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| Chefs Jose Ramos, (glasses) and Gonzalo Guzman of Nopalito in San Francisco Jose Ramos |
The formidable La Urbana (661 Divisadero St.) is nearing completion at Divisadero and Grove. With a sleek black facade and three spaces scattered over 3,600 square feet, La Urbana partners Eduardo Rallo and Juan Garduño are betting big.
When the restaurant and mezcal bar open in the first week of September, the menu of shareable plates from chefs Julio Aguilera and Ben Klein will have a distinctly modern slant.
They're ditching chips and salsa in favor of chicharron de arroz, rice crackers with chipotle salt and guacamole. Oysters will come topped with cucumber serrano froth, and huevos con chorizo will feature lime crema and nasturtium leaf. Quesadillas will be made with smoked goat cheddar, while sides of rice will be seasoned with saffron, peas and radish flowers.
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| Ben de Vries is selling his Luella restaurant. One regular burst into tears upon hearing the news. |
The third part of the space, which will open later in the year and is dubbed Mercado Urbano, will serve Mexican street food by day and morph into a cocktail bar with small bites at night.
On the other side of Pacific Heights, another group is formulating its own take on a 21st century Mexican cantina.
The former City Tavern (3200 Fillmore St.) has been gutted and is being rebuilt from the ground up by local impresarios Andy Wasserman, Hugo Gamboa and Adam Snyder. They've brought aboard Jose Ramos as their executive chef, and will reopen the prized corner space as a Mexican restaurant and bar named Sabrosa.
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| Co-Owner Adriano Paganini at Pesce's new location on Market Street in San Francisco, Calif. on August 15, 2013 |
The talented Ramos, who was a founding chef at Nopalito, is working on a menu that will explore several regional Mexican cuisines. Sabrosa will be a restaurant first, but given the Cow Hollow location, a lively bar scene will be integral part of the equation.
But while La Urbana and Sabrosa hope to explore new realms of Mexican cuisine, be it modern or regional, Adriano Paganini - the entrepreneurial hit-maker behind Super Duper, Beretta, et al. - is taking another route: reinterpreting the ubiquitous San Francisco taqueria, with better ingredients.
He plans to open his take on a taqueria - named Uno Dos Tacos - in the Financial District's former Sellers Market (595 Market St.), also in the fall.
High on a hill: Last week, Luella chef-owner Ben de Vries told a regular customer that he was selling his Russian Hill restaurant (1896 Hyde St.). The diner, who had been coming every other week for years, broke down in tears.
That's the kind of neighborhood love that Luella has fostered in its nine years of business. But citing a desire to lead a more balanced and family-centric life, de Vries will close it Aug. 31.
The new regime says it will strive to create a similar, quintessential neighborhood spot.
Jason Kirmse and Cyrick Hia, who own the popular Fat Angel (1740 O'Farrell St.) in the Fillmore, and former Michael Mina general manager Ryan Cole are taking over and plan to open a new restaurant in the Luella spot, named Stones Throw.
"We want it to be really, really approachable," says Cole. With restaurants like Nopa and Frances as inspirations, Cole says the partners will aim for "a balance of comfort and familiarity when it comes to the food, but still having some surprises."
The core of the staff will be made up of well-seasoned Michael Mina vets, including 30-year-old executive chef Jason Halverson, who has cooked at both locations of Michael Mina's eponymous San Francisco flagship. Tai Ricci, who worked alongside Cole in Michael Mina's dining room and more recently at SPQR, is also aboard on the service side.
Ciao, Napa: Executive chef Scott Warner is leaving his post at Bistro Don Giovanni after more than a decade at the Napa Valley restaurant (4100 Howard Lane). He's off to open his own restaurant - most likely in somewhere in Marin, he says.
Meanwhile, Bistro Don Giovanni will continue to hum along as it celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.
Chef-owner Donna Scala has given Warner her blessing.
She also quips that she knew that Warner's time was winding down when he wore a kilt to work one day, because, as she jokes, "There's only room for one skirt in this kitchen."
Hop-ocalypse Now: It's no secret that the Bay Area is in the midst of a craft brewery boom. In San Francisco alone, there are under-construction breweries by Triple Voodoo and Magnolia in Dogpatch, Cellarmaker in SoMa, and Barrel Head Brewhouse in NoPa, among others.
But it's probably safe to say that none of those entrepreneurial endeavors will be quite like Warfighter Brewing Co., an upcoming microbrewery and tasting room in San Carlos (360 Industrial Road). Its mission is to create jobs for veterans with and without disabilities. Owner Jon Barton, himself a combat veteran, comes from the film industry, and has decorated the tasting room with old recruitment posters, vintage propaganda and similar war memorabilia.
The grand opening is set for Sept. 11.
Article & Photos Sourced From: SF GATE:
http://www.sfgate.com/food/insidescoop/article/An-explosion-of-upscale-Mexican-spots-to-try-4750355.php#photo-5069037
