Swanky Steakhouse Selby’s Reopens Next Week with Caviar Service and Black Truffles

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Selby’s, the luxe and ivy-covered Peninsula restaurant from the Spruce team, will reopen its doors after a long closure on Tuesday, September 7, serving a three-course menu for $65. Count on a wedge salad and tuna tartare, as well as chicken parmigiana, poached Atlantic salmon, and a bone-in pork chop. Those looking to ball out a little bit can also anticipate specialty items including beef Wellington, lobster vol-au-vent, and caviar service.

The Bacchus team’s stylish dinner spot debuted in July 2019, closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 shutdown, then reopened briefly before ultimately closing again in October 2020. Now the ritzy restaurant will resume indoor dining from 5 to 9 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Reservations are encouraged, though walk-ins are welcome. Bar and lounge seating will be first-come, first-served.

Ed Anderson/Selby’s

Ed Anderson/Selby’s

Ed Anderson/Selby’s

• Wine country music festival BottleRock is going down this weekend in downtown Napa and the food and drink lineup is finally here. We’ll have a more in-depth guide to the don’t-miss offerings later this week, but here’s a quick rundown of some of the highlights: Mustards Grill, Loveski (the Jewish deli from Christopher and Martina Kostow that’s scheduled to open at Oxbow Public Market later this year), Bouchon Bakery, Boon Fly Café, Oakville Grocery, El Porteño Empanadas, Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream, Johnny Doughnuts, Buckhorn BBQ Truck, Nash & Proper, and Bling Bling Dumpling.
• Chef Melissa Perello’s Frances celebrated its tenth anniversary in early 2020 — as in, before COVID-19 changed the world and the restaurant closed its doors due to the pandemic. It’s yet to reopen (though Michelin-starred sister spot Octavia is back), but Perello is making moves: she announced plans for a series of pop-up dinners starting Friday, September 17. The dinners will run Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights from 5:00 p.m. on and will feature multi-course prix-fixe menus that will change regularly. Tickets cost $110 per person and can be purchased on the Frances website.
• The San Francisco Business Times reports restaurant owners are still struggling to pay rent this summer — and at higher rates than business owners in other industries. Per the Business Times, a new survey found “45% of restaurant owners could not pay their August rent on time or in full, up from 40% in July.” Troublingly, businesses owned by people of color are disproportionately impacted with about 52 percent saying they struggled with rent last this month. [SF Business Times]
• And finally, the San Francisco Chronicle turned the figurative mic over to Shingis Kudaibergen, a graduate student at UC Berkeley, who penned a column in defense of eating horsemeat. Kudaibergen is from “far Kazakhstan,” per the Chron, where equine meat is “the core” of the country’s national cuisine. [SF Chronicle]