SOMA's Radius Space Becoming El Capitan, A Latin-Caribbean Restaurant

After announcing earlier this month that his five-year-old SOMA restaurant-cafe duo, Radius, would close at February's end, owner Jon Whitehead is ready to move into an entirely new era by transforming the restaurant half of the project into El Capitan, a Latin-Caribbean spot. With an emphasis on small plates and large-format entrees, as well as plans for full liquor and cocktails, it'll be a more casual affair than the fine dining-oriented Radius, with a livelier vibe.

To run the kitchen, Whitehead has brought in Mark Furr, a 20-year industry veteran who's done everything from running hotel kitchens to working as a sushi chef to spearheading his own BBQ business. (His most recent gig was heading up the food offerings at Excelsior bar Broken Record.) Furr will focus primarily on small plates like ceviche, grilled octopus, and frybread tacos, along with a few larger-format offerings for groups, like whole fish and suckling pig.

The plan is for El Capitan to do a quick remodel to add additional bar seating and a dozen draft beer lines, then open in the second week of March. They'll launch with sangria pitchers and loophole cocktails, and that full liquor license should come down the pike later in the spring. Meanwhile, the next-door cafe component is being rebranded as Carafe and will reopen this Monday, March 2nd, with more healthy options (like juices and acai bowls) for the daytime crowd and an increased wine-bar focus, as well as cheese and charcuterie plates, at night.