That Much-Hyped Waterfront Restaurant With Roots in New Delhi Is Finally Debuting in Marin

The first U.S. location of Ditas, a mini-restaurant-and-bar chain based in India, is now open on the second floor of Marin’s historic Trident restaurant. Eater SF first covered the news of the restaurant’s impending arrival, with its sweeping waterfront views, but it seems there have been a few changes ahead of the restaurant’s opening on Sunday, May 1. As the Marin Independent Journal reports, the major shakeup since the restaurant’s planning phases is a change in the executive chef.

The team initially announced chef Aiki Terashima of Morimoto Napa, Roka Akor, and Reel Fish Shop & Grill would lead Ditas’ kitchen. But now it seems the restaurant and chef have parted ways. The chef taking the reins instead is Cody Buchholz, who the paper says was recently the executive chef at BMW North America and previously worked as a station chef at Meadowood and French Laundry.

The restaurant will serve both a $120 three-course tasting menu, as well as an a la carte menu that will be available at the lounge, bar, and outdoor guests. The drinks side will feature what the paper calls “an expansive, connoisseur-worthy wine list” from sommelier Marco Buffa, formerly of the InterContinental San Francisco and Luce, who’s now Ditas’ executive wine director. There will also be cocktails and nonalcoholic options.

The path of survival for craft breweries? Mergers.

Quite a few local craft breweries decided to merge this year — among them, Dokkaebier, which bought Federation Brewing, and Cellarmaker, which acquired the Rare Barrel. And while it might seem bleak for so many mergers to be happening, the San Francisco Chronicle reports it’s a way for breweries to meet the challenges of the industry. Rather than a corporate buyout, mergers allow smaller breweries to join forces, often with the promise of preserving the recipes of the acquired business and sharing brewing facilities.

Spanish-California restaurant opens in South San Francisco

Chico Marx recently opened inside an office tower in South San Francisco, Palo Alto Online reports. The restaurant serves “Spanish-Californian fare with flavors from the Latin American diaspora,” the outlet reports, including dishes such as tempranillo-braised short ribs, Bolinas black cod, and appetizers like patatas bravas and Catalan flatbread. The restaurant, it should be mentioned, is managed by Bon Appetit Management Company and is located at 2 Tower Place, on the Genesis South San Francisco office campus.

Black Restaurant Week begins Friday

A nationwide restaurant week meant to highlight Black-owned restaurants lands in the Bay Area this weekend with a number of specials served Friday, May 19 to Sunday, May 28, the Mercury News reports. The Black Restaurant Week first launched in Houston in 2016, and arrived in the Bay Area just three years ago. Gumbo Social, Oko at Tribune, Peaches Patties, Cocobreeze Caribbean Restaurant, Boug Cali, Eko Kitchen, and alaMar Kitchen will all participate this year. For the full list, head to blackrestaurantweeks.com.