Napa Dispatch: Taylor's Refresher 3.0 Revealed

Every once in a while, because its restaurant scene does indeed go beyond one Thomas Keller (well, sometimes), we're happy to venture north to bring you latest happenings in the ever-evolving Wine Country. Napa folk, your news from Napa, Kellerville and such is always very much appreciated to the tip line.

As promised earlier, we're happy to share our first look at the new Taylor's Refresher in Napa's Oxbow Market. Our man on the scene was brave enough to weather the opening day chaos last Friday and reported much ado about burgers during lunchtime rush (though no free giveaways). The menu and design are largely the same as the other locations in St. Helena and San Francisco, with ~150 seats between the indoor booths, outdoor picnic tables and the counter stools. Also notable: early returns have the lines reputed to be much more manageable than the behemoths at the St. Helena location, at least for now.
· Napa Dispatch: Taylor's Opens Friday, More From Oxbow [~ESF~]

Kuletoville and Yoshi's: A Tale of Two Mega-Projects

In a town that loves its quaint little Delfinas and SPQRs, the past several months have seen the debuts of a pair of super splashy, over-the-top productions in Yoshi's and Pat Kuleto's Epic-Waterbar combo on the Embarcadero, and now that both mega-projects are in full swing, the fashion police are out for blood. Over the weekend, the Chronicle (coincidentally?) ran a pair of pieces, slamming Kuletoville's aesthetics rather harshly while praising Yoshi's. To wit, consider the early verdict at Pat Kuleto's baby:

It's all grand atmospheric fun, especially if you can afford a $45 strip steak or a $75 dish of Maine lobster. But drop these stage sets into Rincon Park on San Francisco's downtown waterfront, and they become something else: incongruous impositions on a landscape that doesn't need to be gussied up...

But despite the expense, the result is jarring. Everything's choreographed, from the olive trees clustered on a hillock next to Epic Roasthouse on the north to the nautical curve of Waterbar's private dining room to the south.

This showmanship would be fine in a setting such as Napa Valley, where whimsical indulgence goes with the terrain. Here, it pales next to the muscular march of the Bay Bridge or the green allure of Yerba Buena Island.

As for Yoshi's, the Chron focuses more on the interior architecture brilliance as opposed to the big picture, but seeing as how the first sentence includes the phrase "perfectly capturing a paradox," suffice to say, the piece praises Yoshi's design as something special. But we want to know what you're thinking. San Francisco loves its neighborhood flavor and its holes-in-the-wall, and pricey theatrics of the likes of Kuletoville and Yoshi's have been frowned upon in the past. The Chronicle has made clear its thoughts on the duo; do share yours in the comments.
· Kuleto's newest: posh, out of place [Chron]
· Morimoto's design of Yoshi's evokes stillness [Chron]

The Plight of Powell's Place Continues, in Exile

(Re)introducing Velma's Jazz Club/Powell's Place and Their Industrial Friends

The untimely fall of Powell's Place was one of the sadder tales of the fall, what with the poor business decisions of Emmit Powell coinciding perfectly with the rise of the Fillmore Heritage Center, but when news of a Powell's Place rebirth in Bayview surfaced, it seemed like the story might have a happy ending. But then we took a field trip to the outskirts of Bayview.

"Truth be told, the relocation of Powell's Place isn't exactly a relocation..."

Americano Takes Down Tents, Declares "Winter" Over

Remember that rather hideous seasonal greenhouse-tent contraption that Americano erected back in November? To this day, it still seems odd that they would cover up one of the most picturesque outdoor patios in town, particularly in the name of prepping for the fierce San Francisco winter (which oddly bears a strong resemblance to summer). In any event, it's time to rejoice, because parent company Joie de Vivre has declared winter officially over, as the Americano tent is down. FiDi workers are back on the al fresco happy hour bent, and heat lamps are on full blast, since like every other month of the year, it's 60 degrees and foggy.
· That's Rather Hideous: Americano Erects Greenhouse [~ESF~]

Napa Dispatch: Taylor's This Weekend and MORE!

Every once in a while, because its restaurant scene does indeed go beyond one Thomas Keller (sometimes), we're happy to venture north to bring you latest happenings in the ever-evolving Wine Country.

1) As mentioned earlier 'round these parts, the third branch of Taylor's Refresher has had its share of road bumps. Its arrival was originally hoped to coincide with Oxbow's unveiling in mid-December, only to be delayed to January and then February. Now, we have word that the Oxbow location of California's most famous burger joint (yes, we said it) is hoping to open this Saturday, so you know, if you're in the area ... [EaterWire]

Some Openings From the Valley of Napa >>

Epic Roasthouse and Waterbar Menus Revealed

At long last, the restaurants at Kuletoville have released their menus online. A week into the openings of Epic Roasthouse and Waterbar, much of the inevitable early criticism has—rightly or wrongly—centered around the rather steep prices. Truth be told, for the scope of their respective genres (steakhouse and upscale seafood eatery), the prices are fairly standard (value is another debate entirely), though one Eater commenter pointed out yesterday that a burger and fries at the bar costs $35; yikes. Also getting some flack/attention around town is the four percent service charge, though we suspect that has more to do with the grandiose wording—"In order to provide the very best ..."—than the actual charge, which is obviously permeating town. In any event, the menus:
· Epic Roasthouse Lunch [.pdf]
· Epic Roasthouse Dinner [.pdf]
· Waterbar Lunch Menu [.pdf]
· Waterbar Dinner Menu [.pdf]

Good News/Bad News: Sangha

Welcome back to Good News/Bad News, where we share early opinions of recently-opened restaurants. Your impressions are, of course, very much welcomed as well, either in the comments or straight to Eater Inbox.

Those that complain that the industrial interior of Conduit is too cold for comfort would do well to check out the ultra-minimalist interior of Sangha, Glen Park's new Asian-Latino restaurant. Opened at the end of December, Sangha was a long time (years) in the making, but nervous glances might already be heading towards Ric Lopez's fusion endeavor and that jalapeno corn tempura. Anyway, to the buzz:

Nervous News: "I worry about Sangha. Not because it's not good per se, but since the city isn't often kind to trendy fusion. And few will argue that Glen Park is traditionally better characterized as 'neighborhoody' than 'trendy' ..." [Eater Inbox]

Bad News: "i'm sad to say we won't be back. the very clean, spare look they're going for in design actually came off as very bland, and depressing (other might disagree). they don't even place napkins or silverware on the tables until food arrives, all in the name of that cleanness. but the effect didn't work for us at all ... i think that this place will have a hard time surviving in the newly bustling glen park restaurant scene. the french place, gialina, and chenery park are all far superior, and moki, deep sushi et al, are a five minute drive away." [Chowhound]

But It's Not All Bad! Good News Plus Hopeful News, NEXT >>

Signage Alert: Boiling Crawfish Unveils "New" Logo

After it posted a want ad in crayon and opened under the veil of Ha's, Boiling Crawfish was the source of some amusement earlier in the month, but now a sharp-eyed Sunset tipster has sent in photographic proof that Boiling Crawfish has erected new signage. The best part? The bubbly logo appears to be directly inspired by the crayons. Also reported from last night: empty dining room, approx. 7:30pm. Better get your $12/lb out-of-season crawfish while you can, kids.
· The Dish: Boiling Crawfish Opens, Continues to Awe [~ESF~]
· Adventures in Crayons: The Help Wanted Ad of the Day [~ESF~]

The Curious Case of Brandy Ho's, Revealed

Last week, the new Brandy Ho's on 18th Street sneakily opened with barely a sign or notice. To this day, brown paper still adorns the storefront, and work continues per normal in the dining area, but interestingly enough, delivery and take-out have been offered for the past week or so. The curious juxtaposition of these facts have led some to believe that the good Brandy Ho's folks are not actually doing the delivery/take-out cooking at the Castro location, but rather, at the original flagship on Columbus, which quite frankly, would explain a lot, including reports of slow delivery and cold food.

To get to the bottom of this little quandary, the Eater Investigative Team was dispatched to the scene last night, only to find the very dark storefront you see above. Things were not looking good for Brandy Ho's, until there came a dramatic twist. Let's take a peek over the paper:

The Eater Investigative Team's Findings, NEXT >>

Mobile Food Alert: Waffle Truck Not Gone, Just Sold Out

Here at Eater HQ, regularly-scheduled programming ground to halt after stumbling across a report saying that the Civic Center waffle truck did not show up this week. Calls were made and sirens were sounded, only to uncover some relief: according to the waffle men themselves, they were in fact at the market this morning, albeit late and briefly. They sold out very quickly, and have been besieged since last week's Daily Candy article, as people were allegedly ordering twelve waffles at a time today (heavens, San Francisco). In conclusion, the waffle truck should still be at the Civic Center next Wednesday. Bonus rumor mongering: down the line, permanent—i.e., non-mobile—waffle truck spinoffs may open on Pier 39 and ... Alcatraz.
· Mobile Food Craze Alert: Waffle Truck Hits Civic Center [~ESF~]
· Mobile Food Craze: Waffle Truck Redux [~ESF~]