MINT PLAZA—If it ever opens, not only will Mint Plaza's Blue Bottle Cafe serve one of the best cups of coffee in the city, it will also serve a taste of vino and/or other adult beverages. Presumably, they are aiming for a true cafe-type feel that lingers into the evening; the liquor license application can be viewed here. Bonus sarcasm from the Blue Bottle folks' website: "Some time between Thanksgiving 2007 and the closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games, we will be opening our first cafe! We will be opening on a formerly pee-smelling alley on the corner of Mint and Jessie in downtown San Francisco now excitingly called Mint Plaza." Pee-smelling? But C.W. Nevius said it was defecation! Now we don't know what to think. [EaterWire, ABC, Official Site]
BERKELEY—What's this? A foray into the East Bay? Well, beloved ice cream destination Sketch is taking a couple weeks off from the grind, so we thought we'd warn any potential goers. The good news is that they should be back scoopin' soon. As always, the Chowhounds are on it: "Just some basic maintenance and upkeep - redoing the floor and some of the plumbing, etc. Shouldn't have any impact on their products. I believe they reopen on the 21st or 22nd." [Chowhound]
