New Restaurants
New Nightspots
| Name |
Address |
City |
Phone |
| Homestead |
2301 Folsom St. |
San Francisco |
415-282-4663 |
| Rockit Room |
406 Clement St. |
San Francisco |
415-387-6344 |
Coming Soon
Beard Papa's
Custom-filled cream puffs will be the draw at this forthcoming branch of a popular Japanese dessert cafe (with locations in NY and LA) that's slated to open this month at 99 Yerba Buena Lane.
Bong Su
Tamarine's Anne Le and Tammy Huynh will bring their vision of refined contemporary Vietnamese cuisine to San Francisco's South of Market area (311 Third St.) in April; small plates and communal tables will foster the Vietnamese tradition of the family-style meal.
Divino
The Italian duo behind Noe Valley's Bacco is opening a second Italian venue in Belmont (968 Ralston Ave.); fans of Bacco's daily-changing, housemade risotto and gnocchi won't be disappointed as the menu will showcase similar signature items.
Escape from Mecca
Mecca defectors Stephen Barber (former chef) and Gene Tartaglia (a former owner) are reuniting with other crew members to open this all-American restaurant in Napa's Bel Air Plaza shopping center (Highway 29 and Tracas St.) in early summer; the menu will feature Memphis-style BBQ and seasonal Napa Valley ingredients, served in a setting designed by, not surprisingly, Mecca designer Stephen Brady.
Mantra
This fine-dining restaurant in Palo Alto (632 Emerson St.), slated to open later this month in the space that was once Stoa, will showcase Indian-influenced Californian cuisine crafted by chef Robert Ciborowski, who previously worked at The French Laundry and various Ritz-Carlton restaurants.
Perbacco
Former Scala's Bistro chef Staffan Terje will resurface in the Financial District this summer when he opens this Italian eatery in the space that formerly housed the Gold Coast (230 California St.).
Prana
Jamie Lauren has left Levende to head up the kitchen of this forthcoming restaurant and nightclub at 540 Howard Street. The moderately priced Indian fusion fare will merge Lauren's French cooking technique and propensity for seasonal, organic products.
Salt House
The triumvirate behind Town Hall – brothers Steven and Mitchell Rosenthal and their partner Doug Washington – is planning this informal, modern-day tavern (slated to open at 545 Mission Street in early summer) modeled after England's gastro-pubs that will showcase high-quality ingredients and service in relaxed environs. The regularly changing menu will lean toward American-style seafood, and include updated classics like a burger on a pretzel-dough bun.
Good Deals and Other News
Budo
Napa's avant-garde highflier recently closed but will reopen in March with a new name and a more approachable New American menu; former Budo chef James McDevitt has sold his share in the venture.
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Husband-and-wife chef team Quinn and Karen Hatfield have left this Downtown small plateria for the sunnier climes of LA, where they intend to open the eponymous Hatfield in West Hollywood. Longtime underlings at Cortez have been promoted to replace them.
Desiree Café
Owner Anne Gingrass has closed this casual Presidio daytime cafe but fear not – the Hawthorne Lane founding chef expects to return to her fine-dining roots later this year with an intimate French-Vietnamese venture.
The Mission's bargain-basement Middle Eastern rotisserie chicken joint has opened a more formal dining room next door (20 29th St.) with items such as roasted leg of lamb on its menu.
Chef Ron Boyd (last seen at Domaine Chandon) is now the top toque at this Union Square riff on Paris' La Coupole.
Miss Millie's
Noe Valley's brunch phenomenon has served its last pumpkin bread pudding; however, owner Gary Rizzo plans to relocate his Miss Millie's concept to Oakland's Rockridge district (5912 College Ave.) in the spring.
Now that he's taken over as general manager of Niebaum-Coppola Winery's Rubicon Estate, Larry Stone – partner, wine director and soul of this Financial Distict institution – has turned over the day-to-day reins to sommelier Kyle Boatwright.
Sydney's
Owner John Hurley has yet again morphed his Presidio Heights restaurant. Gone is Sydney's, and in its place are two new separate restaurants: California Street Delicatessen & Café, a New York–style Jewish deli (see "New Restaurants" above for more details), and, opening later this month, (415) Asian Restaurant and Lounge, a Pan-Asian eatery. (Look for more information on (415) in the March ZagatWire.)
- Angkor Wat
- Budo
- Desiree Café
- Miss Millie's
- Sydney's