The Sunset: A week or so ago, news came out that the esteemed Lincoln Tavern (née Molly Malone) had undergone another ownership change and would be changing its moniker to the memorable Chug Pub. Since its location on the outskirts of Golden Gate Park makes it prime Bay to Breakers post-mortem territory, the new owners wanted to make the name switch before the high-profile event would bring in the crowds. Well, in a last second scramble (above), the new signage didn't go up until late Saturday evening (while there were people inside, we might add), but by the time the early-morning revelers showed up on Sunday, the Lincoln Tavern had indeed become the worst-named bar in the city, Chug Pub. Thus, all's well that ends well.
· EaterWire: Name Changes in the Sunset [~ESF~]
Today, Joey & Eddie's took up the task of erecting its new sign to replace the blank space left by the vacated blue moose, and once it gets all the way up, passers-by near and far should be able to see that Joey & Eddie's has arrived. We can't deny we were hoping for a Moose's-like neon sign with the cartoon smiley faces of Joseph Manzare and Ed Maiello, but we suppose the giant block letters—which are becoming a Manzarecallingcard in themselves—will have to suffice for now.
· The Dish: Joey & Eddie's Debuts, Menu Revealed [~ESF~]
· An Homage to a Neon Blue Moose Head [~ESF~]
· Down Goes the Moose: Sign Removed, Finale Tonight [~ESF~]
Tonight, Joey & Eddie's will officially open for business under its new name—more on that later today—but before we turn the page on Moose's, we thought it appropriate to put together a little homage to the passing of arguably the most iconic (and as evidenced above, one of the most photographed) restaurant signs around town. Along with the pervasive nighttime glow visible from across Columbus, the best part about the sign, for us, was the dual role of the two o's as googly cartoon eyes. So as we bid farewell to our blue Bullwinkle, where are the remaining iconic restaurant signs in town? Your thoughts in the comments...
· Down Goes the Moose: Sign Removed, Finale Tonight [~ESF~]
SOMA—Already with a date and menu in hand, a tipster sends along word that Anchor and Hope has recently erected—errr, technically painted—some new signage on its Minna Alley storefront. Also in place is a brand new door (lower right). Opening is currently still on track for next week. [EaterWire]
NOPA—Apparently, there have been quite a few name changes at work at the barbecue joint at 705 Divisadero. Originally known as Brother in Law's BBQ, it briefly became Lily's, and within the last week has swapped once again to Da Pitt BBQ, and rumor has it that ... they deliver. [Chowhound]
What you see above is the brand new canopy for Luisa Hanson's 1500, the Italian restaurant that has (almost literally) colonized the former Front Room space on the corner of California and Larkin. The curious aspect of the signage is, of course, the proclamation that 1500 has been open since 1959, when in fact, it's never been open, not even since 2008. It hasn't been open in a prior incarnation, so we have no idea what exactly has been around since '59—Luisa's in the Marina? a 49-year-old chef at 1500? the Front Room?— On a related note, there is also a new canopy right next door at Duffy's, in place of the semi-iconic John Barleycorn sign. Loyal Barleycorners still in mourning might not want to see this:
A tipster sends along word that work is ready to commence on the transformation of the Empire Plush Room to Bar Florence, and to prove it, a bit of new signage is now adorning 940 Sutter Street. We have a feeling that fact that Tyler Florence's name itself—i.e., not the restaurant's name—is front and center is just the beginning of the epic TyFlo adventure of summer '08; what are the odds the man's chiseled face makes an appearance on the facade of the restaurant? Also, we still aren't entirely clear on what neighborhood this stretch of Sutter Street is technically a part. The closest we can surmise is the Tendernob, since it's a bit removed from Nob Hill, Union Square, and (as amusing as it would be) the Tenderloin. Any geography majors care to chime in?
· Pre-Plywood Report: Tyler Florence, in the Plush Room [~ESF~]
· Tyler Florence Opening Restaurant in Nob Hill [~ESF~]
A little while back, we spotted a fresh application on the shuttered Hue L'amour window at the legendarily-cursed 2080 Van Ness space, and now, our suspicions have been confirmed: a restaurant/lounge by the name of Heights is indeed on the way. The theme of the place is still undecided, but they are looking at a May opening date. For some background on the Curse of 2080, here's the wide range of restaurants that have enjoyed the premises since Cafe Royale opened there in 1986, keeping in mind that the original resident was there for almost a decade: Cafe Royale, KiKi's Paris 1920, Tutto Bene, Rocco's Seafood Grill, F.I.G.S. (stood for France, Italy, Greece, Spain; don't know how that one failed), On the Avenue, Habana, La Joya, Hue L'amour, and now, Heights. So, will the tenth time be the charm?
· Spotted: Another Comeback for 2080 Van Ness? [~ESF~]
Truly the gift that keeps on giving, be it through crayons or otherwise, our favorite destination for $12/lb out-of-season crawfish and yours, Boiling Crawfish, has made the first big change of its month-long existence and morphed into Coco's Crawfish, so please do update your weekend plans accordingly. The reason for the change is unknown, though our tipster suspects it might have something to do with the fact that the place is completely empty most nights. Also reported from the scene: the arrival of an official web page for Coco's (well, if you replace the word "web" with "MySpace"). In case you wondering, Coco's Crawfish is, incidentally, a 27-year-old female with a deep love for Rihanna. No Rick Astley?
· Coco's Crawfish [MySpace]
· Signage Alert: Boiling Crawfish Unveils "New" Logo [~ESF~]
· The Dish: Boiling Crawfish Opens, Continues to Awe [~ESF~]
1) Since not all restaurants have the luxury of a PR machine that keeps everyone updated on the always changing arrival dates, some restaurants—believe it or not—still do it the old-fashioned, neighborhood-friendly way: storefront notes. Up first, on the corner of Fillmore and Clay, Long Bar and Bistro has officially announced its presence to Pacific Heights. We took a gander at Long Bar's long bar earlier in the month, and now it appears they are aiming for an April debut. Given the state of the interior, it seems possible, but we'll take the conservative bet. Eater projection: April 28.
Hot off the RinconWire, we've got word that some delectable new signage has been erected at Epic Roast House. The above shot was taken late this morning on the Embarcadero side of Pat Kuleto's meat-house. Resisting the inevitable "how many Kuleto workers does it take to put up a sign" joke, we'll just say that while the first round of Epic signage is surprisingly subtle, it does fit perfectly with the variousglimpses of the interior thus far:
To the left, to the left: 370 Grove. On the right: 340 Grove.
Not only do the interiors of Sidney Wong's neighboring Grove Street restaurants already bear strong resemblances to each other, but now he's erected some very similar exactly identical signage, leading us to believe Wong has a nice sense of humor. After all, the man planning on opening both Blue Muse and Sage Cafe this week is a little old man with the energy to, well, debut two restaurants at once. According to Wong, Sage (a neighborhood cafe) will hopefully open towards the end of the week on its own, because the entire family staff has to be on hand to help out. Once the dust settles on Sage's debut, Blue Muse (Asian fusion) will open "a couple days after" because Sage's entire staff will have to be available to help next door as needed. In other words, the beautiful chaos of opening a small, family-run restaurant only intensifies when there are two of them next door to each other. Consider it to be the friendly neighborhood carnival answer to Pat Kuleto's Disneyland.
· Plywood Report: Blue Muse and Sage [~ESF~]
Quoth a reader in reaction to yesterday's post about the imminent arrival of Slow Club's Dogpatch endeavor, Serpentine: "Is it just me or does that corner signage look a lot like the one at Town Hall? Right down to the font!" Upon closer inspection, there certainly seems to be a resemblance, no? Perhaps they merely employed the same 90-degree sign design firm; besides, if you're going to "draw inspiration" from a local restaurant, Town Hall is a pretty darn good model.
Some Bayless logo happenstance for your afternoon delight. Via a tipster.
Down in the nether regions of the Macy's Union Square basement food court lurks the next celebrity chef restaurant to hit San Francisco: Frontera Fresco. The quick-service Mexican street food restaurant will be the first non-Chicago endeavor by Rick Bayless. Mid-December is the anticipated opening date for the Frontera crew. They are currently hiring staff and will begin training at the end of the month. The opening menu will likely be the same as Chicago's Frontera Fresco, which means about a dozen items—tortas, huaraches, tamales, etc—all under $10 (full Chicago menu here).
· BaylessWatch: Frontera Fresco Action at Macy's! [~ESF~]
· Eater First Look: Rick Bayless' Venture into Macy's [~ESF~]
How will Rick Bayless, king of Midwest Mexican, play out here in California? Your thoughts in the comments field, por favor.
The signs gracing 330 First Street: rather lovely or rather hideous?
New signage—the ultimate signal that a restaurant is nearing opening—is always a cause for a tizzy around these parts, but differing opinions on the above double-sided sign at the upcoming Local Kitchen and Wine Merchant have turned Eater HQ into a bit of a debate forum this morning. Some think it's brilliant; some think it's much too much, especially since there's already an innocuous sign on the facade. To settle the stalemate, we consulted the resident design expert, who really did not help matters much: "It's rather lovely in a rather hideous kind of way. Like so bad, it's good. Break out the malibu rum." Upshot: still incomplete.
Your regular dose of restaurant and bar closings around town arrives via The Shutter. The City is brutally unforgiving when it comes to restaurants, so do share you sightings. The scene on Larkin Street, this afternoon. Photo from a tipster.
From an Eater tipster in lower Nob Hill: "I live right around the corner from the John Barleycorn. Outside the (former) bar last night there was a really huge dumptruck filled to the brim with all the Barleycorn furnishings and junk. I tried to get a photo but it was too dark so I stopped by again this afternoon and saw that the signs had been taken down and were just laying on the street. The inside is still in the process of getting cleaned out." [Shutter Inbox]
· A Weekend of Farewells [~ESF~]
· The John Barleycorn's Last Ditch Effort [~ESF~]
Who needs a Michelin star when you can give yourself five (!) Yelp stars?
This photo appeared in the Eater Inbox over the weekend, and we thought it best to take a moment to express our gratitude to Yelp for making it possible—sensible, even—for restaurants to write their own shining reviews, print out said reviews and display them for us all to see. If only everything in life was that easy.
All news fit to print goes in EaterWire, but we can't be everywhere, so feel free to share your knowledge. The scene outside Balboa Cafe, approx. 8:32 Saturday night.
COW HOLLOW—As evidenced by the above shot, the PlumpJack restaurants were in fact dark during the Lights Out SF event. Balboa Cafe's famous, glowing green sign was off outside, and candles were aplenty inside. Up the street, despite a formal private party within its confines, all lights at PlumpJack Cafe were noticeably muted as well. MatrixFillmore seemed its normal, dark self. All around, a solid effort by the PlumpJacks. Bravo. [EaterWire]
THE MARINA—Some passers-by noticed some weekend activity at Bin 38 (Scott St, between Lombard and Chestnut). The wine bar is not yet open, but was going through some previews and dry runs. The place is just about ready to go—the picnic tables are out and everything. More on the Bin opening later in the week. [EaterWire Inbox]
POLK GULCH—More wine bar teases are going on around Polk Street. Several readers have queried as to the nature of the S.N.O.B. Wine Bar sign emblazoned on a building near the corner of Bush and Van Ness. According to someone at S.N.O.B., the sign is just an advertisement for the wine bar a block away, not a potential clue to expansion. In other words, it's more evidence that the S.N.O.B. folks really love their signs. [EaterWire Inbox]
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