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WESTFIELD—To no one's surprise, the often-desolate TeazMe has ceased to exist in the Westfield Centre, which we think might mark the first (permanent) shuttering in the "gourmet" food court. Aside from more proof that this is a coffee town, this also means that there is now a vacancy in the food court. Odds that Colicchio tries to move 'Wichcraft into the actual mall: 20 to 1. Odds that the space is claimed by a major coffee chain: 6 to 1. Odds that the space is claimed by a purveyor of frozen yogurt: EVEN. [EaterWire]
FERRY BUILDING—FiDi workers who frequent the Ferry Building on a regular basis during lunch hours might want to make sure to stop by tomorrow, because plywood vetBoccalone is scheduled to debut. The salumeria by the Incanto Boys is about 300 square feet, and will have a selection of hot and cold gourmet sandwiches along with the usual salumi we've all come to know and love. [EaterWire]
PALO ALTO—Last seen in the Bay at Grand Cafe and then at Paris in Vegas, Fabrice Roux has resurfaced in Palo Alto. The husband of Absinthe's former pastry chef Murielle Roux, he'll be the executive chef at Joya, a new upscale restaurant/lounge opening on University Avenue. Opening date is set for July, and curiously for the French chef, the restaurant will be of the Spanish/Latin American ilk. More details and renderings (including the one pictured to the right) are available on the official site. [EaterWire]
GOLDEN GATE PARK—It's not entirely news per se, but we'll take every opportunity to gawk at the upcoming Academy of Sciences mega-project. The latest is that The Moss Room—also known as the Charles Phan/Loretta Keller restaurant and cafe going into the new museum—has applied for a liquor license. Did we mention there's a wall that is alive there? 110 days until go-time. [EaterWire]
Poor Starbucks just can't catch a break in its attempted return to relevance: "T-Mobile USA Inc. is suing Starbucks Corp., alleging that the world's largest coffee chain breached a contract by letting a rival company supply customers with free wireless Internet service ... T-Mobile, which had been exclusively providing Wi-Fi service at Starbucks since 2002, accused Starbucks of "secretly" developing a promotional plan to let AT&T provide free Internet service at more than 7,000 U.S. Starbucks stores." [Seattle PI]
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THE MISSION—We're still not sure if Luisa Hanson and the City have cleared up AwningGate or not, but we do know the following with some degree of certainty: a) according to a tipster and the accompanying photographic evidence, the disputed awning was returned to its upright position sometime today, b) per our conversation with the building department earlier, there were still a few violations on record, and c) La Vinoteca should continue to be a show to behold. Get a good seat. [EaterWire]
ALAMEDA—Three San Francisco locations in hand (plus one in DC), BurgerMeister is making the cross-bay leap to Alameda, and according to this Craiglist ad, BurgerMeister #5 (with full bar) should be opening very soon in downtown Alameda. But people, haven't we already learned our lesson about Alameda? [Craigslist]
UNION SQUARE—Flying under the radar lately is Urban Tavern, Donna Scala's upcoming restaurant within the friendly confines of the Hilton on O'Farrell Street. Background reading on the $13 million, 240-seat gastropub can be had here, and a possible interior rendering (pictured, right) is available on we believe to be the future online home of the restaurant. As of today, Urban Tavern is slated to open in three weeks' time, with the moving target date being May 29th. [EaterWire]
FOOD TELEVISION—More proof that all your dreams can't necessarily be achieved by winning a reality show, as Food Network shan't be continuing at least one more show next season: "Amy Finley--season 3 winner of The Next Food Network Star--has finally come forth and said that there will be no more new episodes of her show, The Gourmet Next Door. 'I will not be back for another season. The producers offered me more shows, but with my family I decided it was time to move on to other projects,' writes Amy." We didn't even know her show had already started. [FNA]
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]
Coffee lovers, traditionalists and traditionalist coffee lovers may want to avert their eyes for this one: at this very moment, Starbucks workers are erecting new signage and taking down the old at the shutteredCaffe Espresso in the iconic Sir Francis Drake Hotel. Now even though another Starbucks dwells down the street and the choice of the familiar coffee giant over an old-school classic probably makes business sense, it still seems odd to have Starbucks signage juxtaposed with the Sir Francis Drake's entrance. We can only imagine the space-time collapse when the doormen start drinking frappuccinos.
· Shutterwood: Caffe Espresso Makes Way for the Empire [~ESF~]
Yesterday, Starbucks debuted a new roast—and a new logo—and some local bloggers were there to experience the publicity stunt, to their dismay: "'Are your shoelaces tied tight?' the barista asked. 'huh?' I answered, 'cause this new blend is gonna knock your socks off' he chirped as he tossed a paper cup in the air with a repellant flourish ... This brew was so weak that we could have worn greased loafers that were 10 sizes too big during an earthquake as we were doing backflips and we would have remained firmly shod. It tasted like a beverage that was formulated by a committee that was more concerned about not alienating a coffee drinker than delighting one. It had no trace of bitterness and was low in acidity with the retro feel of freshly brewed, percolated, canned coffee. I would be shocked if new roast re-energized their brand." [Daily Feed]
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WESTFIELD—To no one's surprise, the often-desolate TeazMe has ceased to exist in the Westfield Centre, which we think might mark the first (permanent) shuttering in the "gourmet" food court. Aside from more proof that this is a coffee town, this also means that there is now a vacancy in the food court. Odds that Colicchio tries to move 'Wichcraft into the actual mall: 20 to 1. Odds that the space is claimed by a major coffee chain: 6 to 1. Odds that the space is claimed by a purveyor of frozen yogurt: EVEN. [EaterWire]
PALO ALTO—Last seen in the Bay at 
THE MISSION—We're still not sure if Luisa Hanson and the City have cleared up 
UNION SQUARE—Flying under the radar lately is Urban Tavern, Donna Scala's upcoming restaurant within the friendly confines of the Hilton on O'Farrell Street. Background reading on the $13 million, 240-seat gastropub can be had 
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, 
