The Tablehopper
Eastside West points in a new direction, and the eats get good in Golden Gate Park
By Marcia Gagliardi

A while back, I mentioned chef-owner Rob Lam of Butterfly was taking over Eastside West (3154 Fillmore Street) for some changes, and it has finally closed for its redux. (At press time, it was slated for reopening at the end of September.) Jacques Bezuidenhout is a managing partner and will be creating some spiffy cocktails along with tequila maestro Julio Bermejo. Dino Vasquez is the chef-partner and will be focusing on regional American fare made with quality ingredients, and Kurt Niver is the G.M. I took a look at the menu, and there’s an array of seafood, like fritto misto for $10, raw bar items, salads like wild arugula or chopped Greek, plus comfort classics like a cheeseburger, buttermilk-fried Rocky Jr. chicken, mac and four cheeses with peas and mushrooms, and a grilled Berkshire pork chop. There will also be a Sunday roast special of horseradish-crusted rib eye, with scallion popovers, spinach soufflé, and au jus for $25, or baked lasagne night on Wednesdays! Brunch will also be happening, with eggs Chesapeake (poached eggs, crab Louis, toasted English muffin, and hollandaise for $14), scrambles, omelettes, and more.

As for changes to the space, they took down a partition, so the front room will feel more open, with a now spacious bar area. There’s also a new paint job, new tables and banquettes, too. The back room will be available for private dining and parties, but it’s also going to double as a game room, with shuffleboard, a pool table, a couple of flat-screen TVs, plus high bar tables, darts, and a portable back bar (the fish tank swam away). Brunch will be served on the weekends, dinner nightly, and the popular happy hour will continue Monday through Friday from 4–7 p.m.

The Ottimista Enoteca-Café folks are at it again, this time with Spuntino (1957 Union Street), opening just down the street any day now. Spuntino, which means “snack” in Italian, will offer cheeses, gourmet groceries, prepared foods, and take-out from Ottimista’s kitchen. Also look for a rotating menu of take-out panini and prepared salads, plus some Ottimista faves, like pizzas and the famed olives to warm up at home. There will also be evening tastings and classes held at the large communal table. Hours will be Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m.–7 p.m., and 10 a.m.–7 p.m. on the weekend.

Big news at Union Square: chef Jen Biesty, previously of COCO500 and cheftestant on the most recent season of Top Chef, has been named the executive chef of Scala’s Bistro at the Sir Francis Drake (432 Powell Street). She starts at Scala’s on Oct. 15 and is excited to integrate more artisan products into the menu, like house-made ricotta, sausage, salumi, and pastas, plus quality local and organic products.

The Stanford Court Hotel on Nob Hill, which is undergoing a $35 million renewal, has announced that Aurea (905 California Street), its new restaurant and lounge, will open in October. Aurea will be located on the lobby level of the hotel and design elements include a Tiffany-style dome, plus sculptures, chandeliers, and a glass-encased, floor-to-ceiling “wall of wine.” The restaurant will seat up to 130, with “cocktail cubbies” that function as work areas or as dining nooks, plus there will be communal tables, and an alfresco dining area in the courtyard. The chef is Jeffery Surprise, who was the hotel’s sous chef; he also worked at Quince and a couple of Ritz-Carlton locations. Surprise is sourcing the majority of produce and meats from within a 50-mile radius of the hotel. The wine list will focus on organic and California wines, featuring 40 wines by the glass, plus handcrafted cocktails made with fresh ingredients and locally produced small-batch spirits. The hotel is scheduled for completion in November.

The big opening this month is the Moss Room and the Academy Café (55 Music Concourse Drive), at the California Academy of Sciences under Charles Phan (Slanted Door) and Loretta Keller (COCO500). The Academy’s grand opening was Sept. 27, and both the Moss Room and the Academy Café opened for lunch service that day, but the Moss Room doesn’t begin dinner service until Oct. 7. Executive chef Justin Simoneaux (previously of COCO500) will be overseeing the Moss Room, and the dinner menu includes appetizers like Malpeque oyster and chorizo beignets, while entrées include house-made pasta with red wine-braised duck sugo and pecorino, and oven-roasted whole fish. Lunch has some of the same menu items plus more salads, but only one dish tips the $20 scale (a bavette steak). The executive pastry chef is Rachel Leising, formerly of Petite Patisserie in Potrero Hill. Lunch will be daily from 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m., and dinner from 5:30–10 p.m.

The Academy Café is under executive chef Alicia Jenish (Le Petit Robert, Lark Creek Steak, Out the Door) and offers a range of savory items, like Vietnamese soups and spring rolls, panini, some slow-cooked and noodle dishes, steamed buns, and a few Mexican-inspired dishes too, like tacos, tamales, and quesadillas. Open daily 8 a.m.–5 p.m., except Thanksgiving and Christmas.

More eating in parks: Presidio Social Club (563 Ruger Street, Building 563 near Lombard Gate) has started weekend brunch, offering Sloe Gin and Ramos Fizzes, and brunch dishes like chilaquiles, rum-soaked challah French toast, a daily frittata, biscuits and gravy, and brioche beignets. Saturday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Just outside the Presidio Lyon Street Gate, Antoine Alliaume (La Terrasse–Presidio, Curbside Café) has completed the transformation of his French café, Curbside, Too (2769 Lombard Street) into Curbside Taqueria. Longtime chef-now-partner Vincente Cortes is cooking up tacos, burritos, quesadillas, enchiladas, nachos, and a Mexican brunch on the weekend.

Hours are Monday–Thursday 10 a.m.–9 p.m., Friday 10 a.m.–11 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.–11p.m., and Sunday 9 a.m.–9 p.m.

Over in Laurel Heights, the neighborhood corner joint, Café lo Cubano (3401 California Street), a convention of strollers and laptops, has closed. I heard a rumor about what was moving in, but couldn’t confirm by press time. Expect more in next month’s issue.
And not too far away: Here are more details on the Jewish Community Center (3200 California Street) project from Joanna Karlinsky and her business partner, Victoria Smiser, who will open the food court in the former deli on the ground floor. Featured will be Jo-Jo-To-Go, selling cold and hot gourmet prepared foods for either dine-in or carry-out service; Confections, a full-service bakery offering a daily selection of freshly prepared baked goods, cakes, pies, cookies, and always chocolate; Lucky Dawg, an upscale ice cream and frozen yogurt bar; Lulu Drinks, pouring fresh juices, coffee, espresso drinks, and wine and beer; Pressed, hot pressed sandwiches to order using local artisanal cheeses; and Emma Peel’s Pizza Pie, providing on-site or delivery gourmet pizzas with upscale add-ons. “The Meetinghouse” name will be kept alive through full service catering and the online Meetinghouse Biscuits catalog will continue to ship biscuits nationwide. The projected opening date is Nov. 15.

One more nibble for ya: Yoshi’s San Francisco (1330 Fillmore Street) has launched an izakaya Japanese pub menu, available at the bar, in the lounge and the club. The menu includes 20 new items priced at $3–$8, including yasai korokke (vegetable and potato croquettes); grilled whole sardines; bacon-wrapped asparagus; Kurobuta pork sausages; and soy-marinated, whole grilled squid. A D.J. will spin classic and current jazz-influenced music beginning at 9 p.m., Thursday–Saturday.

Marcia Gagliardi also writes a popular weekly e-column about the San Francisco dining scene; subscribe for free at www.tablehopper.com. In addition, she writes for San Francisco and Travel + Leisure magazines and Fodors.com. Got a hot tip? E-mail marcia@northsidesf.com.