[Photos: Patricia Chang]
The transformation of the Haight's Red Vic Movie House is officially complete, and the new space is set to debut as the Second Act Marketplace, a food stall and events space inside the now-defunct theater. Opening softly over the weekend and officially on Monday, Second Act is designed to serve as a neighborhood hub, offering coffee, juice and food options alongside book readings, film screening, shows and more. Betsy and Jack Rix, who were part-owners of the original Red Vic, are behind the metamorphosis, which brings five food vendors to the new space.
Up front in a window spot is High Cotton Kitchen, a lunch spot with both a New Orleans and New Mexico inflection. Louisiana native and former CIA instructor Terrell Brunet is behind "High Levee," a changing menu of gumbo, red beans and rice, po' boys and salads, and New Mexico-born cook Cailen Sutherland heads up "High Desert," the southwest-inspired menu. Beauty's Bagels, Meetinghouse biscuits and Sightglass coffee will all be available for early birds starting at 7am, with the baked goods a crossover from Brunet's second stall, Community Craft.
Community Craft is a cooperative bakery that's a team effort from Brunet and Bar Tartine alum Neely Thomas, and they've got an impressive lineup that will cover everything from pies, gluten-free bread, challah and cookies to cakes, trifles and more. Baked goods will come from Bread SRSLY, Park Bench, Ebb's Bakery, Butter Water Salt Flour and more, plus the aforementioned and much-loved Beauty's Bagels.
In the other window spot is RAW, a juice bar by 20-year mixology veteran Elyse Thogerson that will offer an array of organic fresh-squeezed fruit and vegetable juices, plus one-to-five-day cleanses and a popular almond milk. Also in the marketplace mix is Anda Piroshki, a second location of Anna Tvelova's piroshki, borscht, and kompot outlet, and Spice Hound, a new location of Tammy Tan's exotic spice shop.
The Red Vic's landmark status in the Upper Haight leaves big shoes to fill, but Second Act hopes its community-minded vendors and events will be embraced by locals who feared for the space's fate when the movie house closed back in 2011. A much-needed expansion of neighboring cocktail spot Alembic's kitchen is another notable benefit to the new digs.
Starting Monday, hours for the different stalls will vary slightly, but look for High Cotton to be open for 7am to 7pm, Community Craft from 11am to 7pm, RAW from 8:30am to 6pm, and Anda Piroshki and Spice Hound from 11am to 6pm.
· A First Look at Second Act Marketplace and Events [Tablehopper]
· All Second Act Marketplace Updates [~ ESF ~]
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