The Private Event Space Above Iconic Bar Vesuvio Is Getting New Tenants With Michelin Cred

Michael and Lindsay Tusk are starting up another new project, just weeks after announcing a plan to open up a new cafe. The couple, who are also behind Michelin-starred Quince and more causal Cotogna, have now snapped up a private dining space above storied bar Vesuvio at 253 Columbus Avenue, the San Francisco Business Times reports. The 30-seat dining room was formerly Cookhouse, a “lux private kitchen and dining room for events” that overlooks Jack Kerouac Alley. According to the Business Times, the Tusks have previously hosted dinners at Cookhouse, including an $11,000 dinner for 25 guests.

This is all in addition to the new “gelato and espresso cafe” the Tusks are opening at 596 Pacific Avenue, a six-month temporary closure of Quince for renovations, and private events held at Cotogna and wine bar Verjus.

Yountville’s Ciccio to reopen with fine dining chef

After closing in 2022, Christopher and Martina Kostow are taking over Yountville restaurant Ciccio with plans to reopen in late spring, the Napa Valley Register reports. Owners Frank Altamura and his family will remain owners, while the Kostows handle day-to-day operations, according to the paper. Ciccios is known for pizzas and pastas, and Christopher Kostow told the paper that he’s not planning for too many changes at the restaurant, although there will be “minor tweaks here and there.” Ciccio is the fourth restaurant for the Kostows, who also own and run Loveski, a deli at the Oxbow Public Market; the Charter Oak; and three-Michelin-starred Restaurant at Meadowood, which has destroyed in the 2020 Glass Fire and has yet to reopen. Following the fire at the Restaurant at Meadowood, allegations of a toxic workplace surfaced, which Kostow declined to address at the time.

San Francisco is about to get funky

Berkeley Thai restaurant favorite Funky Elephant is about to cross the bridge into San Francisco, according to WhatNowSF. Owners Supasit Puttikaew and Nanchaphon Laptanachai filed for a liquor license at 1270 Valencia Street, taking over the former Barzotto space near 24th Street. “It’s about time for us to grow,” Puttikaew told the outlet. “Our customer base isn’t just in Berkeley, it’s all over the Bay Area, and we would like to introduce ourselves to a new neighborhood.”

Everybody eats at Berkeley’s Homemade Cafe

In case you were looking for a little bit of Chicken Soup for the Soul-type news, East Bay Nosh has the story of a local cafe offering free meals to anyone who’s hungry. Dubbed “Everybody Eats,” Homemade Cafe will serve a free meal of eggs, potatoes, and toast to anyone who asks, owner Collin Doran says. There are tickets for meals posted on a bulletin board at the restaurant, which can be given to a server to receive a free meal. Paying customers can help contribute $5 to the program if they choose. The restaurant is also looking to turn into a collective in the next five years.