Make Way for Blocks of Fresh Tofu and Banchan at This New Korean Deli in Oakland

Welcome to p.m. Intel, your bite-sized roundup of Bay Area food and restaurant news. Tips are always welcome, drop them here.

• For anyone in the Bay Area who may operate under the misguided belief that all tofu is created equal, chef Steve Joo will soon provide an opportunity to learn otherwise. Joo, known for his pop-up Nokni, is opening Joodooboo, a Korean deli focused on tofu and banchan, reports the SF Chronicle. The tofu-driven business is a longtime dream for Joo, who intended to put his tofu-making skills to use at a restaurant version of Nokni, plans that were derailed by the pandemic. Now, with the Kebabery leaving its Market Street digs for a new address two miles north, Joo’s dream is coming to life, complete with an imported tofu machine from Korea. Joodooboo, which will serve simple lunch and dinner items in addition to blocks of tofu and banchan, is expected to open in October at 4201 Market Street. [SF Chronicle]

• A new ramen house is set to land in SoMa, but it won’t look like your typical neighborhood joint: Erik Sun will soon open Pursuit, a ramen bar and restaurant with a $60,000 noodle machine from Japan at the heart of the operation. It’s the first San Francisco restaurant for the Los Angeles restaurateur, who first plotted to open two SoMa restaurants back in 2016. At the 15-seat ramen bar Sun aims to center Japanese noodles in the way Italian restaurant showcase different types of pasta, with the other side of the restaurant devoted to yakiniku, or Japanese barbecue featuring rare cuts of meat, served in a 45-seat space. Pursuit is expected to open at 715 Brannan Street in late summer or early fall, reports the SF Chronicle. [SF Chronicle]
• Uber is expanding grocery delivery to 400 cities, including in San Francisco, where delivery from Safeway, Andronico’s, Walgreen’s, and more is now available, reports the Verge, thanks to a new partnership with Alberston’s, the parent company of more than a dozen grocery brands. [The Verge]
• In what has become an increasingly common, and oftentimes successful, last-ditch effort to save struggling bars and restaurants, 54-year-old Mission District Irish bar Dovre Club is hoping to hang on to its address via a GoFundMe campaign, reports SFist. The Reopen The Dovre Club GoFundMe campaign is more than halfway to its $30,000 goal; owner Elvis McElhatton says he’ll even consider taking credit cards if he’s able to reopen Dovre Club. [SFist]
• Four more Northern California counties are recommending wearing masks inside, even for those who are fully vaccinated, joining a coalition of seven Bay Area counties who announced the same last week. Napa, Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito issued a joint statement Monday recommending mask usage in public indoor spaces like grocery stores, retail shops, restaurants, and bars, but, like the other Bay Area counties, stopped short of a mandate. [KCRA]