News for Restaurants in San Francisco December 2016 Archive Search / Openings / Closings / Chef Shuffle / News Bytes / Sign up for our free, monthly newsletter / News Archive 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 SingleThread Farm - Restaurant - Inn in Healdsburg showcases the prodigious cooking and farming talents of Kyle and Katina Connaughton, respectively. SingleThread Farm - Restaurant - Inn, 131 North St., Healdsburg, CA 95448, 707-723-4646.   Covering two stories and 10,000 square feet in San Francisco's modern South of Market district, Coin-Op is a new "design-driven arcade bar" and restaurant from the Sporting Fraternity, Inc. hospitality group based in San Diego (The Lion's Share, Coin-Op San Diego and Sacramento). The nostalgic space was designed by local team sfHeimat, founded by Alicia Lichtenstein and Eva Bradley. Food from executive chef Mark Bolton includes comfort favorites such as burgers, wood-fired pizzas and chicken and waffles, as well as seasonal bar bites to share. The venue features several distinct bar areas, including a Tron-themed speakeasy, and a huge selection of vintage arcade games to go with its menu of craft cocktails and beers. Coin-Op, 508 4th St., San Francisco, CA 94107, no phone.   Los Angeles-based fast-casual chain Lemonade has opened in San Francisco's West Portal neighborhood, adding to a growing empire that includes 27 California locations, including six new outposts in the Bay Area in 2016. The West Portal venue features abundant wood and natural light. The restaurant's signature, cafeteria-style counter service provides guests with flavorful, "vegetable-centric" mains and sides as well as desserts and beverages that are fresh, seasonal and California-inspired. Lunch & Dinner daily. Lemonade, 16 W. Portal Ave., San Francisco, CA 94127, 415-329-5111.   Chef Ryan Scott of Top Chef fame has opened a new restaurant on Market Street in the Castro. Called Finn Town, the venue is modeled on the classic American tavern, with a nod to San Francisco’s history during the Gold Rush. Finn Town, 2251 Market St., San Francisco, CA 94114, 415-626-3466.   Chef Dominique Crenn is working on a new project in the Marina District: Bar Crenn. The adventurous chef made a name for herself in San Francisco with Atelier Crenn, one of GAYOT's 2016 Top 40 Restaurants in the U.S. She also owns Petit Crenn, a more casual restaurant featuring cuisine reminiscent of her native Brittany. Bar Crenn, 3131 Fillmore St., San Francisco, CA 94123, no phone.   Bacchus Management Group (Spruce, The Village Pub) has opened The Saratoga at 1000 Larkin in the Tenderloin. The restaurant and bar showcases the group's signature touch of vintage glamour, with library shelves and mohair walls offset by brick and steel accents and period art. Food evokes an early-1900s rustic sophistication, including dishes such as dry-aged Flannery New York steak au poivre and chicken paillard, and more playful fare like a high-end burger and hot dog plates from chef de cuisine Jason Wittek. Brandon Clements oversees the bar and cocktail program, which is heavy on Chartreuse, Pimm's, Fernet and Benedictine, as well as bourbon, Scotch and rye. Look for the Boothby Bowl cocktails for groups. The Saratoga, 1000 Larkin St., San Francisco, CA 94109, 415-932-6464.   News Bytes Ijji Serves Only Omakase Joining a growing number of omakase-only Japanese sushi restaurants, 15-seat Ijji on Divisadero Street, opened in early 2016, has changed its menu to feature an exclusive, 19-course menu per night ($135 per person, exclusive of beverage, tax and gratuity). Chefs and co-owners Billy Kong (Saru Sushi) and Kua Chuang (Seiya) source ninety percent of Ijji's fish from Japan. Seven of the restaurant's seats are along the sushi bar, eight are at tables. Beverages include saké, wine and beer. Dinner Wed.-Sun.. Ijji, 252 Divisadero St., San Francisco, CA 94117, 415-658-7388.   Chef Shuffle After nearly a year of what was a sweet experiment in combined venues, Ron Siegel will depart Rancho Nicasio in the tiny Marin County village of Nicasio at the end of the year. The chef left the bustle and commute of working in San Francisco to spend more time with his family, and took over a portion --- Western Room --- of the otherwise home-style Rancho Nicasio for his own high level of cuisine. The project gave the venue a split personality, with a shared kitchen and two separate staffs, and after a year of this "leap of faith" both Siegel and Rancho Nicasio owner Bob Brown have decided it's time to part amicably and for Siegel to find his own Marin County restaurant. Western Room, 1 Old Rancheria Rd., Nicasio, CA 94946, 415-662-2219.   Closings First Crush restaurant and wine bar near Union Square has closed. The two-tiered restaurant on Cyril Magnin was first opened by Frank Klein in 1998, and was a consistent, wine-focused go-to for locals and travelers for the duration of its run. First Crush, 101 Cyril Magnin St., San Francisco, CA 94102, no phone.   This will be the last year for Berkeley's Cafe Rouge, which will close on December 30, 2016. The Fourth Street restaurant and butcher shop's in-house meat program set the standard when it opened 20 years ago for whole butchery, charcuterie and local, heritage meats. Locals will also miss its fine raw bar. Cafe Rouge, 1782 Fourth St., Berkeley, CA 94710, 510-525-1440.   Range in the Mission District will close after dinner service (and a farewell party) December 31, 2016. The Valencia Street restaurant opened in 2005 and immediately gained a chic following for its upscale-yet-inviting interior, flavorful cocktails and seasonal American cuisine. It will be missed by many, but according to various sources, husband-and-wife co-owners Phil and Cameron West will open something new shortly in the same location. Range, 842 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA 94110, 415-282-8283.   Petit, Parisian-style bistro Le Zinc has closed after 15 years in Noe Valley. From their website, "We hope everyone in the neighborhood finds another place to cherish and create great memories...Merci." Le Zinc, 4063 24th St., San Francisco, CA 94114, no phone.   After nine years of brisk business, Ozumo sushi restaurant in Oakland closed with a "kampai" goodbye dinner party November 19, 2016. The San Francisco location of Ozumo remains open. Ozumo, 2251 Broadway Ave., Oakland, CA 94612, no phone.   Stylish Mexican enclave La Urbana closed abruptly on November 16, 2016. The restaurant opened in September 2013. No word yet on what will fill the available space. La Urbana, 661 Divisadero St., San Francisco, CA 94117, no phone.   CULINARY EVENTS Want to learn to cook? Try new dishes? Meet a foodie friend for fun? Check out our compilation of culinary events in your area. View our calendar of Wine Dinners & Tastings in San Francisco Discover the top restaurants in the San Francisco/Bay Area for various cuisines and categories like sushi, steakhouses, happy hours, romantic dining and even gourmet food trucks. Find the best restaurants in SF here!

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