All restaurant and bar openings, big and small, are served up on a regular basis via The Dish. If you notice a recent opening, please do drop us a line. Jennifer Yin, 3/27/08
1) Lower Haight: Even though it seems like years ago that The Yin sneaked into Uva Enoteca for her exclusive little preview, tonight finally marks the debut for Boris Nemchenok and Ben Hetzel's Italian spot. Inspired by New York Italian heavies like 'inoteca and Batali's Otto, Uva will trot out antipasti, cheeses, salumi, pizza and the like, everyday from 5pm-12am, plus daytime hours on the weekends. Is the lower Haight rising? 568 Haight Street, near Steiner Street; (415) 829-2024; website [EaterWire]
With a pair of wine bars/enotecas on the horizon, we can't help but juxtapose the two. One is a project of two young guys embracing modern Italian cuisine, the other by an older restaurateur who has over 30 endeavors under her belt, many of which play the role of red-sauce Ital-American joints. To the tracking.
1) Lower Haight: We've already taken a sneak peek inside Uva Enoteca, courtesy of The Yin. Now, the big plywood exterior is finally down at Uva, revealing a small but slick facade. Predicting an opening is always like hitting a moving target, but co-owners Boris Nemchenok and Ben Hetzel are hoping to debut in about two weeks, even though the interior is complete. Current due date: Thursday, April 24th.
2) Cow Hollow: The paper is down at Luisa Hanson's La Vinoteca, and according to Ms. Hanson herself, La Vinoteca will open in two days' time. All licenses have apparently been procured, and looking inside, the place does indeed appear ready to roll out. The layout is essentially the same as SkipJack Sushi, but with different furniture and some new wine racks. Current due date: Thursday, April 10th.
Even though Uva Enoteca isn't scheduled to open for another few weeks, the interior is pretty much ready to go. As the brainchild of Batali vet Boris Nemchenok and Ben Hetzel (Dining Room at the Ritz), the casual Italian eatery/wine bar will feature an all-day menu of panini and antipasti, along with a wine list that will eventually surpass 200. Last we checked, the entire place is still behind psychedelic plywood, but for your visual enjoyment, The Yin managed to get inside for a little preview. Uva Enoteca's 49-seat space comes in several parts, all showcased above. Upon entering from Haight Street, it's easy to see how the place was inspired by 'inoteca; there's a small lounge area with banquette seating and several two-tops. Moving deeper into the room, you pass a marble bar en route to the brick-walled dining room in the rear. For a compare/contrast, check out the December photos to behold the three-month evolution of a restaurant space.
Uva Enoteca Wine Bars, Batali Vets, Brick in the Wall
568 Haight Street, Lower Haight; (415) 829-2024 Opening in April; website
The buzz continues to heat up surrounding Uva Enoteca, the Haight Street Italian eatery/wine bar due to arrive in a few short weeks. The latest has Uva partner—and Batali vet—Boris Nemchenok doing an interview interview with 7x7, where he dishes on what it was like to work under Molto Mario at Otto ("It was a little different because of the media aspect—I'd start my mornings working with the PR team and prepping the staff on the day's visitors ... Then we'd get cooking.") and the role he envisions Uva playing in the local dining scene: "We want an all day eatery, where people can come have panini and antipasti or an espresso or a glass of wine any time of day until midnight." More on Uva can be had here. [Bits + Bites]
While North Beach continues to shoot down prospective businesses, nearly every other neighborhood seems to be amending their various decades-old bans on opening new restaurants. The latest commercial strip to modernize its stance on the outdated mandate is the Haight-Ashbury:
New restaurants might be allowed to open later this year in the Haight-Ashbury, after planning commissioners for the third time in eight months agreed to tweak a San Francisco neighborhood's decades-old restaurant moratorium. The Planning Commission voted unanimously and without debate last week to allow as many as four new alcohol-serving restaurants to open along a six-block strip of Haight Street east of Golden Gate Park or in nearby streets
Uva Enoteca won't be arriving until late spring 2007 (March/April is the preliminary aim), but we couldn't resist the opportunity to go beyond the bunnies—since replaced by butterflies, FYI—and take a look inside. Since the former occupant abandoned the 568 Haight Street space following a fire some years ago, Batali-vet Boris Nemchenok and Dining Room at the Ritz-vet Ben Hetzel have the opportunity to build their little Italian enoteca/wine bar from scratch.
Right next to Memphis Minnie's, the space at 568 Haight has been plywooded up for some time now with little action, but things have been afoot lately in the Haight. At long last, the folks at Uva have treaded the always-enjoyable San Francisco restaurant permit process and work has begun on the lower Haight's upcoming enoteca/wine bar. For those of you who don't have Uva on your radar, its pedigree is worth note:
Partners Boris Nemchenok, who worked in Mario Batali's Italian restaurant empire in New York, and Ben Hetzel, who will be chef after working at the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton, are shooting for an opening in late March or early April.
Also involved in the project is Hetzel's wife, who just happens to be local cocktail guru Camber Lay, the woman whose work has been tasted at Rye, Frisson, Laiola and more. And no, we have no idea if the creepy one-eyed bunnies shall be gracing the plywood in the new year.
· Plywood Report: Uva [~ESF~]
· The Inside Scoop: Global small-plates restaurant planned for Oakland [Chron]
And now, the Plywood Report, your source for all the latest news, dirt (today, quite literally) and rumors on the city's mass of unopened restaurants. As always, your sightings to sf@eater.com.
La Parilla Grill on 24th. Photo: a Mission Tipster
1) The Mission: Along with some similar ones added to the Eater Flickr Pool, the above photo of a very cavernous La Parilla Grill (3135 24th Street near Folsom) appeared in the Eater Inbox over the weekend, with the following note affixed: "not the trendiest of area tho who doesn't love philz. looks huge, attached 4 pix" [PLYWOOD]
2) Financial District: For those wondering about the giant Amber India logo plywood right on the south side of Market Street, it will be the fourth location of the South Bay upscale Indian chain. In terms of offering modern interpretations of the cuisine, will be most similar to the Santana Row location. Unfortunately, the Amber people have been finding the red tape significantly more difficult in San Francisco than down south. Original opening was slated for October 1st; their fingers are now crossed for Christmas. [PLYWOOD]
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