All stories about "Eater Deathwatch"

North Beach: Yesterday, a new patient was admitted into the Eater Hospice, and today an old patient exits, albeit horizontally: Avenue G, as we know it, has officially shuttered. After a four-day happy hour and other various stunts, the Ave G folks have finally decided to pull the plug on the current incarnation of the restaurant in favor of a "new exciting" one due in August. The Deathwatch Committee is fairly confident that this counts as a closure, so let's get to the paperwork:

Oh, Yoshi's. Sweet little Yoshi's. From Marisa Churchill's exit to Saturday night tumbleweed to desperate promotions, the file has been steadily growing over on Fillmore, leaving the Committee no choice but to spill the red ink. Since opening in the fall, Sho Kamio—who has talent in the kitchen, make no mistake—has cut the exotic dishes but the prices remain much too steep to survive outside the FiDi. The space is a massive, overprocessed mess of 300+ seats, it's never close to full (let alone a quarter full), and simply put, fancypants sushi in San Francisco—particularly the Fillmore—is generally just not a good idea. We've heard that the restaurant has already lost upwards of two hundred thousand dollars (unconfirmed, obviously), staff has been cut or exiled to Oakland (confirmed), and spot inspections reveal that the restaurant is simply not drawing the type of dining crowds originally expected. Thus, something's gotta give, whether it be an overhaul to a private venue, evolution into a true nightlife spot with pole-dancing geishas, or some other reimagination (submit ideas!).

So, welcome to the Eater Deathwatch, Yoshi's. Yours is the second room on the right.
· Curious Evolutions: Free Sake, Covers, Geishas at Yoshi's [~ESF~]
· Uh-Oh Alert: Yoshi's Begins to Give Away Tickets [~ESF~]
· Eater Queries: Might Yoshi's Be a Stillbirth? [~ESF~]

Which reminds us: we're still seeking nominations for the Worst Table in Town.

North Beach: Despite the fact—yes, fact; not hyperbole—that there are never any diners inside Avenue G, the folks on the corner of Union and Stockton that maybe, just maybe, someone might want to eat outside. Hence, the fine idea to add some al fresco tables ... two of them. Now, since joining the Deathwatch in the fall, Avenue G has been puttering along in the Eater Hospice for some time now, and while we applaud the idea to shake things up, having a pair of laughable outdoor tables spaced a good 20 feet from anything is ... well, let's just say it won't solve any problems.
· Eater Hospice: Avenue G Offers Four-Day Happy Hour [~ESF~]
· Deathwatch: Avenue G [~ESF~]

Here then, an update from Eater Hospice, wherein we track the painful demise of Deathwatched restaurants to their final resting place.

Deathwatchee Avenue G was admitted into hospice care way back in late October, and despite averaging 0.11 diners per night*, the place continues to slowly and sickly trudge along through the infirmary, though somehow outlasting predictions and avoiding the deathbed. But don't get too hopeful, because in the last five months, Avenue G has manifested just about every Deathwatch symptom sans any remission. The latest: over the weekend, a tipster sent word that the Deathwatchee was offering Happy Hour prices during all NCAA Tournament games, a sure sign of panic for a bar, let alone a restaurant, let alone a restaurant offering a tasting menu more expensive that Danko. Now, for those unaware, from Thursday to Sunday, the tourney games more or less started everyday around 9:30am and lasted well into the evening hours. In other words, Avenue G just offered a happy hour that lasted a solid four days and will do the same again this weekend. Tick, tick, tick ...
· Deathwatch: Avenue G [~ESF~]
· Eater Hospice: Avenue G Resorts to Jazz Night [~ESF~]

*Eater Estimate

At long last, the Deathwatch Committee has finally decided to drop the stamp on Sens. See, the thing about Sens is that from Day One, way back in September, worrying reports have been steadily streaming in to the Committee. In fact, one prominent, local food editor even memorably predicted a lifetime no longer than three months, prompting routine spot-checks throughout the winter. Our findings over months of steady reconnaissance: obviously the place is never even close to full, and when a restaurant with the scope of Sens can accommodate large parties on Saturday nights ... with zero notice ... in its first month (we inquired), you know there's a problem turning tables. With the big exodus this week, the wheels started to wobble even louder on the Sens machine, and finally, the final vote of death: menu changes are reportedly on the way and our mole at yesterday's staff meeting had the owner telling everyone to deny any financial woes to the public: "We are wealthy and healthy." Oi. This is not going to end well at all. Fact.
· EaterWire Midday: Mass Exodus at Sens; Dotson Out [~ESF~]
· EaterWire AM Edition: Sens Loses Shuna Lydon [~ESF~]
· Week in Reviews: Sens, an Alpine Mediterranean Fishing Village Ski Lodge [~ESF~]

Truth be told, since reopening, Mecca has pretty much written the script on how to get the Deathwatch Committee's attention. To review, after notching an extremely-glowing (and hopeful) three-star Bauer review in September 2006, Mecca was forced to close shop last summer for roughly four months or so, which also brought along the opportunity for a complete remodel. Since making a comeback in October, here's what Mecca has been up to in the past three months down on Market Street:

· Lost its main attraction, "uber-chef" Randy Lewis, sans a comparable replacement.
· Isolated the locals who ventured back after its sabbatical.
· Received the worst Bauer review of year.
· Resorted to questionable brunch advertising tactics.

Given that the two things Mecca has going right now are very overpriced cocktails and a Ladies' Night shindig that reputedly brings in a crowd for one night of the week, the Committee has no choice but to dole out the DW stamp. Even when Lewis was in the kitchen, Mecca was a polarizing spot to grab a meal, given the lounge atmosphere and pricetag; now, with the kitchen struggling, spot inspections reveal that the place—especially the dining side of things—has become a ghost town on many nights. Over/under on a radical overhaul, like perhaps doing away with food altogether: Autumn '08.

And yes, the Committee is now accepting nominations for Deathwatch, 2008 edition.

True story: one of the new year's resolutions here at Eater HQ is bring more Eater Deathwatch to the huddled masses. Have you noticed a restaurant knocking on death's door? Let it be known that the Deathwatch Committee is now accepting nominations for Deathwatch, 2008 edition.

What, you thought a restaurant had to be open before getting placed on Deathwatch? For the case of Pompei, the Committee took the liberty of doling out the famed stamp to Luisa Hanson's next project a bit prior its grand opening. The sad thing is that, were it not for the supreme Barleycorn hubbub earlier this year, Pompei might be deemed too low-profile for the 'Watch. But here we are, so let's get to the paperwork.

Even if the Committee was to look past the obvious karma shortcomings of the Luisa Hanson empire (cf. this), and the Barleycorners' continued assault of Yelp, simple mathematics says that Pompei is doomed from the get-go. By our count, Hanson has attempted to open approximately 30 restaurants in the past 20 years, and two are currently open. Most never got off the ground, and those that did often closed within the year. Throw in the fact that the corner of California and Larkin won't get the foot traffic of Luisa's on Union Street or the easy revenue of a bar (the only hope for Duffy's next door), and you've got yourself the first Deathwatch of the year. So you see, it's just a number game, really. With a tinge of karma.
· Hanson Reveal, Part II: The Front Room's Fate [~ESF~]

Welcome to Eater Hospice, wherein we track the painful demise of restaurants on Eater Deathwatch.

Earlier this week, the wrathful eyes of the Eater Deathwatch Committee fell upon the unfortunate case of Avenue G. Usually, some time passes before you'll get an update from the hospice on a Deathwatched restaurant, but the second half of the week brought several items of desperation worth sharing from the Avenue G front.

First and foremost, they scored a reopening notice in the local paper (they reopened in September, but whatever), so it looks like the PR side is busy. That's the "good" news; now the bad. From a passerby, we have word that Avenue G has added a promotion to the mix: jazz night (advertised on the street corner, natch). Sadly, the jazz band outnumbered the crowd two to one, says that same tipster. No, that can't be good at all. Here's the hospice paperwork:

After an intense examination of quickly-fading restaurants around town, the closed-door proceedings of the Eater Deathwatch Committee have finally come to a halt. Ladies and gents, please welcome Eater Deathwatch to the table.

Here we have the unfortunate tale of Avenue G, a textbook example of that which warrants the wrathful stamp of the (otherwise amiable) Deathwatch Committee. Already, Avenue G's move from the Richmond to the high-rent, high-profile location of the corner of Union and Stockton seems to have backfired. The menu confuses "eclectic" with "absolute shitshow," offering Filipino profiterolles [sic], right next to antipasto misto, right next to tandoori chicken curry. As for the prices, well, instead of getting Avenue G's $95 "omakase" tasting menu with a wine pairing, you could instead opt for the $96 five-course tasting menu at ... Gary Danko. Toss in a hard-to-search name that is anything but internet-friendly, and a nice little case study is born.

Since reopening in September, Avenue G has manifested myriad Deathwatch symptoms: 1) In the "duh" category, empty seats rule the dining room every single night. 2) The aforementioned empty seat quandary is exacerbated by floor-to-ceiling dining room windows bordering a pedestrian-heavy neighborhood called North Beach. 3) Happy. Hour. Promotions. 4) Blatant curbside chalk signs saying yes, we are indeed open! 5) Finally, the nail in the coffin literally came just last Friday: Avenue G took the plunge and purchased a Yelp sponsorship. Over/under on the end to this sordid story: Christmas 2007.

Know a restaurant that warrants a Deathwatch stamp? Your nominations here.