PLÄJ Plans Counter-Service Restaurant for Swedish Kebabs and Street Food

Stockhome, from PLÄJ owners, opening in Petaluma

PLÄJ founders Andrea Sundell and chef Roberth Sundell are preparing a new, Swedish street food-inspired restaurant for Petaluma, where they live. The counter-service eatery at 220 Western Avenue, which they’ll call Stockhome, opens early next year for the kinds of popular food found in Sweden, much of it with Turkish influences, like kebab plates, lamb and beef shawarma, fattoush, and tabbouleh. They’ll also serve desserts like Turkish delight and, for the kids, bulk, mix-and-match Swedish candy known as Lördagsgodis.

Trader Vic’s Emeryville toasts founder with $1210 Rum old fashioned

Trader Vic’s in Emeryville, one of the still-standing tiki temples created by Vic Bergeron, is selling 12 extremely expensive cocktails on what would be his 115th birthday, December 10th. The drink, made with Appleton Estate’s 50-year-old rum, is billed as his favorite. To remember your purchase of a $1,210 drink, as if you could forget, customers keep the commemorative, custom gold etched glassware.

Copper Spoon’s late night happy hour

From 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., Oakland’s Copper Spoon has a new menu of late night happy hour food including steamed artichokes, kale salad, fried chicken wings, and “whatever tempura” of brassicas squash and mixed market veggies. During the happy hour, well drinks and some draft beers are $5.

Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago

Chicago Wow Bao opens with Eatsa technology

SF-based automat restaurant Eatsa scaled back its retail operations in October, closing NY, DC, and Berkeley locations reportedly to focus on its underlying technology. That involves customers ordering on iPads and waiting for lockers to announce their food is ready with zero human interaction. Now a location of Wow Bao, a bun and bowl restaurant from the Chicago restaurant empire Lettuce Entertain You, is open with Eatsa’s technology firmly in place.

Drake’s Dealership does brunch

Drake’s Dealership, an indoor-outdoor beer garden off Broadway in Uptown Oakland, is entering the brunch game with beers in hand. Saturday and Sunday brunch service from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. just started with beer mimosas (beermosas), Belgian waffles with an option for duck confit, an “obligatory yogurt bowl” with PB&J granola.

Mijita

Traci Des Jardins’ Christmas tamales

Des Jardins, who was SF Eater’s People’s Choice for Chef of the Year, is cooking her traditional Christmas eve tamales all month at Mijita, her Mexican restaurant in the Ferry Building. Two options, roasted pork and grilled poblano peppers with Oaxacan cheese, can be ordered ahead online.

Gather introduces new menu under chef Anthony Lee

Previously executive chef at Daniel Patterson’s Alta, Anthony Lee took over the reigns at 8-year-old Berkeley restaurant Gather this fall. He’s now put his spin on the dinner and bar food menus, with a weekly-changing pizza special, a half duck special for two, and at the bar, an adult happy meal that’s a burger and fries plus a beer and a shot for $20

Bay Area chefs compete on Top Chef, Bar Crudo chef eliminated

Speaking of Gather, their former executive chef Tu David Phu is competing on Top Chef this season including against other Bay Area chefs Tanya Holland of Brown Sugar Kitchen and Melissa Perfit of Bar Crudo. Phu won immunity this round, but Perfit was the first chef to be eliminated.