Skenes Explains SeatMe Partnership, Wo-Hing Tiki Night

COMING ATTRACTIONS - Wo-Hing General Store bartender Brooke Arthur is bringing Smuggler's Cove's Martin Cate into the house on Monday night for a tiki celebration fest from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Naturally, chef Michelle Mah will be in the kitchen firing pu pu platters for $16-20—full of Dungeness crab rangoon, Kahlua pig with clamshell buns and the like. Reservations are recommended. [EaterWire]

RICH PEOPLE THINGS - In response to critics of Saison's newly adopted SeatMe pre-paid reservation system, Josh Skenes plants an explanation with Inside Scoop: "If anyone was to take a look inside the workings of the Saison kitchen, they’d see our food costs are very high, much more than almost any other restaurant in America, save a few. My concern is quality...We’re in the middle of a lot of forward momentum. I think the goal is to make it a genuine expression of what is a real restaurant, not a business." [ISSF]

RICH PEOPLE THINGS EXTRA - A few miles north of Saison, Christopher Kostow's team is gearing up to reopen at Meadowood where Bloomberg brings word of a new option: a $500 "15-20-course 'counter menu' [that] will include tax and gratuities...Wine is extra." Kostow explains: “The increased length allows for a more rhythmic meal; more space for textural, temperature, flavor interplays and juxtapositions; more time for conversation between us and the guest.” [Bloomberg]

UNION SQUARE - As Gold Dust Lounge heads towards an eviction this month, its defenders still haven't given up. Their latest stunt is a “Sing-A-Long for Willie Brown” to be held on Friday night to honor the former Mayor for his support of the bar. You can also download the song for 99 cents on the Gold Dust Lounge website. [Examiner]