THE SUNSET—The Bay to Breakers is next weekend, and more often than not, the first thing you see when crossing the finish line is Lincoln Tavern on the corner of 19th and Lincoln. It was Molly Malone for a number of years, and now it has changed owners once again. Fresh signage will be up within the week—"definitely before the Bay to Breakers"—and the new name will be ... wait for it ... Chug Pub. [EaterWire]
HEALDSBURG—A few weeks ago, we mentioned how Team Cyrus was taking on a new project at a nearby bar and grill. Well, it's here and it's good: "Just a couple weeks into its new ownership, The Healdsburg Bar and Grill is noticeably changed under the watch of Cyrus' Nick Peyton and chef Douglas Keane. Though the look and feel is still very much the same as the old HBG--casual inside tables, t-shirted waitrons and kids running around the bocce ball court outside--the menu has been elevated to haute burger status." And it's only $7.75. [SRPD]
HAYES VALLEY—It doesn't look good for the Subway franchise trying to weasel its way into 1680 Market Street, which is on the northside of Market between Franklin and Gough (perhaps better known as the Zuni-CAV-Espetus block). The item will once again go in front of the Planning Commission during next week's meeting, and the preliminary recommendation has been updated to Disapproval. [EaterWire, previously]
NORTH BEACH—For the first time in history, there might be a meeting between the Police Commission and Entertainment Commission, because of North Beach's rowdy behavior: "The area covered by Central Station district — which has more than 100 bars, 300 restaurants, 350 beer and wine licenses and 45 liquor stores — sees an increased crowd on the weekends when people from all across the Bay Area come to party, according to Central's police chief, Capt. James Dudley ... Punishing clubs' bartenders who overserve is difficult, Dudley said. Club owners who cooperate with police and the Entertainment Commission, however, say they're at a disadvantage." [SFE]
It's the first weekend of May, and with both the Oxbow farm stands and Napa Farmers Market open, many will be heading up to Wine Country, but travelers should be advised that Bouchon is still closed. Originally, Thomas Keller's Yountville bistro was supposed to reopen on May Day yesterday, but as of today, the return has since been pushed back to next Wednesday, May 7th due to a variety of reasons. The main component of the remodel is the kitchen expansion, and peering in, our Yountville correspondent describes an "impressive walk-in refrig and freezer" located between the bakery and restaurant's outdoor area. Did you expect anything less than impressive from Keller?
· EaterWire: Bouchon on Hiatus [~ESF~]
· Keller Dispatch: Portable Toilets and Al Fresco Dining Come Together at Bouchon [~ESF~]
· Keller Dispatch: Behind the Bouchon Expansion [~ESF~]
With a flagship store, a signature restaurant and new show all on the way, Michael Chiarello is ready to start the publicity train, and like so many celebrity chefs these days, he's taken to the blogosphere. He's already done posts on a wide variety of subjects, including his buddy Jan Birnbaum ("Y'all know I love Jan Birnbaum") and his NapaStyle project in the V Marketplace. Even though we think he missed out a gold mine by not naming the blog ChiarHello!, it's a pretty enjoyable read, if a little far on the J. Peterman side of things at times—e.g., "Enjoy blending your own olive oil out of our large fustini, and smell then sample our just-made spice rubs as we blend them daily." But best part is probably the faux painting of a posing, striking Chiarello that adorns the header, pictured above. That, friends, is Napa style.
· ChiarelloBlog [NapaStyle]
· Napa Dispatch: Work Begins at Chiarello's NapaStyle [~ESF~]
· BREAKING: Michael Chiarello Opening Yountville Resto [~ESF~]
Because the restaurant scene to the north does indeed go beyond one Thomas Keller (sometimes), we're going to check in up there every once in a while to bring the latest happenings in the ever-evolving Wine Country. Your sightings from both San Francisco and Napa are always welcome at sf@eater.com.
The Michael Chiarello era has officially begun in Yountville, with work underway at his pair of projects in the V Marketplace: Chiarello's "signature" restaurant and the fifth and flagship location of his NapaStyle chain of stores. The NapaStyle store, going into the old V Wine Cellar space, is slated to open sometime during the summer, but the restaurant (above, left) remains unnamed and won't arrive until the fall. And call us crazy, but we're getting the feeling that when it opens, Chiarello's joint might be better received than fellow Food Network personality/newly-minted restaurateur, Tyler Florence's. Anyone want to start the speculation?
· BREAKING: Michael Chiarello Opening Yountville Resto [~ESF~]
· More on Michael Chiarello's Yountville Endeavor [~ESF~]
Throughout the world, it's obviously not a good time for the food industry, and April might have been the cruelest month in some time. This week, the Chronicle has been covering it far and wide, be it today's big story on the global rice shortage and how local Asian restaurants are coping (actual question: will they or won't they raise the $1 side of rice?), or the growing panic in Wine Country about this year's bad crop: "The worst spring cold snap in more than 30 years is threatening to wreak havoc on the wine industry as three recent days of frost have killed grapevine buds up and down the crucial North Coast vineyard region. So far, grape growers estimate that as much as 10 percent of their crops could be lost." [Chron]
THE MISSION—According to this listing, Valencia Street's popular Phoenix Irish Pub—technically its building—is on the market. The asking price? A cool $1.55 million for the 2,000 square-foot space, which works out to about $775 per square foot. It's a buyer's market and the 19th/Valencia area gets tons of foot traffic. As we understand it, the bar is a tenant, not the current owner, so its fate probably lies with the next owners. [MLS]
SOMA—We'll have a little Top Chef/Jennifer round-up tomorrow, but for those wondering about Jen's whereabouts, she's still at Coco500 and in an exit interview with Cutty, she drops some hints on her future: "I’m going to leave at the end of May. I'm working on a project with a friend: We're going to open up a little restaurant pretty soon as well ... We've got this cool location; it's definitely a nighttime spot. We want it to be a super-cool, dark, speakeasy kind of place with kick-ass cocktails that are using a lot of seasonal ingredients and just great seasonal foods." [Cutlets]
YOUNTVILLE—Up in Kellertown, Bouchon begins its ten-day sabbatical today, which means that diners who once balked at the portable bathrooms need not worry anymore (though we liked the look, personally). The cause of the hiatus is the Bouchon kitchen expansion, and the restaurant is expected to reopen for dinner service next Thursday, May 1st. In the meantime, reservations are still being accepted online. [EaterWire]
BAY AREA—Speaking of His Highness Keller, Restaurant Magazine has released its annual list of the 50 best restaurants in the world. Once again, El Bulli took top honors, and The French Laundry (#5) managed a spot in the top five, followed closely by its NYC offshoot, Per Se (#6). The only other American entry west of Chicago? Put your hands together for Chez Panisse, at #37. [Bloomberg]
"Our bottle of red wine came. She gave us stem-less glasses — tumblers — for it. (In the Napa Valley?) She poured a sip for me to taste. Then she plunked down the bottle without pouring any more." —Frank Bruni, 3/17/08
"Stemmed glassware has been replaced by crystal tumblers, yet the meal cries out for more refined wine-glasses." —Michael Bauer, 11/26/06
Critics near and far may have been irked by Thomas Keller's decision to go super-casual at Ad Hoc and serve wine out of tumblers, but a little known fact has recently come to our attention: you can get stemware at Ad Hoc if you play your cards right. Straight from Yountville, the Land of Keller:
What is this? Stemware at ad hoc. Who knew. We were told that they have about 20 stem wine glasses. I love that the staff knows the count, so if someone requests them for their wine they can just say, "Ooh, I'm sorry we just gave out number 19 and 20." Our wine was about $125 so we were ready to drink it out of a tumbler. By the way, he poured me a taste and walked away and let us pour ourselves. At least some things haven't changed.
PS $48 dollars for a bucket of chicken, I just don't get it?
THE SUNSET—The Bay to Breakers is next weekend, and more often than not, the first thing you see when crossing the finish line is Lincoln Tavern on the corner of 19th and Lincoln. It was Molly Malone for a number of years, and now it has changed owners once again. Fresh signage will be up within the week—"definitely before the Bay to Breakers"—and the new name will be ... wait for it ... Chug Pub. [EaterWire]
HAYES VALLEY—It doesn't look good for the Subway franchise trying to weasel its way into 1680 Market Street, which is on the northside of Market between Franklin and Gough (perhaps better known as the Zuni-CAV-Espetus block). The item will once again go in front of the Planning Commission during next week's meeting, and the preliminary recommendation has been updated to Disapproval. [EaterWire, 
With a flagship store, a signature restaurant and new show all on the way, Michael Chiarello is ready to start the publicity train, and like so many celebrity chefs these days, 
THE MISSION—According to 
YOUNTVILLE—Up in Kellertown, Bouchon begins its ten-day sabbatical today, which means that diners who once balked at the 
"Our bottle of red wine came. She gave us stem-less glasses — tumblers — for it. (In the Napa Valley?) She poured a sip for me to taste. Then she plunked down the bottle without pouring any more." —
