George Chen Plots Restaurant and Chinese Marketplace

Upscale Chinese may be on the upswing these days, with news that George Chen, the restaurateur behind Betelnut and the shuttered Shanghai 1930, is behind a new project at the former dim sum emporium Gold Mountain (644 Broadway). Inside Scoop brings word that the 20,000 square foot ground-floor space is the site of China Live, a planned Chinese food marketplace (a la Italy's Eataly) complete with a food court, grocery retail, cooking demos and more. A typical Bay Area focus on local, sustainable and high-quality ingredients will characterize the new marketplace, but hands-on service and prices will be designed to lure neighborhood shoppers to the new spot.

In addition to the massive ground floor space, Chen plans an intimate upstairs restaurant called Eight Tables, which he envisions as an upscale experience akin to a "French Laundry of Chinese food." With a chef from Shanghai already in mind, Chen is hoping to open the market and restaurant before the end of 2014. But wait, there's more: if all goes according to plan this year, a roof garden will be en route in 2015, complete with a 360-degree view of the city.

· China Live and Eight Tables take shape on Broadway [Inside Scoop]
· All Betelnut news [~ ESF ~]
· Leader House Headed to Payne Mansion [ ~ ESF ~]