what’s cookin’
Hello hello! I hope you all had a relaxing holiday week—it looks like a bunch of folks left town and restaurants took a break, gotta love a midweek holiday on a Thursday. I enjoyed a much-needed downshift and staycation after a fabulous PRIDE weekend of dancing and parties, which included an alfresco dinner on the patio at Fisch & Flore (click for my fave dishes to get), a Salvadoran feast on the patio at Popoca in Oakland, staying cool at the counter at Union Larder, a beach walk, family time, lots of sleeping in, and keeping Fortuna calm while people set off fireworks and explosives in my neighborhood for three nights (enough with the M-80s, I swear to goddess).
Great news: I didn’t have to deal with getting my electrical upgraded in my apartment last week after all—I appreciate all of you who wrote in with comments on my shituation. Thanks to your guidance and input, I’m not going to let my landlord do the work unless he does it the legal way: with a permit and a certified electrician. Now, making that happen will be another entire fandango to deal with, but at least it will be done the right way and the safe way, eventually.
Back to fun things: this Friday July 12th, I’m going to take Pops out to lunch and then we’re heading to Crissy Field to watch the Frecce Tricolori (Italian Air Force aerobatic display team) fly over SF between 2pm–3pm. (The Consulate General of Italy is holding a gathering at 1:30pm at Veteran Overlook.) Get ready for a major display of green, white, and red!
Calling all canna 👄 fans: on Friday evening, my friend The Herb Somm is throwing a Cloud 9 Disco party (with ONA.life) at SHACK15 to celebrate the launch of her new book, the High Times Cocktails Book. Author Jamie Evans will host an infused beverage bar (featuring recipes from her book), and there will be infused treats, disco beats, and a great lineup of sponsors and guests.
This weekend is packed with food events. Saturday evening is SF Magazine’s 23rd annual Best of the Bay Celebration (check out the food, spirits, and wine lineup, which includes AKIKOS, Luce, Spruce, Highland Park, and Old Potrero) at The Conservatory at One Sansome. This year, they’re partnering with It All Starts Here, and it’s also a benefit for the V Foundation for Cancer Research. tablehopper subscribers get 25 percent off all tickets (VIP or GA) with code Tablehopper25off.
This Sunday is Bastille Day, and it’s also the Foodwise Summer Bash, a walk-around tasting featuring restaurants like Copra, Dalida, Friends & Family Bar, Komaaj, Popi’s Oysterette, and many more, plus spirits, wine, and beverages (see more below, including a discount code on tickets!). The online auction is live, check out and bid on some of the great items! Hope to see you there, tickets are moving!
One quick favor: if you could please take a moment to vote for tablehopper’s editorial assistant Savannah Leone Bundy in the Favorite Chef contest, we would really appreciate it! Every vote helps get her closer to winning, and you can vote once a day if you’re feeling like a superstar. Go Savannah go!
I have a bunch of special menus and events for you this week. Would love to see you out and about! Say hi! 🥂
~Marcia
the chatterbox
A Two-Level French Bistrobar Has Opened Downtown
Newly open downtown (as of July 8th) is Le Parc Bistrobar from Bruno Chemel, in the former Gaspar Brasserie. Chef Chemel—who had two Michelin stars for eight years at his previous project Baumé in Palo Alto—is offering an approachable French bistro menu here. You can begin your dinner with salmon tartare, escargots, charcuterie, chicken liver pâté, onion tart, a seasonal corn soup, or a couple salads, and then decide upon classics like steamed mussels, sole meunière, grilled bavette steak or prime sirloin with frites and béarnaise sauce, and braised oxtails. There’s also a decadent Angus beef burger on a brioche roll (with the option to add cheddar, a Jidori egg, or avocado for $3), with curry aioli and fries. Dessert includes classics like chocolate mousse, crème brûlée, floating island, and peach Melba (did you know it’s a French dessert, created by Escoffier?).
The 130-seat restaurant was always quite handsome, with classic brasserie style (dark wood and brass accents, pressed tin ceiling treatments, red tufted leather upholstered bench seating) on two levels, and bars on each level—you can come by for a classic cocktail and an extensive range of apéro, Pineau des Charentes, and Lillet options, as well as chartreuse and animal-themed cocktails (Noah would approve)—it’s ambitious! Also of note: the prices on the wines by the glass are also shockingly affordable. Like, a bottle of water will cost you more. But happy hour begins July 15th from 3pm–5pm, so salud! Dinner Mon–Thu 5pm–9:30pm, Fri–Sat 5pm–10pm. Weekday lunch coming this fall. 185 Sutter St. at Kearny.
Summertime Vibes at a New Ceviche and Michelada Bar in Bayview
Over in Bayview, Sco’s (as in mariscos, I am assuming) just opened in the former Bloomstock Coffee, a street-style counter serving ceviches and micheladas (including Corona, Pacifico, or a 40 oz. of Miller High Life, the Champagne of Beers, oh yeahhh). I reached out to Ross Rayala (former owner of Bloomstock and a partner in Sco’s) but didn’t hear back in time—I will just have to check it out soon and report back. Open Mon–Sat 8am–5pm and Sun 11am–6pm. 1730 Yosemite Ave. at Mendell.
Let Them Eat Celebration Cake!
Back in June, I broke the news about the upcoming Knees Up Cakery, a new business that is all about over-the-top celebration cakes. Founders and married couple Laura and Sean Myles just went live with their website, and you can now preorder a celebration cake for pick-up or delivery on July 25th! Will it be The Madonna (wait until you see the accent colors), or Zodiac? Raspberry buttercream or chocolate? Add ribbons? Go wild.
Since this is a new business that would love to meet you, they have kindly offered tablehopper readers a 10 percent discount with code TABLEHOPPER10. You can use the onetime discount code for orders placed before July 31st. Celebrate! Eat cake!
Sequels: Ushi Taro Ramen, Joyride Pizza, and The Epicurean Trader
Over the July 4th holiday, a standalone/flagship location of Joyride Pizza opened at Pier 1 by the Ferry Building, slanging their array of Detroit-style pizzas with crispy edges, which includes well-executed vegan and gluten-free options, and a new thin-crust version, plus salads, tater tot combos, a new breakfast menu, buffalo milk soft-serve, cocktails, spritzes, wine, and beer. Eater has details about the expanded menu and concept here. Open Sun–Wed 10am–9pm and Thu–Sat 10am–10pm. Pier 1.
The Epicurean Trader just opened their Castro location (their fifth!), which is a combination café and market like their other locations in Hayes Valley, the Ferry Building, and Cow Hollow. Swing by for espresso drinks, smoothies, pastries, bagels, and their popular breakfast sandwiches during the morning; panini, European-style baguette sandwiches, empanadas, and salads for lunch; and tapas-style bites in the evenings, with cheese platters, spritz cocktails, and wine. This is their largest location, with room for about 15 inside, and a double parklet outside, with seats for 25 or so (it’s sheltered and heated, so they want you to be comfortable while enjoying your wine and snacks).
The market side of the store is a similar format to their other locations, where they focus on small-batch producers from across the globe for their well-curated selection of craft spirits and beers, wine, and cheeses. You can also find freshly baked bread, giftware, cards, and flower bouquets—it’s a great spot to pick up last-minute gifts, and picnic and party supplies. (This location will also offer free local delivery on any orders over $50 via TETDelivery.com). Owner Mat Pond tells me they are excited to be open and will evolve as they see what the neighborhood wants and needs. Open daily 6:30am–9pm. 2240 Market St. at Sanchez.
Two New Projects from A16 (and Friends) in Oakland and Napa
Shelley Lindgren and the A16 team have been busy bees (per usual): on Monday July 8th, they just opened A16 Pizzeria at the Oakland Airport (no, I’m not calling it San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport)—their kiosk was supposed to open in May 2020, but we all know what happened over the past few years. It has a dome Marra Forni wood-fired pizza oven, so you can choose from five Neapolitan pizzas before your flight (or bring one home after you land).
They’re serving breakfast through dinner: you can pick up a few kinds of breakfast items (including a breakfast pizza!), as well as panini similar to La Pala (made on focaccia from baker Giovanni Liguoro at Poesia Cafe), lots of salads, pinzimonio, cannoli, and biscotti from True Delicious in Petaluma. They also have Tansy wine by the glass, two beers on tap, and espresso drinks. (High Flying Foods is their airport project partner.) Gate 8 at Terminal 1.
Soft-opening late next week in Downtown Napa is Apero Wine & Spritz Bar, from Samantha Sheehan (of POE wines and Mommenpop citrus aperitifs) and Shelley Lindgren and Kitty Oestlien of Tansy Wine (Tansy is a women-run winery that was a Covid startup to help restaurants, and now they’re on their fourth vintage).
Apero is designed to be a refreshing tasting room, with flights, glasses, and bottles of spritzes and low-alcohol wines (from POE and Tansy). Everything is organic and all women-made! You can enjoy small bites from A16 (think housemade taralli, pinzimonio, olives) along with a pesto bar, featuring five kinds of pesto (including fennel, pistachio, or artichoke), served with crackers and focaccia. Open late next week for walk-ins, and Apero will be live on Tock soon. You can easily bounce around to Oenotri and Cadet, it’s a new Napa triangle! 920 Franklin St. at 2nd St., Napa.
Le Marais Opens Newest Addition in Larkspur: Buvette du Marais
by Savannah Leone Bundy
Le Marais Bakery just opened their newest project, Buvette du Marais in Marin Country Mart. The highly anticipated café and wine bar was slated to open last year, but faced several permitting challenges. It has now soft-launched with a variety of pastries, quiches, an extensive array of sweet and savory crêpes, egg dishes (including omelettes and Benedicts), croques, salads, sandwiches, and La Colombe coffee options daily from 8am–3pm. At the end of the month, the operation will expand to include dinner service.
In celebration of the launch—and Bastille Day—Buvette will be hosting a grand opening party this Sunday July 14th. From 8am–1pm, there will be a live performance from French chanteuse and guitarist Laura Louise, along with croissant and crêpe tastings, complimentary Champagne tastings from Planet Wine, and chocolate espresso Bellini tastings from La Colombe from 1pm–2pm. The whole affair will be decked out in French décor with flags and swag for attendees. Open daily 8am–3pm. 2257 Larkspur Landing Cir. at Lincoln Village Cir., Larkspur.
A note from Marcia: this Sunday is also The French Market Marin, an outdoor vintage and antique market in San Rafael! 9am–3pm. Make a (Bastille) Day of it!
Special Shellfish Menus, Pop-Ups, and Expanded Service
A couple weeks ago, I was invited to a preview of the new Softshell Series at Boulevard, a four-course menu that is quite crabby and designed to celebrate soft-shell crab season, hurrah. It will be offered every Thursday in July and August, starting this Thursday July 11th!
We started with Dungeness crab cioppino toast (so clever!), followed by a decadent “crabonara” made with Santa Barbara box crab, coral mushrooms, and guanciale. The main event was a spectacular course of Maryland soft-shell crab amandine—it was a brilliant dish: the crisp and browned almond exterior contained the juicy and succulent crab, crowned with dollops of Meyer lemon aioli. Hubba hubba. Mind you, these were not tiny, tasting menu portions—it was quite a substantial dinner, which is why I opted for the refreshing melon and stone fruit dessert, but there is also the option of Guanaja chocolate cake with cocoa nib ice cream and whiskey milk glacé.
You can see more images of the meal in my post on @tablehopper and see the whole shebang. The menu is $119 (everyone at the table must participate). I recommend the wine pairing for $55—wine director John Lancaster has included some unique pairings, including a tocai friulano that I just loved. Reservations for the Soft Shell Series can be made at reservations@boulevardrestaurant.com and on OpenTable.
One more note: The Vault Steakhouse is now open on Mondays. Come by for $10 martinis and Manhattans during happy hour in their piano lounge, or now you have a Monday spot for any client dinners. 555 California St. at Kearny.
Oh heyyyy, chef Eric Huang of Pecking House in Brooklyn is back serving his famed Sichuan chili fried chicken at Lord Stanley for the month of July! (If you follow @tablehopper on Instagram, you already know how I feel about this chicken.) He will also be experimenting with a special Cali-only menu inspired by his time in California. Dine-in and pick-up options are available all day (12pm–8:30pm) through July 27th. Reservations for dine in available here, order for pick-up here. 2065 Polk St. at Broadway.
Brenda’s Meat & Three Launches $5 Breakfast Sandwiches
We all know too well how expensive it is to eat out these days, so when I see someone purposefully offering a screamin’ deal, I gotta signal boost it. Thank you to chef-owner Brenda Buenviaje of Brenda’s Meat & Three on Divisadero, who just launched a badass breakfast sandwich special: you can choose from five sandwiches, and they’re just $5 each. Whut. Way to feed the people!
Served Monday through Friday (8am–11am), you can get the Basic B (fried egg, bacon, American cheese, tomato slice, butter-toasted roll), High on Hog (smoky ham, fried egg, ham jam, American cheese, tomato slice, butter-toasted roll), Messy Mess (runny egg, fried chicken cutlet, devil dip, American cheese, chipotle remoulade, tomato slice, butter-toasted roll), Pillow Queen (a vegetarian fluffy scramble that was almost like an egg salad, with succotash and white cheddar, chipotle remoulade, tomato slice, butter-toasted roll), and the HBIC (ham, bacon, and pimento cheese scramble with scallion and bread & butter jalapeños, butter-toasted roll).
I’ve been working my way through the breakfast sandwich menu over the past couple weeks (you can view my Reel with all of them here), and while Pillow Queen wins hands down for the best name, my favorites were...
The buns are nice and fluffy, the fried eggs are served runny, and my sole quibble is I’d like to see better tomatoes. You can get sides of small potato hash, small grits, a single plain beignet, or a cup o’ Joe for $1.99 with your order.
Limit five sandwiches per person. They aren’t on their takeout menu yet, so if you don’t see them listed, you can call and place your order if you’re doing takeout at 415-926-8657 (yup, someone picks up!). It’s a dangerous blessing to have Brenda’s Meat & Three just around the corner from me.
I also want to do a shoutout for Brenda’s meat and three deal at suppertime. For $25, you can get a plate of three pieces of their famed fried chicken, and your choice of three hefty portions of sides.
So, if you’re trying to stretch your dollar (and your waistband, ha), Brenda’s Meat & Three is ready to feed you a substantial supper. I forever love the counter you can post up at (awww, it always brings up memories of Blue Jay Cafe—they kept half of the horseshoe counter here). 919 Divisadero St. at McAllister.
Closures Around the Bay Include Barrel Head Brewhouse
After 10 years of brewing and serving craft beer (and pub food and cocktails), Barrel Head Brewhouse in Nopa has announced their upcoming closure on Saturday July 13th. I remember when owner Ivan Hopkinson gave tablehopper a sneak peek of the space back in 2013; it’s a shame to see this neighborhood brewpub on the corner of Fulton and Masonic going dark. Come by for a final pint (or cans to go), they’d love to see the community for their final week. You can read their farewell note here (thanks to Lisa B. for the heads up). 1785 Fulton St. at Masonic.
Sunset Squares Pizza, known for their sourdough “Detroitish” square pizza with creative toppings (woof, Bulldog!), has shut down their operation in Mid-Market, but chef Dennis Lee’s Sunset Squares Slices at 553 Divisadero remains open. (Their post mentions pixlcat coffee will remain open in the 59 9th Street location.)
Across the Bay, chef-owner Fernay McPherson of Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement has announced the upcoming closure of her Public Market Emeryville kiosk on Sunday July 28th. Minnie Bell’s originally opened as a pop-up at The Public Market Emeryville in 2018, and it was so successful that Minnie Bell’s became a permanent kiosk at the food hall, which it has called home for the last six years. But with the opening of Minnie Bell’s full-service San Francisco restaurant in April, McPherson “want[s] my team to focus all our efforts on the Fillmore restaurant.” It has been a longtime dream for this third-generation Fillmore resident to open a restaurant in her hometown neighborhood, so be sure to show up and support her business—her rosemary fried chicken cannot be missed. McPherson adds, “I’m so grateful to The Public Market Emeryville for taking a chance on me six years ago. The experience developed me as a chef and entrepreneur and was an invaluable stepping stone in my journey.” The SF location (at 1375 Fillmore Street) is open Tue–Thu 4pm–9pm and Fri–Sat 4pm–10pm.
the sponsor
Savor, Sip, and Party at Foodwise Summer Bash This Sunday July 14th!
Celebrate our local food and farm community at the freshest party of the season, Foodwise Summer Bash, at the Ferry Building on Sunday July 14th. Feast on unlimited food and drink from 48 beloved Bay Area restaurants, pop-ups, and beverage makers, featuring peak-summer produce from the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.
From the sunny plaza to the gorgeous Grand Hall, enjoy an epic walk-around tasting featuring Copra, Dalida, Lunette, Minnie Bell’s, 7 Adams, and many more. Savor Hadeem’s Strange Flavor Style-Fig, Chili Crisp, Tahini, and Sweet Herbs; My Friend Fernando's Corn Puff with Grilled Corn, Corn Espuma, and Salmon Roe; Norte54’s Tres Leches with Cherry Hibiscus Compote; and other hyper-seasonal delights. Proceeds support Foodwise’s farmers markets, food access initiatives, and education programs. See the full lineup.
5:30pm–8pm. Indoor/outdoor event at the San Francisco Ferry Building (Embarcadero & Market St.), 21 and up. Tickets: $170; take $15 off with promo code TABLEHOPPER.
the socialite
More Ways to Celebrate National Caviar Day
National Caviar Day has really become a thang! The actual day is Thursday July 18th, when restaurants all over town will be offering special menus and add-ons (bumps for everyone!), and there are a couple big events happening on Saturday July 20th as well. I recently posted about Tsar Nicoulai’s 40th anniversary event at the Ferry Building from 4:30pm–7pm, and you can do a double header and attend The Caviar Co.’s extravagant, Studio 54-themed party at Saint Joseph’s Arts Society later that evening (7pm–10pm). They’ll be serving over 40 pounds of caviar, with canapés by Bay Area chefs (including A16, Hadeem, Norcina), and an open bar featuring Champagne, wine, and beer, and martinis from St. George Spirits. There will be an LED dance floor, DJs, Studio 54–themed acts (will Bianca Jagger come in on a white horse?), and more. GA tickets: $275; visit nationalcaviarday.co to purchase tickets and view VIP options. 1401 Howard St. at 10th St.
If you’re in Marin, The Caviar Co. is hosting a caviar crawl in Tiburon this Sunday July 16th (12pm–4pm), with a variety of caviar bumps, bubbles, bites, and exclusive discounts at 15 locations on Main Street, including The Caviar Co. Champagne Lounge at 46A Main Street. Visit nationalcaviarday.co to purchase crawl passes for $195.
