Bay Area Wing of East Coast Chickery Chain Set to Open

DC’s Chickery shacks up in Palo Alto next month

The first California location of the DC-based chicken sandwich restaurant The Chickery will open in Palo alto at 3850 El Camino Real by the end of January. It’s popular for its sandwiches and dishes like “RFC,” rotisserie chicken that’s then flash-fried for a crisp, and it’s backed by Fransmart, a franchise developer that helped Five Guys Burgers & Fries and Qdoba Mexican Grill expand.

Toast with champagne sherbet floats

Champagne bar The Riddler hosts unusual ice cream purveyor Salt & Straw for an evening of boozy bubbles: Orange Bergamot Sherbet Champagne Floats for $12 a pop. They’re made with orange sherbet from fresh-squeezed OJ, bergamot for “a bit of floral funk,” and a pinch of sea salt, and they’re paired with Kreinbacher Brut Prestige, a champagne method sparkling wine from Hungary. Floats available from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. while they last.

Dickensian Cocktails at Bluestem Brasserie

Downtown restaurant Blustem Brasserie is toasting to Charles Dickens this holiday season with a new cocktail menu from co-owner Adam Jed and bar manager Jenna Carlson. Drink your literature with concoctions like the Ghost of Christmas Past (whiskey, rosemary-cranberry syrup, mint, and more rosemary and cranberry), the Fezziwig (early grey infused gin, honey, lemon and champagne), or the Nicholas Nickleby (sherry, brandy, cider, and soda water).

La Boulangerie on investment tear

After investing in Loving Cup Frozen Yogurt to help the brand expand to many more locations, La Boulangerie is now investing in From Roy, a panettone maker whose product is sold online and by Williams-Sonoma.

Soylent CEO steps down

The CEO of Soylent, Silicon Valley’s answer to the meal-replacement beverage Ensure, is stepping down. Rob Rhinehart is letting Bryan Crowley, who has worked with brands like Pabst Brewing Company and Mars, take over the company as CEO, giving him time for more liquid meals with his family.

City will buy Haight Street McDonald’s for $15.5 million

To remove a troublesome property and create affordable housing, the City of San Francisco will indeed buy the Haight and Stanyan McDonald’s at the edge of Golden Gate Park for $15.5 million, which is supposedly several million below market value.