Downtown Napa Bar Shooting Injures Two

Two men were shot in a brawl at Downtown Joe’s Brew Pub

Downtown Joe’s Brew Pub, a popular bar in downtown Napa, was the site of a double shooting Friday after two groups of people reportedly engaged in a vociferous dispute. The scrum spilled out of the bar, KPIX reports, ending in a shooting just outside the venue in which two men were injured. Both are expected to recover, the Napa Valley Register reports. At last report, no arrests had been made in the incident, and police are still seeking the alleged shooter.

Bay Area’s first spizzicheria opens next year in Berkeley

Casa Barotti, a cafe that promises “authentic Italian street food,” will open mid-February on Berkeley’s College Avenue, Berkeleyside reports. Expect fresh-baked focaccia, fried mini calzones, and farinata (a Genoan chickpea-flour cake). “Spizzicheria” means “little munches” or “casual bites,” so expect a grab-and-go or communal seating experience when the 1,200-square-foot spot opens its doors.

Financial woes forced Haight Street institution Blue Front Cafe to cut almost all its staff

Blue Front Cafe, which has operated at 1430 Haight Street since 1961, has slashed its staff of 10 people to two — both cooks who also clean the restaurant, as Hoodline reports. Co-owner Hani Khouri says that the huge cut taken by delivery apps (30 percent, Khouri says) has decimated his margins, and now the restaurant will only be open when one of the cooks can be there. “When we’re open, we’re open,” he says. “You can buy something if the door’s unlocked.”

Los Gatos fresh pasta standby moves to larger spot nearby

The Pastaria & Market, a 24-year fresh pasta mainstay, has reopened in a larger space just three blocks away from its original site, the Mercury News reports. The restaurant was mostly known for offering its fresh pasta and other dinner ingredients as a takeout option for busy home cooks, but the new digs come with a much larger dining room where guests can enjoy Pastaria classics like the “Primadonna” (a fettuccine that’s “packed with prawns, pancetta, spinach, sundried tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and garlic,” per the Merc). “We’re really going to step up our game a bit,” co-owner Donna Novi says.

Soda Rock Winery continues to host wine tastings as it rebuilds after the Kincade Fire

Photos of the Alexander Valley’s Soda Rock Winery completely engulfed in flames were some of the most harrowing and memorable images from Sonoma County’s recent Kincade Fire disaster. But, as KPIX reports, not all was lost for the venerable winery, which has continued to host daily wine tastings, from 11 a.m.–4 p.m., out of the old barn on site that survived the fire. And even better news: Because grapes had already been harvested before the fire, the winery’s 2020 vintage shouldn’t be affected.