Barbacco

Photo: courtesy of the restaurant

Despite a flurry of end-of-the-year closings, 2010 is kicking off with a number of new restaurants on the horizon (including more than a few fall openings that slid).

Barbacco: The much-delayed eno-trattoria from Perbacco finally kicked off lunch service today, with dinner service set to roll out next week. Expect a heavier focus on wines – look for over 120 options from the West Coast and Italy of which at least 50–60% will be available by the glass, taste, quartino and mezzo litro – all stored at the appropriate temperature in a state-of-the-art wine cabinet (230 California St.; 415-955-1919).

Baumé: French-born chef Bruno Chemel (formerly of Mountain View’s Chez TJ) will be opening his own place in Palo Alto on January 28, featuring a prix fixe–only format (six-, 10- and 15-course dinners plus a three-course lunch). Named after French chemist Antoine Baumé, the restaurant will showcase Chemel’s signature molecular gastronomy, accompanied by housemade juices to pair with the meals as an alternative to wine (201 S. California Ave.).

Bistro Aix (The Redux): Chef-owner Jonathan Beard closed his long-running Cow Hollow bistro last year for a total body makeover, but he promises to be back in business by the end of February with a whole new look and an affordable Provençal-Mediterranean menu that takes full advantage of a custom-built wood-burning grill and fireplace. Expect lots of reclaimed marble and old-growth redwood, plus an enclosed, heated back patio (3340 Steiner St.).

C Casa: Setting up shop in the Napa Oxbow Market space that most recently housed Rotisario, this forthcoming taqueria is slated to open in March, offering Mexican munchies – including six types of tacos, whole rotisserie chicken and handmade tortillas – which will be locally sourced and available for eat-in or takeout. The exterior wall of the space will be opened up so that guests can dine among the many farm stands that line the east side of the market (610 First St.).

Credo: Opening on January 18, this FiDi urban trattoria, backed by real estate mogul Clint Reilly, will live up to its name with wall panels depicting a panoply of “I believe” quotations from well-known folks. Milano-bred chef Mario Maggi will oversee the affordable, ingredient-driven Italian comfort-food lunch and dinner offerings, which will be served on specially commissioned one-of-a-kind tables crafted entirely from scrap wood from Holland (360 Pine St.).

Farmstead: This farm-to-table American restaurant, located on a three-acre St. Helena property owned by Long Meadow Ranch, is taking longer to harvest than previously expected, but the adjacent tasting room has already opened, and the kitchen is hoping to begin lunch and dinner service by the end of January (738 Main St.).

Heart: Promising everything you’d ever want in the Mission (wine bar, wine retail shop, curated gallery and American small-plater), this forthcoming hangout is a sit-down extension of the wildly popular Kitchenette SF, which cranks out its lunch fixings off a loading dock in Dogpatch. Food will be available to hungry diners from noon until 10 PM at communal tables and a bar (1270 Valencia St.).

Hibiscus: Another notable opening blooming in Oakland mid-month, this Uptown newcomer, located next to New Parish Music Hall, will feature the affordable Caribbean-Creole cuisine of chef Sarah Kirnon, the talent formerly behind San Francisco’s Front Porch. Dishes on the sample menu include spicy crab and grits, fried chicken and a “pepperpot stew” chock-full of oxtails and short ribs. The setting features church pew seating, recycled blown glass fixtures and a 10-seat community table, and late-night service will continue in the adjacent bar and lounge area (1745 San Pablo Ave.).

Local Mission Eatery: This mixed-use venue, slated for sometime in February, promises to offer gourmet sandwiches by day as well as evening cooking classes and twice-weekly prix fixe dinners from former Fish & Farm chef Jake des Voignes (3111 24th St.).

Mijita Taqueria: A chip off Traci Des Jardins' already successful sustainable taqueria in the Ferry Plaza, this second outpost, offering both sit-down dining and to-go options, is expected to open in part of the former Acme Chophouse space by the end of March, before the first pitch of the Giants opening game (24 Willie Mays Plaza).

Public House: The Shirley to Mijita’s Laverne, this sister act replacing the other half of Traci Des Jardins’ now-shuttered Acme Chophouse will offer an affordable, diverse pub menu running the gamut from grass-fed burgers and Buffalo wings to crab cakes and falafel when it opens this spring. Taking full advantage of its AT&T Park location, it will offer a huge selection of draft beer and cask beers, plenty of big screens and a heated patio (24 Willie Mays Plaza).

Tacolicious!: As previously reported, this brick-and-mortar outpost of restaurateur Joe Hargrave’s taco stand in Ferry Plaza is slated to open as soon as January 14, setting up shop in his now-shuttered Laïola storefront in the Marina. The menu will feature six kinds of tacos (including ones with braised short ribs and fried cod), along with several ceviches, salads and soups, all under $10, accompanied by tequila cocktails and beer. In addition. there will be a rotating roster of nightly dinner specials and a kids' menu ($7 gets tots a taco, rice, beans and an "ice-cream taco"). The space has been redone with dark cedar and local artwork. And, yes, you'll still be able to order the prix fixe, featuring a shot, a beer and a taco, for $10 (2031 Chestnut St.).

– Meesha Halm