Starting in mid-August, the technorati can Google-map their way to a new Mountain View branch of uWink, the SoCal restaurant started by Atari founder Nolan Bushnell. Orders are placed via touch-screen terminals that double as real-time, multiplayer games like “Truth or Dare” and trivia (diners can play against their tablemates or against everyone at the restaurant). Not geeky enough for ya? At the touch of a button, the kid-friendly, American comfort-food menu can be translated into eight different languages (401 Castro St., Mountain View).
Also in mid-August, Bay Café TV personality Joey Altman will be resurrecting his popular late-’80s SF spot, Miss Pearl’s Jam House, across the bay in Jack London Square’s Waterfront Hotel. He’s brought on executive chef Robert Barker (formerly of Bambara in Salt Lake City) to oversee an island-themed menu that features highlights from the original location – crispy catfish fingers, black-eyed pea fritters – and new dishes such as Mini Skirts with Nice Buns (skirt steak sliders). The interior will be reminiscent of a grand mansion on a tropical island, replete with ceiling fans, palm trees and curio-filled cabinets, and will also include an ocean-inspired bar top and a wood oven for roasting fish and meats (1 Broadway Ave.).