Two SF Chefs Competing on Food Network’s ‘Sexiest Man Alive’

Yes, they made it into a TV show

San Francisco chefs Deuki Hong and Louis Maldonado are competing in a new, one-hour Food Network special, People Magazine: Sexiest Chef Alive. Hong is the owner and executive chef of Sunday Hospitality Group — and a 2015 Eater Young Gun — and former Top Chef contestant Maldonado is executive chef at Mourad Lahlou’s yet-to-open Moorish-Mexican restaurant Amara. They’re up against eight other chefs, and while it’s not immediately clear how one of them will actually earn the sexy title, the winner gets featured in People’s annual Sexiest Man Alive issue. It airs Thursday, November 8, at 8 p.m.

Where everything is a trio

Flights Mountain View is now open at 800 California Street, Suite 100, following locations in Burlingame, Los Gatos, and Campbell. The Flights gimmick is that everything is served in a flight of three. Order mac ‘n’ cheese and you’re getting classic, truffle, and bacon versions. Pizza arrives as three different mini pizzas. That trend carries over for dessert, beer, and even cocktails.

Ready for a refresh

Menlo Grill, the restaurant inside the Stanford Park Hotel in Menlo Park, has temporarily closed for a rebrand. The owner is bringing in a new chef and bar manager, renaming the restaurant Menlo Tavern, and redesigning the space so the bar, dining room, and patio areas carry distinct atmospheres. When it reopens in January, Menlo Tavern will serve classic American food.

Watch children eat better than you

KQED’s Check, Please! Bay Area is launching a kids spinoff, with critics ages 10 to 14 visiting local restaurants like Art’s Cafe in SF, Perle Wine Bar in Oakland, and Marin Joe’s in Corte Madera. Apparently a 10-year-old critic’s favorite foods are Russian caviar and beef tartare, so maybe this is actually intended for playful hate watching. The four-part special premieres Thursday, November 29, at 7:30 p.m.

A closure in the Castro

Illy Caffè at 2349 Market Street permanently closed over the weekend. The Italian chain’s Financial District locations remain open.