Prolific Restaurateur Behind Wildseed and Beretta Plots Massive New Hayes Valley Project

As the face behind such popular restaurants as Beretta, Super Duper Burger, and Wildseed, Adriano Paganini is no stranger to turning heads in the San Francisco restaurant game. Now, according to the San Francisco Business Times, he’s about to do it again. Paganini has confirmed his restaurant group Back of the House will open a new restaurant at ​​301 Hayes Street, taking over a 3,351-square-foot location that’s stood empty in Hayes Valley since the Grove closed in early 2020.

Though his ultra-popular vegan restaurant Wildseed, which first debuted in Cow Hollow in 2019, recently opened a second location in Palo Alto, Paganini says this project is an original concept. This business will be fast-casual, unlike the full-service model at Cow Hollow’s Wildseed restaurant. It’ll also be an expansion into a neighborhood with the company is well familiar: a Mano and the Bird, both on Hayes Street, are also Paganini businesses, with the newest restaurant coming in as the 33rd restaurant of Paganini’s to date.

Catch Alton Brown at the Ferry Building tonight

Alton Brown, creator and host of Food Network’s “Good Eats,” has written a new book called Good Eats: The Final Years, which he will be reading from tonight, April 25, at Ferry Building bookstore Book Passage. The event costs $45 to attend but does include a signed copy of the book with purchase. Tickets are available here.

Outer Sunset has a new hot pot restaurant

Fiery SF, an Outer Sunset favorite, is opening a third location on Irving Street. The popular hot spot restaurant will take over the former Goldelicious location at 2333 Irving Street, which is currently boarded up with ongoing construction buzzing inside.

Divisadero vegan and gluten-free bakery opens for dinner

Mandy Harper’s Wholesome Bakery is going to start dishing out entrees in addition to pastries. According to The SF Minute, as of April 29 the business will become a weekend dinner option from Fridays to Sundays, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The location just got a beer and wine license, and Harper is looking to wow her fans with ground cauliflower sausage pizza and vegan cheese and meat boards.

Los Altos pizzeria owners take prizes in Italian World Pizza championship

Lars and Cristina Smith of State of Mind Public House and Pizzeria in Los Altos took top honors at the World Pizza Championship held in Parma, Italy earlier this month, according to a tip and confirmed by a shop Instagram post. Lars placed fifth among over 700 competitors and was the top competitor from the United States. Cristina, his wife and co-owner, joined him as the top US and Mexican competitor with her Pizza Classica entry.