News from the Heart & Soul of San Francisco
By Chris Barnett If you’re looking for a hideout to brainstorm the next Google, hammer out a multibillion dollar merger or tryst the night away, the Hotel Drisco on the hilltop corner at 2901 Pacific and Broderick might fit your bill. A bastion of secrecy since its opening more than a century ago, there…
By Anne Paprocki A t the Curbside Cafe, the longtime local favorite on California just west of Fillmore, Olivier Perrier greets regulars with kisses on both cheeks and recites the daily specials in his inimitable French accent. He’s the only server in the room and seems to be everywhere at once, yet everyone receives his personal…
By Chris Barnett Owners of the 58-room, 116-year-old Edwardian style Hotel Majestic at Sutter and Gough have filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy to keep creditors from checking in and padlocking its ornate, cut glass front doors. Under Chapter 11, the hotel and its Uptown Joe’s restaurant and Butterfly Bar remain open for business. There is…
SALOONS | Chris Barnett Theyyy’re baaaack . . . The two crystal and brass lamps circa 1938 vanished last summer, plunging the west end of the Elite Cafe’s bar into darkness. Regulars missed the elegant touch and the lumins; the faux candle replacements never cut it. Ace servers Abby, Jenna and Kate practically needed miner’s…
UPDATE: Tacobar is now open, serving lunch and dinner daily. By Chris Barnett Locals have been clamoring for better and more authentic Mexican food on Fillmore Street even before La Posada said adios a few years ago and the fast food chain La Salsa shuttered its shop at the end of last year. They may…
By Anne Paprocki Tucked in an unassuming office behind two Fillmore boutiques, longtime local residents Elise Papazian and Scott Pritikin hope to expand the horizons of coffee connoisseurs everywhere with their recently launched online service GoCoffeeGo. “Nobody should be drinking the same cup of coffee every day,” says Papazian, “It’s just boring. Would you eat…
SINCE SHE AND HER SISTER opened Sheba Piano Lounge on Fillmore in 2006, Netsanet Alemayehu has created a distinctive ambiance with a sophisticated design, live music and a menu offering authentic Ethiopian dishes. Much of what makes the food special is the spices — the cardamom, berbere, mitmita and oregano — Alemayehu imports in suitcases…
The Planning Commission voted unanimously yesterday afternoon to allow the new restaurant Baker & Banker, at Bush and Octavia, to operate a self-service bakery. “We’ve been working on trying to create a neighborhood space,” said chef Jeffrey Banker. “The bakery will be a big part of our success.” Banker’s wife and business partner, pastry chef…
Jeff Banker moved to San Francisco on December 31, 1997, ringing in a new year and a new life as the chef he always knew he would become. He found a job at Postrio, Wolfgang Puck’s Union Square hot spot, and an apartment on Bush Street, not far from a popular neighborhood restaurant called the…
By Chris Barnett It’s a simple Victorian storefront at Octavia and Bush, but the building housing Baker & Banker has a notorious past. Vintage San Franciscans will remember the spot as Robert Restaurant Francais during the 70s and 80s — a small and stylish place with a popular appetizer not listed on the menu. One…