News from the Heart & Soul of San Francisco
By MICHELE MANDELL Its unassuming storefront and the all-lowercase spelling of the new b. patisserie at 2821 California Street, near Divisadero, might convey a self-effacing vibe, but there is nothing small about Belinda Leong’s tres chic pastry shop, which opened just before Valentine’s Day. Leong’s impressive pedigree includes stints with Michelin-starred heavyweights Manresa and Gary…
FIRST PERSON | KEVIN BLUM It’s last call for Solstice Lounge. After a successful 10-year run, the neighborhood favorite at 2801 California and Divisadero will be closing its doors for good on Saturday, March 2. The landlord, who also owns Rasselas and Sheba Piano Lounge on Fillmore Street, proposed to raise the monthly rent by…
The six-story building at Webster and Sacramento Streets that is home of the dental school of the University of the Pacific — which is scheduled to move downtown next year to Fifth Street — may be converted into condominiums. Trumark Urban, a privately owned development company based in Danville, is exploring the possibility of creating…
A MINI-TREND to establish individual Little Free Libraries, begun in the Midwest in 2009, has led to the creation of thousands of libraries throughout the United States and in at least 17 other countries. And now there’s a Little Free Library in the Fillmore. Bibliophiles who pass by 2223 Sutter Street, near Scott, will find…
SALOONS | Chris Barnett What is a gentlemanly ex-plumber from the Sunset doing running a hot new Hawaiian-themed saloon, eatery and live music lounge in the Fillmore? And at a time when many publords are quietly pushing up prices and skimping on portions and pours, how can James Cheng’s Pa’ina Lounge & Restaurant host an…
By Christine Lunde WORKING FROM A recipe tested and perfected in her apartment just off Jackson Street, Susan Gabiati has launched Kettel Krakkers, a line of gluten-free, mostly organic, traditional Danish crackers offered in four flavors: sesame, caraway, garlic and rosemary. Although the traditional Danish cracker is gluten-based, Gabiati decided to adapt the recipe when…
ONE GREAT DISH | MICHELE MANDELL The rapid-fire pace at which new restaurants open in San Francisco can make a three-year-old spot seem like yesterday’s news. But Baker & Banker, named for its husband-and-wife team — pastry chef Lori Baker and chef Jeff Banker — opened to critical fanfare in December 2009. And the place…
“We’ve begun to long for the pitter-patter of little feet — so we bought a dog. Well, it’s cheaper, and you get more feet.” — Rita Rudner FIRST PERSON | DAVID LANDIS It all began when we put up the Christmas tree in December. My partner Sean Dowdall is a cafeteria Catholic and I’m a…
SUPERCHEF CHARLES PHAN “doesn’t have to go far to raid his restaurant pantry for ingredients,” The New York Times reports, since the family lives in an apartment above his Out the Door restaurant on Bush Street.
FILM | Ruthe Stein Jack Bair — a co-founder and director of the Mostly British Film Festival, which opens at the restored Vogue Theatre at 3290 Sacramento Street on January 17 — leads two lives, at least. His day job is as senior vice president and general counsel of the San Francisco Giants, a team…