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News for Restaurants in San Francisco
August 2017 Archive

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Want to know who's doing what in your city? Gayot has the restaurant news you want to read on openings, closings, special events, and more. Learn everything you need to know about the restaurants in San Francisco here.

RESTAURANT NEWS

Openings

Now open in Berkeley is Donato & Co., a collaboration from chef Donato Scotti (Donato Enoteca, CRU, Desco) and chef Gianluca Guglielmi (A.G. Ferrari), located in the former Advocate space in the Elmwood District. Featuring house-made pastas, vegetarian dishes, locally sourced seafood and rotisserie and grilled meats, the restaurant promises to be a major player on the high-end Italian scene, for both the East Bay and greater Bay Area. With chef Scotti also comes a top-tier beverage program, including small-batch wines and spirits, and imported European coffees. The restaurant inherits the state-of-the-art Meyer Sound acoustics of The Advocate, creating an "ideal aural environment" for tête-à-tête and group dining. Donato & Co., 2635 Ashby Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705, 510-838-1131.
 
Chef Ron Siegel has opened solo project Madcap in San Anselmo Big news in Marin County -- chef Ron Siegel (The Western RoomMichael Mina, The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton) has opened solo project Madcap in San Anselmo. The dining room is intimate; the offerings include Siegel's famed New American and Japanese-influenced tasting menus as well as a la carte dishes made with locally-grown and raised organic products, with a strong focus on vegetables. The restaurant is now taking reservations. Madcap, 198 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., San Anselmo, CA 94960, 415-453-9898.
 
Continuous long lines of excited ramen enthusiasts have marked the opening of Ippudo in downtown Berkeley. The famous Japanese import's first West Coast location (it has shops in New York City) features the restaurant's signature rich tonkotsu broth and thin hand-cut noodles, cooked to spec. The full menu can be found here. Lunch & Dinner daily. Ippudo, 2015 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94704, 510-666-8807.
 
Park Cafe Group (Dolores Park Cafe, Precita Park Cafe, Duboce Park Cafe) will open a fourth location on the Emeryville/North Oakland border in the former Actual Cafe space on August 17, 2017. The new Paradise Park Cafe (named for the surrounding neighborhood) will serve Equator Coffee drinks, local craft beers, wines and cocktails. Expect a fresh, organic juice bar as well. Food will include organic, California café fare such as vegan breakfast burritos, grass-fed burgers, quinoa burgers, salads, sandwiches and a full range of choices for those with dietary restrictions. There will also be a kids’ menu. Local artists will keep the space decorated with murals and changing exhibitions. Look for chef pop-ups in the coming months. Paradise Park Cafe, 6334 San Pablo Ave., Emeryville, CA 94608, 510-756-3131.
 
Shinmai has opened in Oakland Now open in Oakland's Uptown neighborhood is Shinmai, a Japanese izakaya and ramen restaurant featuring executive chef Jerrod Doss (Aziza, Chez TJ, The French Laundry). On offer are the traditional array of izakaya small plates (including a raw menu) meant to pair with drinks, as well as signature bowls of tonkatsu and miso ramen. Beverage consultant is Adam Stemmler. Shinmai, 1825 San Pablo Ave., Oakland, CA 94612, 510-271-1888.
 
The Village Bakery is a project from the Bacchus Management Group (Spruce, The Village Pub, The Saratoga). Replacing the former Woodside Bakery & Cafe, the new venture looks to provide simple, elegant American café food at an approachable price point. The Village Bakery, 3052 Woodside Rd., Woodside, CA 94062, 650-851-5555.
 

News Bytes

Chef David Kinch and his Manresa team will travel from Los Gatos to France Manresa's Fall French Residency
Chef David Kinch and his team will travel from Los Gatos to France this fall to stage at three of the finest restaurants in that country as part of Manresa's 15th birthday celebration. The "residency" program, in collaboration with Relais & Châteaux, will see Kinch and his staff join the kitchen of Paris's Taillevent for two nights of collaborative cooking, followed by Provence's L'Oustau de Baumaniere and Marseille's Le Petit Nice. Visit here for reservations for dinner at Taillevent on September 28 or 29. Dinner reservations for L'Oustau, October 4, will eventually be available here, and lunch or dinner reservations for Le Petit Nice on October 6 can be made by contacting [email protected]. Manresa, 320 Village Lane, Los Gatos, CA 95030, 408-354-4330.
 
A Summer of Change for Local Breweries
The current uptick in popularity of small-batch, local, craft brewing in the Bay Area has coincided with the news that three of the region's biggest names have sold. In May, Petaluma's famed Lagunitas Brewery announced its complete sale to Heineken (it had sold a 50 percent stake to the large Dutch company in 2015). Then, at the start of August, America's oldest craft brewery Anchor Brewing, based in San Francisco since 1896, announced it had been taken over by Japanese company Sapporo. Most recently, Magnolia Brewing was purchased by New Belgium for $2.7 million. Magnolia's brewing operations, its Magnolia Gastropub & Brewery on Haight Street and barbecue restaurant Smokestack will remain in operation, with former owner Dave McLean remaining as an employee of the company.
 
Buffalo Theory Celebrates One Year
Polk Street's Buffalo Theory will throw a little one-year birthday party for itself this month, with complimentary passed appetizers August 8-9 from 5 p.m.-7 p.m., and a Sudwerk Sour Night on August 10, co-hosted by Davis' Sudwerk Brewing Company. Buffalo Theory continues to playfully evolve under executive chef Tim Luym, and now features 41 craft beers and draft wines on tap. Buffalo Theory, 1735 Polk St., San Francisco, CA 94109, 415-829-8226.
 

Chef Shuffle

Check back soon for more news.

Closings

Opened by Los Angeles restaurateur Yuji Tsunoda in 2000, Chaya Brasserie on the Embarcadero has shuttered permanently after 17 years of French-Japanese glitz. Chaya Brasserie, 132 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94105, no phone.
 
Over-the-top Italian chain restaurant Buca di Beppo has closed its San Francisco location. Nearby options for loyal fans of the brand include Buca di Beppos in San Jose, Palo Alto and Sacramento. Buca di Beppo, 855 Howard St., San Francisco, CA 94103, no phone.
 
The Restaurant at Ventana in Big Sur will re-open in Fall 2017 as Sur House. The hotel will also unveil a new name: Ventana Big Sur, an Alila Resort. The Restaurant at Ventana, Ventana Big Sur, 48123 Hwy. 1, Big Sur, CA 93920, 831-667-2331.
 
A high-end French takeout favorite for Berkeley and Oakland locals since 2002, Gregoire has shuttered its Piedmont Avenue location in Oakland to focus on its flagship Berkeley store at 2109 Cedar St. (510-883-1893). Gregoire, 4001 Piedmont Ave., Oakland, CA 94611, no phone.
 
Lark Creek Walnut Creek closed abruptly on July 21, after a long tenure. The location was the former Lark Creek Group's second restaurant, with the first – Larkspur's Lark Creek Inn – opened in 1989. (All Lark Creek-associated properties became part of the Moana Group in 2015.) Lark Creek Walnut Creek, 1360 Locust St., Walnut Creek, CA 94596, 925-256-1234.
 

CULINARY EVENTS
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