Now We Know Who’s Taking Over the Nick’s Crispy Taco Space

It was just at the end of December that Nick’s Crispy Tacos in Russian Hill announced the business would give up the ghost, closing on December 28. Now we know who’s going to take over that fishy, fabled corner on Broadway and Polk streets. The San Francisco Business Times reports hotel and restaurant developers Frame Ventures is taking over the space at 1500 Broadway, recently applying for a liquor license.

The group is behind a number of San Francisco hospitality projects. Union Square hotels such as the Bartlett Hotel, the Herbert Hotel, and the Hotel Stratford are all within Frame Ventures' domain. Moreover, and perhaps more relevantly, the company owns sprawling wine country restaurant Napa Yard and Napa craft distiller Concordia Spirits. Though a representative for the company confirmed the project at 1500 Broadway is theirs, no further details were made available.

San Francisco food and art magazine goes on hiatus

Nick Muncy, local fine dining pastry chef and operator of dessert pop-up Drool, just took to Instagram to let fans of his self-published, culinary magazine Toothache know that the publication is going on break. He wrote in the post that the magazine is a one-person operation and, with a baby on the way, he is still determining the future of the outlet. Muncy has cooked for Michael Mina, Coi, and Cyrus.

East Bay bagel phenom looks for chickens to feed

Emily Winston, founder and owner of Berkeley’s Boichik Bagels, says she thinks the bagel bits left over by her daily production could make top-tier chicken feed. The Mercury News writes the entrepreneur asked her customers via newsletter to consider using the leftover “cornmeal mush” as chicken feed. Moreover, she’s also looking for a chicken farm to give all this mush a home.

Pabu Izakaya debuts new “Book of Yokai” menu

Michael Mina’s Pabu Izakaya, known for its video game- and Shinkansen-inspired cocktail menus, is rolling out a new menu called “The Cocktail Book of Yokai.” Probably unsurprisingly, The Book of Yokai: Mysterious Creatures of Japanese Folklore is the progenitor of the cocktails list, designed entirely by Pabu Izakaya’s new lead bartender Natalie Lichtman.

East Bay restaurant week returns for annual festivities

Tri-Valley Restaurant Week is a regional dining affair throughout Pleasanton, Livermore, Dublin, Danville, and San Ramon, and it’s back on this year from February 24 to March 5. There are loads of deals for guests and businesses alike, and plenty of restaurants throughout the area are already committed to participating in the merriment. Burma! Burma! in Dublin, BottleTaps in Pleasanton, and Posada in Livermore are just a few of the businesses on board.