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Serving up sushi in a tiny shop

Story and photographs by Carina Woudenberg Yoshimi Oune, owner of Maruya Sushi at 1904 Fillmore, never had any ambition to own the tiny take-out shop her mother opened in 1965. She says she just gradually took over as her mother got older and became less able to handle it on her own. Today, with the…

Brother, can you spare a latte?

THE BARISTA BAROMETER | Cheryl Lurie How has the economic downturn affected business in local coffee shops? According to several general managers of the neighborhood’s mocha meccas, sales may not have increased dramatically, but the customer base has. More people now have the freedom to hang out on the street, even if they don’t necessarily…

Hot in the kitchen

David Lawrence, executive chef and co-owner of the high-class soul food restaurant 1300 on Fillmore, is featured in a hot-off-the-press new book, Sexy Dishes: A Guide to Who’s Hot in the Kitchen. “David is tall, dark and handsome,” the guide notes, with “a British accent, a great smile and dimples.” His philosophy: “All food is…

Art in a cup at the Grove

By Barbara Kate Repa At the Grove, at 2016 Fillmore, customers get more than latte in their cups. They get the sun and the moon. Or a flower. Or a fire-breathing dragon. Manager Dave Harmon says the Grove always served a good cup of coffee, but he wanted a way to give customers more, to…

The Majestic: living up to its name

SALOONS | Chris Barnett Cars streak south on Gough toward the freeways. Unless snagged by the red light at Sutter, they pass a majestic Victorian hotel with landmark status and, to locals, a rollercoaster reputation for service, style, cuisine and cocktails. Built in 1902 as the private home of railroad baron and state senator Milton…

Dosa on Fillmore: seriously sexy

Inside the double-height construction site with the massive windows opening onto the corner of Post and Fillmore, a team of craftsmen are grinding smooth the top of the expansive bar made of recycled glass, mirror and mother of pearl. It’s immediately clear the dynamic young couple creating their dream restaurant here have fully embraced architect…

A merry band of Food Runners

By MARJORIE LEET FORD Like Robin Hood and his band of merry men, Mary Risley and her crew of Food Runners take from those who have too much and give to those who don’t have enough. It all started when she realized she had a problem at Tante Marie, her cooking school: Her student chefs…

A clubby spot for locals

SALOONS | Chris Barnett The first long bar I ever bellied up to was reputedly the original Long Bar, inside Raffles Hotel in Singapore, birthplace of the cloyingly sweet Singapore Sling. During Fillmore’s jazz era, the Long Bar at 1633 Fillmore, next door to Woolworth’s, boasted of having one of the longest bars in the…