Small Clubs Sinking Under ABC Pressure

The ABC has been hounding some of San Francisco's all-ages venues for months, charging them with violating their liquor licenses because they make more money from beer sales than they do from food (duh). Yesterday, the Guardian reported that...

Of note to winos: Eater reported yesterday that former Babbo wine director (and 2004 James Beard award winner) David Lynch will leave his latest post at The John Dory to come to Quince. New York's loss is our gain, with...

Psycho Donuts Looking to Debate Protesters

Alright, this whole Psycho Donuts thing is getting way out of hand. Protesters are still hollering about the Campbell doughnut shop being insensitive to the mentally ill, and owner Kip Berdansky is now hollering back. A commenter directed us...

SF Restaurateur Gets Prison Time for Credit Card Scam

The owner of a shuttered Chinese restaurant who charged customers' credit cards over and over after his business closed is going to prison. We reported way back in 2007 that Phau Lam, who once owned the Home Menu restaurant on...

Chef Shuffle at Closed Fish and Farm

With Fish & Farm under the plywood till Saturday for a little renovation, news came out yesterday that chef Jake des Voignes will not be staying with the restaurant when it reopens. Instead, Scoop reported that Baraka and Urban...

Meat Cleaver Attack Suspect Arrested

The Red Jade kitchen must have been quite a sight when neighboring business owner Richard Reyes walked in after hearing two employees fight, then seeing one running away with a meat cleaver. He told the San Jose Mercury News...

Monterey Market Loss May Be Berkeley Bowl's Gain

As East Bay residents get ready to flock to the new Berkeley Bowl outpost, another foodie-centric grocery store in Bear country suddenly finds itself struggling with an internal quarrel. Michael Bauer reported in his blog today that "philosophical difference"...

OpenTable Staff Keeps it Mellow for IPO Party

OpenTable staff had every reason to go nuts yesterday, what with their 60 percent stock jump on their IPO, but an employee there insists the celebrations were muted. A New York contingent of, "about 20 folks, including our whole New...

Mr Pickles Sign Spotted

The mystery hasn't been solved, but a clue has appeared in the search for the Mr. Pickles sign. Mission Mission spotted a flickr photo of the sign lurking in what appears to be someone's closet or bathroom. It's in the...

OpenTable Stock Shows No Reservations

Our local computerized reservation service made good on its first day as a publicly traded company. OpenTable's stock jumped 59.5 percent, opening at $20 and closing at $31.89. The IPO performed better than any since 2007, according to the...

A5 Changes Name After A16 Challenge

If you thought A5 Steak Lounge sounded suspiciously like A16, you're not alone. Shortly after the lounge (named after the highest grade of beef) soft-opened in February, A16 (named after a highway in Italy) challenged them on the similar...

Medjool's Business Nosedives From Deck

Medjool is not closed. You can still eat there! The restaurant, with its is-it-legal or is-it-illegal roof deck had 49 no-show reservations after news broke that it might have to pay daily fines for violating zoning laws. "Business has...

Open Table Wants to Be Known as OPEN

Open Table, which filed for an initial public offering back in January, wants to be known on the Nasdaq Exchange as OPEN. The online reservations company, based here, set a price between $12 and $14 a share and is...

SF Bans Hanging Out

For those who love hanging around outside of clubs: Get your loitering in while the loitering's good. The Board of Supervisors passed a law Tuesday prohibiting standing around in front of late-night establishments between 9 .m. and 3 a.m. It's...

Loretta Keller's Goat Tongue Impresses At The Beards

Loretta Keller didn’t win the Best Chef, Pacific awards at the Beards last night, but her food was victorious. Keller served Bolinas goat's tongue with fenugreek, tomato chutney, Meyer lemon, and mint – combining creamy toungue, fresh vegetables, crisped...

SF Chefs' Mixed Night Out At The Beard Awards

Nate Appleman grins through a victory photo shoot Results were mixed at last night's James Beard Foundation Chef and Restaurant Awards for the Bay Area, but a Lincoln Center full of some of the country's best food and drink,...

Plumpjack Fallout: Leiva May Take New Plumpjack Exec Chef Position

A couple of tidbits on the Plumpjack front: Jack Falstaff chef Jonnatan Leiva hasn't yet agreed to stay with the company after his restaurant shutters in 10 days, but company president Hilary Newsom says he's been offered an executive...

TWO Proprietor Re-Joins Kitchen

David Gingrass After a 15-year break, TWO proprietor David Gingrass will step back into the kitchen as Executive Chef, he announced today. "The 70 hour weeks aren’t quite as easy as they used to be, but the cooking’s just...