Butter Mochi Edibles Are Coming, and More A.M. Intel

Namu Gaji chef Dennis Lee is planning an empire, which includes edibles

Chef/owner Dennis Lee is not only planning a new restaurant on Divisadero, Namu Stonepot, but he’s got an empire in mind. That includes three new restaurants between now and next fall, including Namu Noodle in Dogpatch, and five locations of Namu Stonepot in the Bay area within the next six years. He’s also planning a business producing cannabis food, like butter mochi and mini chocolate chip cookies, for sale via delivery and at dispensaries.

Black Cat has signed on a new chef

After opening in July, Black Cat has received mixed reviews from the critics, all of whom lauded the swanky decor and jazz scene but weren’t so sold on the menu. Now comes the chef shuffle, as Alicia Jenish-McCarron (Kitchit, Gitane, Grand Cafe) takes the reigns of executive chef from Ryan Cantwell (Zuni, Chez Panisse). There’s a full menu relaunch planned for mid-January; in the meantime, Jenish-McCarron is just trying to get through the crush of the holidays in a new kitchen.

SF Beer Week 2017 schedule is now live

Prepare for an entire week of all things beer, with the schedule for 2017’s festivities now live. There are more events being added each day, but for now take a gander at the lineup which includes releases of rare beers, dinners, workshops, tap takeovers and more from local brewers and out-of-town guests. The “week” goes from February 10-19, and kicks off with an opening gala. More info here.

Wise Sons heads South for a pop-up

In a throwback to their own pop-up days, Wise Sons is hitting the road for a collaboration with Genghis Cohen, the LA “NYC-style Chinese” restaurant. On December 17, the two entities will put out a menu of Chinese-Jewish delicacies, like Bubbie’s chopped liver and shmaltz toast, a seasonal veggie plate with smoked trout salad and bagel chips, ad Chinese chicken salad, as an homage to LA. It’s $40 per person, and tickets are available on OpenTable.

Ristobar is taking a little break

The Italian restaurant from Gary Rulli has closed its doors temporarily for construction, a retrofitting project Rulli says will last for a few weeks. Originally, Rulli planned to close in January but staffing was such an issue that he closed shop early. At the moment, Rulli plans to reopen toward the end of February, but stay tuned; we all know nothing goes as planned in this city.