News from the Heart & Soul of San Francisco
IT’S A BIT of a ’tween time at the Fillmore Farmers Market. Winter’s larder of sweet potatoes and oranges is still filled to abundance, the spring asparagus has just arrived, but the full bounty of summer tomatoes and melons is yet to come. Nonetheless, on a sunny Saturday morning in late April, there is no…
SUDDENLY THE CORNER of Fillmore and Pine has a completely new look and feel — and taste. Glaze Teriyaki Grill opened at the end of April, heralding a switch from Johnny Rockets burgers and fries to teriyaki plates, salads and sides. Seattle natives and partners Ian McCormick and Paul Krug created Glaze as a “fast…
LOCALS | CHRIS BARNETT For centuries, historians, scholars and food lovers have argued over who invented the pizza. Greeks claim the honor with a round flatbread topped with meat, cheese, fruit and tree leaves that debuted in 1 B.C. Italians insist a baker in Naples was commissioned to create the first real pizza in 1889…
OPENING SOON in the former home of Johnny Rockets at the corner of Fillmore and Pine: Glaze, which is promising to bring Seattle-style teriyaki via New York to the edge of Japantown. It’s the brainchild of Paul Krug and Ian McCormick, childhood friends in Seattle who loved their city’s signature brand of teriyaki introduced by…
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…
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…
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.