Tuesday April 30th, One Market is serving a three-course Passover lunch and dinner menu. The $59/person meal (half price and portion for kids) features matzo ball soup, smoked beef brisket (onion jus, asparagus, snap peas, baby turnips), and flourless chocolate cake—with a latke and applesauce supplement for an additional $13.95. And, as always, One Market’s extensive wine selection and signature cocktails will be available throughout the day. 11:30am–8pm. 1 Market St. at Steuart. 

Throughout Passover week, Delfina’s rotating menu will offer dishes that honor American and Italian Jewish tradition (note that they’re not all necessarily kosher—Delfina celebrates Jewish and “Jew-ish” culture). With à la carte options ranging from Stoll Family matzo ball soup, to brisket and beef tongue bollito misto, to pastrami-cured gravlax with kosher dills and crème fraȋche—guests should be in for quite the treat. There’s even going to be an edible Seder plate (the Seder plate is traditionally used as a symbolic representation of the Passover story, and not eaten) with lamb osso buco, egg salad, haroset (they change their recipe every year), matzo from The Matzo Project in Brooklyn, herb salad, and salt water gelatina. Reservations can be made here. Monday April 22nd–Monday April 29th. 3621 18th St. at Guerrero.

Perbacco is offering a four-course menu for $73/person (cocktails and kosher wine pairings will also be available, though not included in the prix-fixe price) on Wednesday April 24th. The Jewish-inspired Italian meal features family-style antipasti (eggplant caponata; chicken liver with schmaltz, hard-boiled egg, and matzo; and asparagus); choice of matzo ball or potato-leek soup; entrée options of brisket (beef jus, horseradish), roast chicken (orange, lemon, ginger), or halibut (tomato, rhubarb, olives); family-style sides (broccolini, olive oil-whipped mashed potatoes, and braised artichokes; and hazelnut sponge cake and strawberries with zabaglione for dessert. Reservations can be made here. 230 California at Front St.

the lush

Have We Met Before? Reintroducing an SF Rye Whiskey on a Significant Day to the City.

When I was coming up with my cocktail wishlist for my upcoming party, A Bohemian Sunday at the Savoy Tivoli: A Renewal Party from tablehopper, I wanted to focus on cocktails that originated here, and the first one I thought of is the Boothby! I adore this cocktail, which is basically a Manhattan with a Champagne float, two of my favorite things to drink on this blessed planet together in one coupe. It came into miraculous being around 1910 at the Palace Hotel, thanks to bartender William “Cocktail” Boothby, who was quite the character and obviously a man of great taste. I love serving this cocktail at parties, because there will definitely be a bottle of sparkling wine open.

When I was thinking of sponsors for my event’s made-in-SF cocktails, the obvious choice was Old Potrero Hotaling’s Whiskey from local distiller Hotaling & Co. (previously Anchor Distilling Company). Established in 1993, Hotaling & Co. is credited with bringing back copper-pot distilling to gin and rye whiskey within the U.S. with the creation of Junipero Gin and Old Potrero Rye Whiskey (released in 1996).

Finding inspiration in the rye whiskeys of America’s past and the great single malt whiskeys of Scotland, Anchor Distilling Company founder Fritz Maytag gathered a small team to begin top-secret research and experimentation in the distillery. The first whiskey went into barrel in 1994, and the distillery soon began producing three rye whiskeys under Fritz’s guidance, all pot-distilled spirit from a mash of 100 percent malted rye. 

Back in 2006, they released Hotaling’s Old Potrero 11-Year-Old Whiskey to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1906 earthquake, and on April 18th, 2024, Hotaling & Co. is reintroducing its namesake whiskey, Old Potrero Hotaling’s 16-Year-Old Whiskey, to toast San Francisco’s resilience and pioneering spirit on the 118^th anniversary of the great San Francisco earthquake and fire.

I wanted to share this historical backgrounder in the press release with you because it’s a story every San Franciscan should know: “In 1906, earthquake, fire, and dynamite ravaged San Francisco, claiming 28,188 buildings and an incalculable number of lives. After the disaster, several clergymen asserted that the catastrophe had been divine retribution, visited upon the City by the Bay for its sinful ways. Thanks to the pluck and ingenuity of its staff, the San Francisco fire department, and the Navy, A. P. Hotaling & Co.’s Jackson Street whiskey warehouse survived. And so, “while millions of dollars worth of normally non-inflammable material was reduced to ashes,” the Argonaut observed, thousands of “barrels of highly inflammable whisky were preserved intact in the heart of the tremendous holocaust.”

After the fire, UC Berkeley professor Jerome B. Landfield bumped into Stanford grad Charles K. Field. “He accompanied me to Berkeley,” Landfield recalled, “And I put him up at the Faculty Club for the night. As we walked down the station on our way back to San Francisco, Field asked me for a blank piece of paper on which to write. I handed him a used envelope.” On the back, he penned these lines: 

“If, as they say, God spanked the town 
For being over frisky, 
Why did He burn the churches down
And save Hotaling’s whiskey?”

Ha! The best. Indeed! And now, some details about this special release: Old Potrero Hotaling’s 16-Year-Old Whiskey is pot-distilled from a mash of 100 percent malted rye and aged for 16 years in once-used charred oak barrels. It’s distilled in a small copper pot still at the Hotaling & Co. Distillery on San Francisco’s Potrero Hill. Cheers to our city’s resilience (and to the vision of Anchor Distilling Company founder Fritz Maytag)! 

Celebrate Art and Amaro

Another locally made spirit brand I love is Brucato Amaro, which is hosting an event at Luce Restaurant on Sunday April 21st. Join local artist Elliot C. Nathan and Sierra Clark (co-founder of Brucato Amaro) for an evening of hand-crafted cocktails and hors d’oeuvres by chef Dennis Efthymiou, paired with each Brucato Amaro expression. The restaurant space will be transformed into a small gallery to exhibit some of Elliott’s current work. Clark will guide guests through the three amaro expressions—Chaparral, Orchards, Woodlands—which are all hand-crafted using local produce and botanicals found in California. Tickets are $95 per person and available via Tock. 888 Howard St. at 5th St.

the archivist

I wanted to share the original book cover that inspired the flyer for my event (many thanks to my friend Sasha Wizansky for re-crafting it!): Bohemian Eats of San Francisco, a restaurant guidebook by Jack L. and Hazel Blair Dodd, from 1925. It’s a delightful little book with illustrations (some racy!) and reviews of bygone SF establishments, including Coppa’s (which we covered a couple weeks ago in the archivist), Julius’ Castle, and Paul Denis’ La Boheme. I wish I could take some pictures of the inside pages to share with you, but it’s just too fragile! 🥂