This week’s tablehopper: strike a pose. (free)

what’s cookin’

Hey gang! Thanks so much for all the nice notes about tablehopper’s 18th anniversary, it was so fun to read all your comments about my celebratory dinner at Zuni—it was a truly perfect night of the classics. 🍸 And Wednesday night is gonna be another parade of classics: I can’t wait to see Madonna’s Celebration Tour show! The crowd is going to be as much fun to look at as the stage, for real. WERQ.

This Thursday is the Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri wine tasting, the Italians are coming! I look forward to seeing everyone at the tasting, it’s always a lively reunion of amici. Cin cin!

Big thanks to Liam Mayclem of Foodie Chap for the mention of tablehopper’s 18th in his weekly Liam’s List, and we had a great time hanging out at the recently opened Chile Lindo Kitchen Culture. I knew as a fellow longtime San Franciscan that he’d love meeting owner Paula Tejeda (and her empanadas!) in her new, bohemian space on 16th Street. Have a listen to our chat on KCBS Radio.

I was pleased to be approached by SFGATE to contribute a section to their first-ever Best of the Bay Area contest. As an expert on dining in SF, I was asked to pick my five best spots for solo dining in San Francisco! Check out my nominations and vote for your own favorites. You can endorse my nominations or add your own from now until 11:59am on March 25th. Voting will happen later this spring.

Speaking of voting, please don’t forget to do so in the Presidential Primary Election next Tuesday March 5th, 2024. Thank you! 🗳️

In between waiting for the weekly episode of Feud: Capote vs. the Swans, I just watched Jacqueline Novak: Get on Your Knees on Netflix. It’s 90 minutes of challenging brilliance, and definitely not for everyone: it took me about 15 minutes to adjust to her rapid-fire, anxious stream of consciousness delivery and frenetic pacing on stage, but then I sunk into her 90-minute show that’s part comedy, part confessional, with plenty of literary and culture references to thrill any English majors in the audience (IYKYK). Oh yeah, and it’s (mostly) a monologue about blow jobs. (Screeeeech, what?! Yup! Ha-ha!) It’s also about coming of age, sexuality, feminism, dismantling patriarchy through the benefit of hindsight as a grown-ass woman with a microphone, and nothing since seeing I Love Dick has quite struck me the same way with its incisive feminist observations about women and sexuality. Novak is smart as hell, and I can’t imagine what it’s like to try to turn her brain off at night and go to sleep. (I hope she has some heavy indica in her life.) This New Yorker piece is a good follow-up after you’ve watched it.

One last note: I’m excited for the upcoming Rosebud Gallery, a queer art gallery and artist incubator from best friends Shannon Amitin and Cabure Bonugli. It’s opening in the Lower Polk (839 Larkin St.) on March 7th, and there’s going to be quite the party for their inaugural show. Read more in this piece in Underscore, and please donate to their fundraiser so they can get through the final stretch here.

Thank you for all the ways you show up for San Francisco’s culture creators! Mwah!
~Marcia

the chatterbox

Bettola, a Casual Italian Eatery, Is Coming to the Inner Richmond from the Owner of Montesacro and 54 Mint

Owner Gianluca Legrottaglie of 54 Mint and multiple Montesacro locations (including two in SF, plus Walnut Creek and Brooklyn) and his partner in 54 Mint and Montesacro, Jacopo Rosito, have a new project up their sleeves, and it’s not another Montesacro. Coming to the former Koja Kitchen location (which moved to 6th Avenue, FYI) on Clement Street is Bettola, a tavola calda and rosticceria (rotisserie). When Anthony Strong of Pasta Supply Co. pointed out the space to Legrottaglie, he initially thought he was going to bring a Montesacro to the Inner Richmond. But once he got the space, Legrottaglie was inspired to create something different, and he didn’t want to offer anything (like pasta) that you can already get at PSC (for obvious reasons). 

If you have lived in Italy, or traveled there as a broke backpacker, a tavola calda (“hot table”) is a budget-friendly spot for a homey lunch or dinner, and a far cry from any American cafeteria. Tasty pre-made dishes that get heated up, pizza a teglia (sheet-pan pizza) or alla pala (on a pizza peel), roasted meats, salads, and sides are usually on offer, which you can eat on-premise or bring home to reheat. When I lived in Venice, my roommate and I had a favorite tavola calda that made the best risi e bisi (rice and peas) salad, and we could get a huge portion for not too many lire. Legrottaglie remembers when he was young and growing up in Rome, when his mom didn’t want to cook, they’d head to the tavola calda to pick up some chicken and potatoes, some baked pasta, and pizza alla pala to bring back home. 

Pulling from those memories, he’s going to create a “restaurant for the people—it’s going to be the kind of restaurant you could come to five times a week!” Affordably delicious is the plan. The thing about a tavola calda is you first eat with your eyes: you see the dishes on display and then you start to decide your game plan. At Bettola, there will be rotisserie chicken (or whole cauliflower or romanesco) from the open-flame rotisserie served with two sides; pizza alla pala coming out of the pizza oven, served by the piece (trancio)—there will be a bianca or rossa pizza (like how they do it if you’ve ever been to Antico Forno Roscioli in Rome), with the option to have mozzarella or mortadella on top; baked pasta dishes, including timballo; and platters of dishes that will rotate, like insalata di riso (a room temp rice salad) and seasonal selections. There will also be sandwiches during the day. Whether you want a quick bite or want to bring home a full meal for four, this flexible and approachable format has you covered.

The name Bettola is a touch ironic, because it’s slang for a dive or a joint, a low-brow taverna where you play cards, and totally a place where Legrottaglie’s grandfather would hang out. (For the record, Gianluca would love it if people end up hanging out and playing scopa at Bettola.) The 65-seat space will be rustic with a clean style, with palazzo tile floors and handmade cabinets and furnishings. The front area will be like an enclosed patio, which has a gate that can roll up on a nice day, or down, depending upon the weather, with gas heaters to keep you comfortable at your table. Legrottaglie is designing the space himself, and shared some sketches with us (subject to change!) and sneak peek pics so we can get an idea of what’s coming.

Inside, there will be a fully exposed kitchen and another dining area. After you pay at the counter, you can find a seat at a bar/counter with bar-height seats, or at tables with a drawer where you’ll find silverware and a wine key inside (you get to open your own bottle if you order one). But don’t worry, there will be friendly staff circulating to chat you up and help with anything you need, including opening that bottle, and you can order additional items via a QR code at the table and skip the line. When it’s time to go, you just get up—the staff will clear the table for you. Wines will be affordable, and with retail sales, you can bring home a bottle at 30 percent off. (WhatNowSF was first to write about the ABC permit application.)

In addition to wine (and vermouths!) for retail sale will be culinary necessities for home: olive oil, vinegars (red, white, balsamic), flour, legumes, three kinds of salt in bulk (fino, grosso, fiore), bread, and well-sourced anchovies and tuna. Legrottaglie’s grandfather had a shop like this, a “Vini e Oli,” which isn’t quite an alimentari (grocery store). It’s just another way he wants to serve the neighborhood. Legrottaglie is in love with the Inner Richmond (“It feels like Brooklyn, it’s lively and there are always people out!”) and is aiming for a mid-April opening. I’ll keep you posted! Follow @bettolasf in the meantime. 343 Clement St. at 5th Ave.

Early to Rise Now Offering the Brunch of Your Bacon-Loving Dreams in NoPa

Currently in soft-opening mode, Early to Rise has opened the doors to its sunny corner location (previously Automat), offering a “community preview week” before the official opening this Thursday February 29th. I hopped by for brunch last Friday, their second day open, because the siren song of chef-owner Andrew McCormack’s eggs Benedict was too strong to resist (and, lucky me, I live just a block away).

I became a fan of his brunch over the past years at his pop-ups (since 2016), first to try his buzzy malt bagels, but then his eggs Benny is what got me. His impeccable Hollandaise is made with browned butter and you’re going to notice a flavor unlike any other you’ve had, and the thick-cut, house-smoked Canadian bacon is another world entirely from those emulsified hockey pucks you always see. (I also love his South Carolina roots shining in the scoop of grits on the plate.) He has been workshopping these dishes for years with his pop-up regulars, integrating their comments and feedback to make the best version of everything that he can.

I went into a bunch of details about his ethos in my exclusive preview article back in September of last year, like how he insists on making his own butter, baking his own English muffins, and smoking his own bacon. So, yes, you have to get the bacon, and soon, he’ll be selling it for you to take home (he just got his certification to do so). McCormack has brought on chef de cuisine Cesar Perez as part of his team.

You’ll notice peak season ingredients throughout the menu, like a roasted asparagus salad ($12) with charred baby onions and sorrel, and the option to add garlic pea greens to your eggs Benedict (yes!), and the samusa potato pancake ($18) is festooned with gorgeous spring ingredients, from English peas to asparagus, plus roasted carrots, scallion, tamarind, lime yogurt, and garam masala. (You can see more pics in my Instagram Reel.) McCormack’s background includes working at Jean-Georges’ eponymous flagship, The Modern in New York, and Quince, so his ingredients and technique are definitely a touch above here.

The kicky Bloody Mary ($12) made with low-proof vodka, tomato paste, house-pickled okra, and bacon is another must (the chile rim is made from the dehydrated peppers left over from making their house hot sauce). There are also sparkling wines and Champagne, beer, coffee from SIGNAL Coffee Roasters, and teas from Leland Tea Company.

The space was given a warm update from ROY Hospitality, with tobacco leather booths and banquettes, orb chandeliers, and hanging plants—I like how the colorful panels of stained glass that divide the banquettes in the center of the room echo the original stained glass designs in the tall windows. There are a few large, round marble tables that will be great for groups, and counters for solo diners.

The official opening is this Thursday February 29th, hours are Thu–Fri 8am–2pm, Sat–Sun 8am–3pm, and Mon 8am–2pm. 1801 McAllister St. at Baker.

Sextant Coffee Roasters Opens a Second Location on Valencia Street

Over the weekend, I swung by the new location of Sextant Coffee Roasters, on a busy stretch of Valencia between 16th and 17th Streets, just a few doors down from the former Arinell Pizza (the new location was first reported by Eater last year). Owner Kinani Ahmed used to live at 14th Street and Guererro with his family, and is excited to open this shop in his former neighborhood. His son, Rayankinani, who is just shy of 18, remembers running to Arinell for a slice when he was little, and now he’s going to study marketing so he can help his father with his business, one that he hopes to run someday.

Ahmed is from Ethiopia, and has been involved in coffee for 18 years. He opened the first Sextant café in 2014 in SoMa, where he roasts his coffees (the majority feature beans from Ethiopia, but not exclusively). Prior to the pandemic, he had robust business with local tech companies, who were buying his coffees for their offices and canteens, but a lot of that business dried up, so this second location in a busier part of town is his pivot.

He designed the space himself (it has a clean and airy Scandinavian-meets-Japanese aesthetic), which is going to fill up with some plants soon. There are a few high-top tables in the front where folks were already hanging out on their laptops, with some bench seating along the walls, and a couple more benches out front. You place your order yourself on the touchscreen pad at the counter. One of the walls is painted a soft, dusty rose color, plus there are some drinks to go, and shelves that will fill with more coffee paraphernalia and merch.

There are a variety of creative drinks that will be coming to the menu with housemade syrups, like a black sesame latte, but for now, I enjoyed the Frosty Gandhi, chai milk with a shot of espresso and peppermint that is like enjoying a Thin Mint with your espresso. Soft-opening hours are 8am–4pm. 539 Valencia St. at 17th St.

Quick Updates, from Special Dinners to New Projects to Brunch at Copra and Dalida (and Lunch!)

I’m thrilled to see Gilda’s Salon Dinners have returned to the SF Proper Hotel every other Friday, starting March 1st. I attended a preview back in Fall 2022, and it was so chic (be sure to take a peek at my post for a look at the vibe and experience!). The stylin’ private dining room, outfitted in custom screen-printed wallpaper, was designed by Kelly Wearstler, and features a pair of 1960s Italian chandeliers and an Art Deco cabinet with a 186-piece china collection from Eastern Europe. Swoon.

The 11-course menu (plus some surprises) features specially sourced and exclusive ingredients, and your meal may include some visits from chef Jason Fox, along with dishes like scallops and grapefruit, finished with caviar. Dinner is $220, wine pairings: $110. Reserve here. Diners are seated communally at 6:45pm, unless you book the entire 12-seat room for a private party.

Che Fico’s chef David Nayfeld and Matt Brewer will open a restaurant (something new, not another Che Fico) at the upcoming Mission Rock development in 2025. However, their upcoming pizzeria at Thrive City is due to open this year. [Via Eater]

I recently mentioned the upcoming Four Kings restaurant coming to Chinatown, and they just announced the opening is on March 14th (Pi Day—will this mean they’ll have a scallion pancake?). 710 Commercial St. at Kearny.

Tenderheart Closes at the LINE Hotel

We just covered the opening of Dark Bar from Danny Louie and Joe Hou at the LINE in last week’s column, and now we’re sharing the unfortunate news that Tenderheart restaurant has (temporarily) closed. They will have more details to share on what’s next in the next couple of months. Hou’s American-Asian dishes were so inventive and delicious, and I know his “royale…with cheese” burger will be missed, but you can still enjoy it upstairs in the jaw-dropping Rise Over Run, among many other delicious bar bites (that rooftop bar is beautiful). Stand by for what’s next. LINE is located in a challenging part of town, but I find the hotel’s many offerings to be quite destination-worthy. 970 Market St. at Turk. 

Evil Eye Hosts Famed Baja-Style Pop-Up Ahead of Brick-and-Mortar Debut

by Savannah Leone Bundy

Chicano Nuevo—the acclaimed pop-up from Abraham Nuñez, known around the City for its impeccable tamal negro—is taking residency at Evil Eye in the Mission on Sundays and Mondays, from now until March 25th. The monthlong appearance is in order to secure the final round of funding for Chicano Nuevo’s brick-and-mortar restaurant set to open at 3355 Mission Street—which happens to be the home of the original Emmy’s Spaghetti Shack and the very first Chicano Nuevo pop-up back in 2016. 

The menu is short and sweet, and features Ensenada-style Mexican dishes, like Baja fish tacos (battered whitefish, Baja crema, red cabbage, pickled red onions, cotija, heirloom blue corn tortillas, house salmon consomé; 2/$18); potato rolled taquitos (Yukon gold potatoes, vegan butter, fresh oregano, epazoté, crispy tortilla, Baja crema, mixed lettuces, herb salad, cotija, salsa roja; 4/$15); and, of course, the iconic tamal negro, filled with sherry-braised beef tongue, medium cheddar and smoked Gouda cheeses, and pickled peppers (Baja crema, pickled white onions, marigolds, and house-charred salsa negra; $22).

There’s also the house guac with chips and salsa ($11), and for the sweet tooth, chilled winter citrus and chamoy (Cara cara orange, Mellogold grapefruit, blood orange, house seasonal chamoy, toasted herbs, salted plum maldon; $9) and a house choco-taco (caramel waffle cookie, Mitchell’s ice cream, salted pistachio, dark chocolate; $9).

Chicano Nuevo is serving Sun 3pm–9pm and Mon 5pm–10pm, until March 25th. Evil Eye, 2937 Mission at 25th St.

the sponsor

Curd Alert: Taste, Learn, and Celebrate Cheese at the California Artisan Cheese Festival!

Tickets are now on sale now for California’s premier cheese festival, the 18th annual California Artisan Cheese Festival, March 22nd–24th, 2024. Make a weekend of it with three days of cheese-centric events, including limited seating pairing seminars with cheese pros like Laura Werlin and Tracey Shepos Cenami, and there’s even an aperitif and cheese pairing seminar, with tinned fish, vermouth, gildas, and more! Seminars 3 and 5 are filling up, FYI! 

Don’t miss the Cheese Crawl at The Barlow, and, of course, the grand finale Artisan Cheese Tasting and Marketplace on Sunday at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa, with over 100 different cheeses for you to sample.    

The three-day Festival brings together California’s premier cheesemakers and offers cheese enthusiasts of all experience levels an unparalleled opportunity to taste and purchase new, limited production, and rare artisan cheeses, as well as meet with and sample products from Bay Area farmers, chefs, brewers, winemakers, distillers, and artisan food purveyors. You can also read this recent Edible East Bay story that features CACF participants!

the lush

It’s Amaro Time Once Again at Bar 821

the archivist