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The Scandinavian Designs interior of Coco500 [Photo: Yelp/Aaron S]
Leading off the festivities, we have Paul Reidinger visiting Loretta Keller's Coco500, where he muses on its predecessor Bizou, the pre-ballpark days of SoMa and the interior design of the trendy Coco500:
I went in warily, full of skepticism, and was almost instantly won over, and that is about the loudest hallelujah I can sing for any restaurant, reinvented or otherwise.Despite the disconnect between Californian cuisine and a sauna, Reidinger praises the seasonal fare at Coco500 in every way imaginable, from flatbread crust "that could not be better" to "extraordinary" sides. [SFBG]Most of Coco500's magic has to do with the food and the service, it must be said. The redesign of the interior emphasizes blond wood and is reminiscent of a Scandinavian Designs store or a sauna, and while there's nothing wrong with the Danish modern look, it doesn't exactly send the most accurate subliminal signals about what sort of food to expect
Pinch-hitting for Meredith Brody at SF Weekly is Robert Lauriston, who takes to the Inner Richmond's Turkish representative, Troya, which he describes as the Turkish version of Aziza: "Troya (the Turkish name for the city of Troy), a pretty restaurant on the corner of Clement and Fifth Avenue, started out as your basic kebab shop, but a few months ago chef Randy Gannaway took over the kitchen and developed a more sophisticated and creative menu ... Troya is currently an undiscovered gem; on both my visits, the place was almost empty. This ought to change when word gets around." [SFW]
The sole review from the Chronicle front comes from Mandy Erickson's excursion to the far reaches of San Ramon, where she has the standard two stars for a standard dim sum spot called Pearl Garden: "Pearl Garden looks like a basic Chinese restaurant, with tables generously spaced inside a boxy white-walled room dotted with plants and brightly colored paintings and fans. But the fish tanks stacked up against one wall are a sign that this restaurant offers a better-than-average experience." [Chron]
Aleta Watson goes to Cetrella and has 3.5 stars for the overhauled Half Moon Bay gem: "With former Cetrella Chef de Cuisine Robert Holt now at the helm, the kitchen is still turning out memorable Mediterranean-themed food based on top notch, often local ingredients. Flavors are bright, skewed a little more today to the vivid spices that Holt favors: cumin, coriander, smoked paprika and harissa ... there's no question dinner at Cetrella is still worth the drive to Half Moon Bay." [SJMN]
It's not a review per se, but Paul Reidinger also takes a moment to wax poetic and make predictions with regards to the arrival of Kuletoville on the Embarcadero: "What was an urban wilderland is now a glossy district both commercial and residential, a crown for the city, with a couple of gaudy new jewels. Like all view restaurants, Epic Roasthouse is bound to attract tourists, both out-of-towners and suburbanites, but it also stands to develop a city constituency." [SFBG]
ELSEWHERE: Sam at Becks & Posh shares her experience at Piperade, Katy St. Clair gets nostalgic for industry partying at Laiola, the Daily Feed goes to Serpentine, and Chef Ben is at B Restaurant in Oakland.
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