All the latest openings, big and small, get served up on a regular basis by The Dish. Spot a newcomer in your neighborhood? Send it along; operators are standing by.
1) Union Square: Officially opening tomorrow is Clock Bar. The media frenzy has been in full force for Michael Mina's cocktail bar: Thrillist and Daily Candy both wrote it up today (complete with cute puns), we took a post-plywood peek last week, and Alcademics has all the dirt on anything liquor related. And if all that weren't enough, the official website is live, complete with menu items like Lamb Tenderloin Panini and bar bites like Truffle Popcorn. 335 Powell Street, between Post and Geary, in the Westin St. Francis; (415) 354-2735; website [EaterWire]
Welcome back to the Plywood Report, your regular, all-encompassing chronicle of the next generation of restaurants and bars to grace our fair city. Spot something new on your block? The tip line awaits. Bonus points if you include photos.
1) The Richmond: Let's examine the multiple instances of brilliance at work in the above shot of 1115 Clement St, shall we? Yes, let's: a) despite the "Bussines Closed" sign on the door, the Grand Opening sign somehow, amazingly made it through the entire restaurant's lifetime; b) not only did the Grand Opening banner survive, but so did the simultaneous signage for both previous incarnations (Bubble Zone and V Sizzling Plate); and finally, c) as seen by the liquor license activity, the shuttered Bubble Zone is ditching the boba angle (that's so 2005) and going alcoholic to morph into Sake Zone. We can only hope a third business name is added to the facade. But will they reuse the opening banner? [PLYWOOD]
But at the Bistrot this time around, the meat was barely seared, with chunks of uneven chopped garlic on top and an uneven sprinkling of lavender salt; the ratatouille had the texture of mush and skins, overseasoned with garlic...
The roast chicken ($17) had the texture of a long-cooked coq au vin with flabby skin. It arrived less than 20 minutes after it was ordered, which also indicated it had to have been about ready to serve. Not only was the skin soggy but the meat had a slightly leftover taste and mushy texture. I ordered the same dish ($16) at lunch a few days later, and it was only marginally better. Both times the sauce underneath was so viscous it formed ribbons when I picked up my fork, and the grilled vegetables were as wilted as the ratatouille.
Toss that meal in with the fact that, from seating to exit, a three-courser took exactly 46 minutes (not a minute more or less), and yeah, Chez Papa might have problems. As it stands, if you combine the food ratings for both Chez Papa locations, you do get four stars exactly. [Chron] Coming Up: Jardiniere, Namu, The Elsewhere, and a New Reviewer in Town >>
The couple made very few physical changes, but the warmth is evident when diners walk in the door. The greeting is enthusiastic, and if there are empty tables, customers can take their pick. That same amiable attitude permeates the service.
Chef Chad Newton, who worked at Postrio in San Francisco and Redd in Yountville, continues to replicate the Mediterranean-inspired menu ... While the food isn't quite as exciting or well executed as when the place opened five years ago, Newton is doing a good job, and the prices remain reasonable.
Though Baraka maintains its "lively buzz" and neighborhood appeal, it doesn't have quite the same brilliance as it did during the Bulow era, and thus The Bauer shaves some points, dropping it from three stars down to 2.5 stars. [Chron] More Reviews: the Chron at Pacific Catch, Everyone at SPQR, and ELSEWHERE! >>
All the latest and greatest openings around town are served up via The Dish. Notice a new debut in your neighborhood recently? The Dish Hotline awaits your sightings.
1) Potrero Hill: Perhaps the folks behind Umi warrant inclusion in the Barleycorn Survivors roster, as Skipjack Sushi has weathered its Hanson takeover on Union Street to reopen in its new form on Potrero Hill. Only dinner is being served now, with lunch and outdoor seating in the rear patio on tap in the future. Takeout is being offered, and the menu consists of the usual Japanese sushi options for the most part, with the logo reading "sushi, sake, small plates." 1328 18th Street, between Missouri and Texas; (415) 355-1328 [Eater Staff]
Even though the impressive space and design of Coffee Bar may suggest otherwise, there's little denying that deservedly so or not, in the spectrum of recently-opened gourmet coffee cafes, Coffee Bar is playing the role of David to Blue Bottle Cafe's Goliath. Though there are surely myriad differences between the two, the pair is nonetheless leading the charge of the gourmet coffee cafe. Coffee Bar, the NEMIZ project from Luigi Di Ruocco of Mr. Espresso and Jason Michael Paul, is the product of a build-out from a former loading dock and the space's industrial lineage is clear. Most design amenities have been custom-made, including the large backlit photo and nearly all the wood furniture. Upstairs (pictured, above) is the main seating area and downstairs is the barista station, offering single-origin coffees, beer, wine, cafe fare, a special evening menu and the like:
Coffee Bar NEMIZ, Luigi!, Biblical Metaphors
1890 Bryant Street, The Mission Open Mon-Sat 7am to 10 pm; website
A new year looms, but before we turn the page on 2007, we have a trio of new beginnings brought to you by The Dish, your source for all the latest and greatest openings. As always, the Dish Hotline eagerly awaits your tips.
1) Coffee Bar: Though we're still not quite sure what neighborhood lays claim to the corner of Florida and Mariposa (the Mission? NEMIZ? Submission? Bopabesomipo?), Coffee Bar is now officially open for business Monday through Saturday, 7am to 10pm. Though coffee is undoubtedly the star at the project by Luigi Di Ruocco (Mr. Espresso) and Jason Michael Paul, sandwiches and salads are available mid-day; evenings see a special "after 5pm" food menu with 25+ wines by the glass, 50+ wines by the bottle and over a dozen beer selections. Oh, and there's free wi-fi. Further reading/viewing on Coffee Bar can be had in its Fall Tracking Report. 1890 Bryant Street, on the corner of Florida and Mariposa, Mission/Potrero; website [Eater Staff]
How about some Plywood Report to get you through Pearl Harbor Day? As always, your plywood sightings to the tipline.
1) Potrero Hill: We've got fresh newspaper on 18th Street! The SkipJack Sushi folks have abandoned ship on Union Street and have begun work in their quest to open Umi. They will move into the former San Francisco Bar-B-Q space between Missouri and Texas, which has been shuttered/vacant for some months now. They are hoping to open in early '08. [PLYWOOD]
HEALDSBURG—Cyrus is among seven new North American gourmet restaurants and/or hotels inducted to the prestigious Relais & Chateaux club. Restaurants must apply for admission into the French club, with the application process often taking several years. In case you're wondering, the only other local restaurants already in the elite club are the French Laundry, Meadowood and Gary Danko (proving that not all French elitists dislike Monsieur Danko). [EaterWire Inbox]
POTRERO HILL—PotHi local staple Couleur Cafe continues to shake things up with some updates. From Chowhound: "The recent updates -- a whole flight of new mussel preparations and a much improved steak frites - are particularly worth a try ... They now have nice live acoustic music on Sunday evenings and are about to start that on Wednesdays as well." Usually, menu upheavals and live music promotions are telltale signs that a restaurant is struggling, but the post seems to suggest that Couleur Cafe merely continues to improve on a good thing. Any Potrero peeps know anything? [CH]
GHIRARDELLI SQUARE—Speaking of possible semi-desperate promotions, McCormick & Kuleto’s is now offering a Happy Hour Bar Menu: "Every Monday through Friday (3pm-6pm) you can feast on Bay Shrimp cocktails, Black Mussels, a Diestel Turkey Breast Quesadilla, Spicy Buffalo Wings, and a half-pound Cheeseburger for just $1.95 (with a two drink minimum)." What Happy Hour ends at 6pm with a two-drink minimum, you ask? One that caters to the tourist crowd, obv. And that $2 burger, while tempting, might not seem so great when you remember that In-N-Out is down the street. [SF City Dish]
1) Rather than start things off with The Bauer, we turn to the Guardian, where Chris Demento stops by the Embarcadero Center's Sens, the upscale newcomer that took to the cursed former Monte Cristo space earlier this autumn. Let's just say the "California gothic spirits" weren't shining on the ambiance:
My hot date and I spent about as enjoyable an hour and a half as can be spent in a brown bat cave (without doing it in a corner) ... whatever beast it was left Sens with a nightmare dilemma on its hands: how to exorcise California gothic spirits of stone and brown and big buck hunting and death? Sens's answer? You don't. You just try to work around the problem, apparently, starting with strong gin and tonics and continuing with great food.
1) Coffee Bar: Though we're still not quite sure what neighborhood lays claim to the corner of Florida and Mariposa (the Mission? NEMIZ? 
HEALDSBURG—Cyrus is among seven new North American gourmet restaurants and/or hotels inducted to the prestigious Relais & Chateaux club. Restaurants must apply for admission into the French club, with the application process often taking several years. In case you're wondering, the only other local restaurants already in the elite club are the French Laundry, Meadowood and Gary Danko (proving that 
