News for Restaurants in San Francisco October 2013 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 Executive chef Grace Nguyen's (Slanted Door, Out the Door) fast-casual concept eatery Asian Box has opened a third location in San Francisco's Union Square, located in the high-end food court in the cellar of Macy's department store. The branch joins outposts in Palo Alto and Mountain View, and more are expected to open in Los Angeles before close of 2013. Lunch & Dinner daily. Asian Box, Macy's Union Square, 170 O'Farrell St., San Francisco, CA 94102, 415-288-3688.   Downtown favorite French bistro Cafe Claude has a new sister restaurant on Greenwich Street in the Marina District. Cafe Claude Marina opened September 18, 2013, providing the neighborhood around Lombard Street with an intimate, 49-seat restaurant evocative of old world French glamour, with antique tin ceilings, vintage chandeliers and other design details sourced from France. Cuisine from chef Doug DeGeeter (Cetrella, Chez TJ) is traditional bistro-style and composed from locally-sourced ingredients, including some crossover dishes from the original Cafe Claude such as steak tartare and soupe a l'oignon. Cafe Claude Marina's beverage program includes a short list of low-alcohol apéritif cocktails as well as a wine list focused on the Loire Valley and a good beer selection. The restaurant is the fourth for owner Franck LeClerc, who also owns Gitane, Claudine and the original Cafe Claude. Dinner Tues.-Sun. Cafe Claude Marina, 2120 Greenwich St., San Francisco, CA 94123, 415-375-9550.   News Bytes SpoonRocket Launches Well-intentioned Berkeley start-up company SpoonRocket is hoping to transform food delivery one meal at a time, beginning with the Bay Area. The service provides members with $6 gourmet meals made fresh and delivered within 15 minutes of order. Delivery is free and available from 11 a.m.-4 a.m., and choices are limited to two healthful options per day --- one for herbivores, one for omnivores. The company currently delivers to Berkeley and Emeryville, and will launch service to the Oakland area beginning November 1. Visit www.spoonrocket.com for details.   Michael Mina Launches Wine Club & Online Boutique Restaurateur Michael Mina has a new online wine boutique and club, offering members international selections from among Mina's restaurants and their notable lists. Offerings are chosen by Mina Group sommeliers, led by wine director Rajat Parr. Michael Mina Wine Club members will receive four shipments of six cuvees per year at two price points --- "hidden gems" at $120 per shipment, and "wines of consequence" at $300 a shipment. Along with expert curation, amenities will include recipes to accompany wines, tasting notes, winery stories and other features included in shipments, as well as a newsletter, opportunities for wine classes and first access to wines available for sale. Visit www.minawineclub.com. Michael Mina, 252 California St., San Francisco, CA 94111, 415-397-9222.   Enjoy Waiheke Island Yacht Club Through 2013 The America's Cup treated the city to more than just races --- San Francisco locals and visitors have until the end of 2013 to enjoy New Zealand style bites and beverages at Pier 29 pop-up restaurant Waiheke Island Yacht Club, featuring cuisine from chef Hayden McMillan (Auckland's TriBeCa). The restaurant serves dinner nightly, with a nightly happy hour from 4 p.m.-7 p.m., as well as lunch Thursday and Friday and brunch Saturday and Sunday beginning at 11 a.m. The ad-hoc restaurant is set inside a pier warehouse and features a unique, bay-side atmosphere and experience. Waiheke Island Yacht Club, 1256 The Embarcadero, Pier 29, San Francisco, CA 94105, 415-956-1048.   David Kinch's Manresa Cookbook Manresa chef-proprietor David Kinch has released his first cookbook, Manresa: An Edible Reflection. Readers will find recipes for Kinch's farm-to-table dishes, such as courgettes with cultured cream, nasturtium vinaigrette and pistachio crumb. Manresa, 320 Village Lane, Los Gatos, CA 95030, 408-354-4330.   State Bird Reopens, Evolves State Bird Provisions has wrapped up its expansion and remodel and reopened for business, with reservations now available (though spontaneity is still encouraged, as a large portion of the dining room and chef's counter are reserved for walk-ins). New amenities include a raw bar, bigger foyer, new floors and a second bathroom. Family-style meals with set seating times and menus (including one that comprises every small plate available that night) are now an option for two new special tables that can each accommodate between 6-8 people or be joined for a large party of up to 16. Dinner is also now served on Sundays. State Bird Provisions, 1529 Fillmore St., San Francisco, CA 94115, 415-795-1272.   Tosca's Second Act Famed North Beach bar and nightclub Tosca Cafe is the scene of the first restaurant project outside New York City for chef April Bloomfield and partner Ken Friedman (The Spotted Pig, The Breslin Bar & Dining Room, John Dory Oyster Bar). The 92-year-old former bar's atmospheric interior has been beautifully preserved and carefully spruced up, to include an intimate open kitchen build-out; the piano, opera-only jukebox and antique espresso machine remain, but the venue's Naugahyde banquettes have been replaced with red leather, and the bar's antique murals, posters and celebrity portraits are now spot-lit from below. Chef de cuisine Josh Even is a veteran of Bloomfield's New York venues, and was head chef at John Dory Oyster Bar. The menu is Italian, including many shareable plates such as roast chicken for two and a charcuterie program. Wines join cocktails (and Armagnac- and bourbon-spiked cappuccinos) as a highlight under co-wine directors Ceri Smith and Bonny Doon Vineyard winemaker Randall Grahm. The restaurant opened October 10, 2013, and, in a rare move for San Francisco, is open for dinner until 2 a.m. Dinner Tues.-Sun. Tosca Cafe, 242 Columbus Ave., San Francisco, CA 94133, 415-986-9651.   San Francisco Culinary Tours Continue This fall and winter, The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco, continues its series of San Francisco culinary tours hosted by local media personality Liam Mayclem, a London native known as the KCBS Radio "Foodie Chap" and host of "Eye On The Bay" on CBS 5. Tours begin at the hotel and provide transportation to some of the city's most famous food-heavy neighborhoods, with exclusive, behind-the-scenes peeks into the whos and hows of the local industry. Look for special holiday tours on December 7 and 14 --- the first with an eye towards local gourmet goodies, including VIP tastings with the artisans behind Recchiuti Confections and Cowgirl Creamery cheeses, and the second focused primarily on festive cocktails from top local venues. Each tour is limited to 12 participants; cost is $199 per person (additional charges for special meals may apply). Details on all tours, as well as tickets and other information, are available at www.ritzcarlton.com/sanfrancisco. The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco, 600 Stockton St., San Francisco, CA 94108, 415-296-7465.   Chef Shuffle W San Francisco and TRACE restaurant have a new executive chef in Jason Rea, who took the reins in early October. Rea's résumé includes stints at Water Grill and Ciudad in Los Angeles, Bluehour in Portland and Town in New York City. Locally, he was sous chef at Michael Mina and, most recently, executive sous at RN74. He will oversee all menus and culinary operations for the 404-room hotel, including banquets, two bar and lounges and the concept restaurant. Meanwhile, former executive chef Paul Piscopo has a new position as executive chef of The St. Regis San Francisco and its restaurant, Vitrine. TRACE, W San Francisco, 181 3rd St., San Francisco, CA 94103, 415-817-7836.   Closings After nearly eight years, sushi standout Sebo has closed. According to a tweet, the inability for chef-owner Michael Black to negotiate an agreeable lease for his Hayes Valley restaurant offered him, "a great opportunity to spend time with my family and newborn son as well as work on a few projects for the future." The restaurant was a haven for lovers of omakase with pristine fish, and commanded a cult following from its inception (then with co-owner and chef Danny Dunham) for its seasonality and sustainability. Its last night of service was October 26. We look forward to future projects from Black and his team. Sebo, 517 Hayes St., San Francisco, CA 94102, no phone.   Eight-year-old Mission District restaurant Maverick will be shuttered indefinitely due to an early morning fire October 25, 2013. No word yet on the cause of the fire, that also forced the evacuation of the three-story building's upstairs apartments. Maverick, 3316 17th St., San Francisco, CA 94110, 415-863-3061.   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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