All stories about "Town Hall"

· Early Orson Reports: All Food Good, Desserts Stand Out [CH]
· Cafe M Opens on Berkeley's Fourth Street [CH]
· The Merits of Town Hall Versus Salt House [Mouthfuls]
· You May Be Surprised That Yelp Has High Maintenance Diners [Yelp]
· "Fat Rapper Dude" Judge: the Beginning of Iron Chef America's End? [eG]

All the day's news goes in EaterWire. Per normal, the tipline awaits your sightings, rumors and tidings, eagerly.

JACKSON SQUARE—The Scoop reports that Town Hall/Salt House crew has successfully landed current Frisson chef Sarah Schafer for its upcoming Anchor & Hope, but don't feel bad for the Frisson guys: "Schafer's last day at Frisson (244 Jackson) is Thursday. After that, according to Frisson partner Andrew McCormack, longtime sous chef Michelle Mathews will handle things. For a while, that is. McCormack and his partners intend to close Frisson in late spring, remodel it and reopen it a few weeks later with a new look, new name and - ta-da! - former Myth chef Sean O'Brien at the stoves." More on the remodel—"more restaurant focused"—is available at the Chron. [Scoop, previously]

FIDI—Camper English has the latest in the bartender shuffles around town, including a juicy little tidbit about personnel and projections at Gitane, the upcoming Claude Lane project from the same people behind Cafe Claude: "Speaking of consulting, Dominic Venegas from bacar, B&B, Range, etc. will be consulting on the forthcoming project Gitane- but you've got a long wait until it opens in May(ish)." [Alcademics]

[Photo courtesy]

This is The Gatekeepers, where Eater roams the city to meet the fine men and women standing between you and some of your favorite impossible-to-get tables.

Jennifer Yin, 2/14/08

One could make a strong argument that when Town Hall opened back in 2004, it instantly became one of the most important restaurants south of Market. From a purely influential standpoint, the ownership team of Mitchell Rosenthal, Steven Rosenthal and Doug Washington really took the "casual but gourmet" movement to a new level, putting in a communal table and whatnot before it somehow became a near-requirement for restaurants (see Howard, Scott). They've become so successful that offshoot number three is due later this year, and Town Hall has yet to slow down. The combination of trendiness and accessibility has made it one of the more sought-after destinations in town, so on this Valentine's Day, let's have a chat with the nice lady who just might determine your fate this evening.

Tiffany Perry, Hostess at Town Hall: There are 95 seats in the main dining room, 13 at the bar, 14 at the communal table and 22 on the patio. I prefer the tables right in the middle of all the action, but that's not always for everyone. We do also have tables that offer a little bit more privacy.

James Newman, 12/27/07

· Yoshi's GM Stressed By Bauer Review, Loves Burgers [Bits + Bites]
· Burger King Knows Its Testosterone-Lade Core Demographic [NYT]
· From Modesto to the Marina, the Story of Laiola's Joe Hargrave [Modesto Bee]
· Town Hall's Rosenthal Bros. Made a TV Appearance Last Week [ABC7]
· Taking a Tour of Little Saigon [Bay Area Backroads]
· Beef Might Return to School Menus Following Scare [SFE]

Sodini's and the North Beach Strip [Photo: Flickr/skyseame]

NORTH BEACH—As if the legal issues surrounding Red Mango and Julius' Castle weren't enough, now there's yet another batch of controversy in the neighborhood. Via Curbed, we have word that an alcohol ban for all new businesses is on the table at tomorrow's Board of Supes Dept. of Planning meeting: "This means no liquor licenses (already under strict restrictions), but it also means no beer and wine sales (as they widen control, and set a dangerous precedence), period ... In the case of North Beach, a neighborhood zoned for night life, that means the city is stuck with its current selection of bars, and restaurants, and landlords are stuck waiting for yogurt chains ... oh wait." [Curbed SF]

SOMA—There will, however, be alcohol at Town Hall's fourth annual Mardi Gras celebration, taking place on February 5th. The affair comes with a $75 price tag; benefits will go to Alice Waters' Edible Schoolyard project in New Orleans, which is nice. More info at the official site. [EaterWire Inbox]

If we had to make a wager, we'd say that the next project from the Town Hall/Salt House gang of Mitch Rosenthal, Steven Rosenthal and Doug Washington will only further the trio's domination of that stretch of SoMa. Since Anchor and Hope claimed the 100-year-old Minna Alley building (above) some months ago, we've touched on most of the details already—fish shack, communal table, 88 seats, etc.—but we're now happy to share a shot of the interior. As you can see, the building is old, industrial and high-ceilinged, but a look at the interior might intrigue you:

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.

But we digress. As for the actual restaurant, Serpentine is still expected to open "sometime this week." With The Dish at the ready, we'll keep you posted, natch.
· Signage Alert: Serpentine Poised to Premiere This Week [~ESF~]
· Slow Club Sequel Serpentine Due By December [~ESF~]

In the wake of an Eater Investigation some weeks back, TablePronto—a reservation scalper service—has responded to the less than enthusiastic reactions it has received here and elsewhere. One of the website's founders, Antoine Powell, left a lengthy, explanatory comment in response to our last post on the matter, a statement from Aqua GM Jean Claude Persais. Furthermore, SF Weekly picked up the story today and found some similar statements from the TablePronto founderman. We'd be remiss if we didn't share both sides of the story, so here are some select quotes from Powell:

1) On public reaction: "We are used to the public having a wide variety of reactions to our service. Surely, anything “new” or different gets that kind of reaction. But what we have seen in our experience is that once people understand us a little better than they really come to like our service." [Eater Comments]

Introducing the future home of Anchor and Hope.

The third restaurant from the trio behind the uber-successful tandem of Town Hall and Salt House (Mitch Rosenthal, Steven Rosenthal and Doug Washington) has been rumored for some time now, both here and elsewhere. Today, the Chronicle broke some juicy tidbits on 83 Minna, the empty space that will house Anchor and Hope come spring 2008:

1) Hope/Good News: It will be in a gutted 100-year-old warehouse behind Salt House. Proximity and historic buildings always a plus.

2) Anchor/Nervous News: It will be "a California/urban fish shack" with "dishes with Asian flavors, a style that's different from the trio's other two spots." What have we learned about fusion, people?

Town Hall's got themselves a signature dish. [Photo: Flickr/LFL16]

· Five Great Signature Dishes From San Francisco Restaurants [SFM]
· Local Restaurants Hopping Aboard the Lounge Bandwagon [Chron]
· Pim Plays Judge on The Next Iron Chef [CP]
· Cosentino's Favorite Fall Ingredients: Game Birds [AP]
· What Really Counts As "Local" Food? [NYP]
· French Laundry Pastry Chef Drops Cook Book [SJMN]
· Did Chez Panisse and Zuni Turn Off the Wood-Ovens Last Night? [SFist]