Good Luck Getting a Table at Chef Christopher Kostow’s New Italian Restaurant in Napa

Earlier this year there was plenty of buzz surrounding the news that chef Christopher Kostow is taking over as chef at the beloved Napa Valley restaurant Ciccio, and now the opening day has finally arrived. The Italian restaurant is set to open on Thursday, May 11, and already the San Francisco Chronicle reports that it’s one of the toughest reservations to snag in Napa Valley, especially given the restaurant’s 50-person capacity.

Ciccio is the fourth restaurant from Christopher and Martina Kostow. They also own and run Loveski Deli at the Oxbow Public Market; the Charter Oak; and the three-Michelin-starred Restaurant at Meadowood, which was destroyed in the 2020 Glass Fire and hasn’t yet reopened. Following the fire at the Restaurant at Meadowood, the San Francisco Chronicle covered allegations of a toxic workplace culture cultivated under Christopher Kostow’s leadership, which he declined to address at the time.

Creole pop-up chef to open new restaurant in East Oakland

The chef behind the popular Oakland pop-up Chef Smelly, who’s real name is Albert Wooley, is taking his style of Creole food to the East Oakland neighborhood where he grew up, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Known for his Dungeness crab and garlic noodles, Wooley’s pop-up has gotten attention from notable celeb customers such as E-40 and the Warriors’ Steph Curry and is a hit with locals. Wooley’s new restaurant won’t get the exact same frills as his downtown Oakland pop-up spot AU Lounge commands — bone-in ribeyes and lamb chops won’t be ported over to the new restaurant, the Chronicle reports — but he plans to serve po’boy sandwiches, salads, burgers, and the ever-popular crab. The new restaurant is expected to open at 10801 Bancroft Avenue in Oakland sometime this summer.

Modern Turkish restaurant lands in Noe Valley

A new restaurant promising modern Turkish food is moving into Noe Valley, Tablehopper reports. Chef Deniz Sezer and restaurateur Giorgio Yesilyurt are set to open Bistro Ember in the former Inle Burmese Cuisine location at 1298 Church Street. The restaurant is self-described as “local Californian-inspired modern Mediterranean cuisine” as stated on its Instagram page, and will “feature creative, modern Turkish dishes that span old recipes and use new techniques,” Tablehopper writes. Expect 70 percent of the menu to be cooked on a Japanese charcoal grill, and there will be both a la carte and a six-course tasting menu.

Woodhouse Fish Co. on Fillmore is back

After closing down on February 15 for some seismic retrofit work and a refresh of the interior, Woodhouse Fish Co. on Fillmore Street is finally reopening as of Thursday, May 11. Although some of the updates are structural, there will be notable changes to the dining room, such as “upscale finishes” and the addition of tinned fish, a sushi bowl, and the Plateau du Mer, a press release shares.