Paragon Closes Suddenly After More Than 20 Years

Paragon is gone

Paragon’s long run in San Francisco has come to an end. The restaurant was opened in 1991 in the Marina and moved to 701 Second Street in 2000, in view of the ballpark, which was finished that year. “Thank you for your patronage over the years!” reads a note on Paragon’s website. The closure went into effect last Friday. “It has been our pleasure to serve and be a part of the vibrant fabric of SOMA and the city of San Francisco. We truly appreciate your support.” Paragon maintains a restaurant in Portland and was owned by the large Moana Restaurant Group, who operate Piatti Italian Restaurants from Mill Valley to San Antonio along with other restaurants.

Lagunitas cancels beer circus amid North Bay fire fallout

Petaluma-based brewery Lagunitas is giving refunds to customers who bought tickets to their annual Beer Circus event this year, which was to be held this Saturday. It’s a reminder that the effects of fires on the North Bay community are far from finished, even as the flames themselves are increasingly contained. The cancellation call was made “due to the continued public health and safety concerns caused by the Northern CA fires,” representatives write. Those who can afford to donate the price of their tickets to the Redwood Empire Foodbank are encouraged to do so.

Fifth Quarter is now open for meat in Montclair

Sustainable meat and charcuterie items are now for sale at 6464 Moraga Avenue in Oakland’s Montclair neighborhood. That’s the address for Fifth Quarter, a new shop owned by Scott Brennan, who learned the trade at Cafe Rouge, the Bay Area butchery pioneer that closed last year after two decades in business. Fifth Quarter now serves pâtés, meatballs, bacon, and prepared foods, and will eventually add Brennan’s popular homemade hot dogs to the mix.

Top Chef judge Gail Simmons hosts Rich Table Cocktail party

Gail Simmons, known to fans of Bravo programming as a permanent judge on Top Chef, is coming to town on November 1 to promote her first cookbook, Bringing It Home. She’ll host a cocktail party at Rich Table, with bites inspired by her book and prosecco poured all night.

Auntie April’s enters expansion mode in the Bayview

April Spears, who runs the popular Auntie April’s soul food restaurant on Third Street, has secured a space at 1701 Yosemite Street to open a new business she plans to call Cafe Envy. Spears has applied for a type 87 liquor license, one of the new license being distributed to certain outlying SF neighborhood business corridors.