Brandon Jew Opening a Restaurant in Chinatown

After leaving Bar Agricole earlier this year, Brandon Jew announced that he was planning on opening his own Chinese restaurant, with an emphasis on seasonal ingredients and handmade staples like soy sauce, tofu, and bean pastes. Now, he's announced a somewhat unexpected location for the project: Chinatown. As the SF Business Times reports, a group of Chinatown locals are trying to breathe new life into the neighborhood, which has long struggled with high retail turnover and disinterest from younger locals in the surrounding areas. Their hope is that Jew will attract "the young Asian crowd and all the techies that are just down the block."

Jew's still-unnamed project will be housed in the former Four Seas Restaurant, which had held the space for 35 years and whose owners wanted an out. Landlord Betty Louie, who owns China Bazaar, decided that it was time for a fresh face, and encouraged Jew to take on the project. Jew's intention is to make the new eatery "lighthearted and casual," with Chinese vegetables grown by local farms and no imported ingredients. Louie is encouraged: "I think this restaurant will be revolutionary to Chinatown." Opening is still some time away, with a projected target of early 2015.

· Brandon Jew addresses Chinatown's lack of good Chinese food [SFBT]
· Brandon Jew Leaving Bar Agricole [~ ESF ~]
· Brandon Jew's Off-the-Beaten-Track Chinese Food Picks [~ ESF ~]