Home Food & Wine The Tablehopper The Tablehopper: The Sho wont go on for Marina sushi lovers

The Tablehopper: The Sho wont go on for Marina sushi lovers

Written by Marcia Gagliardi

Tuesday, 28 February 2006

Welcome to your first installment of The Tablehopper. Each month I'll be feeding you tidbits about the Northside's restaurant scene, from new restaurants in North Beach to chef shuffles in Cow Hollow to fab discoveries on Fillmore. This column is a localized offshoot of my new weekly newsletter, the tablehopper, in which I cover restaurant news and reviews for the entire city. So, take a seat, and let's catch up on what's been going on. Well, we might as well get the sad news out of the way first. After an 86-year run, North Beach's classic watering hole and unofficial headquarters for Italian pot roast, the Gold Spike, closed its doors on Monday, February 20. I'm almost thankful my dear nonno isn't around for me to tell him his treasured San Francisco haunt is gone. It was one of the few places that could satisfy his colossal appetite (the man could eat half a pan of lasagne, no problem) so he brought my grandmother here for countless dates, where she basically just watched him eat. I spoke with the ever-kind owner, Paul "Lad" Mechetti, who said, "I am saddened to think of the generations of customers who pass through San Francisco every five years or so, and the next time they come by will find the Spike dark." And what exactly was it that closed San Francisco's oldest Italian restaurant continuously owned and operated by the same family? Well, you could call it a practical eviction by his landlord, Helen Tam, who made the terms of the Spike's continued existence in its historical home extremely difficult to meet, and so Mechetti was forced to give up. (Tam was away in Hong Kong and could not be reached for comment.) He said he's going to store everything in a couple containers, step back a little and ponder whether he wants to reopen in another location, or call it quits. For now, let's hope he takes all those dollar bills covering every available surface in the joint and buys himself a nice vacation on a warm beach somewhere. Speaking of North Beach classics, it seems some readers have been confused about what happened to the Fior d'Italia, America's oldest Italian restaurant, after its tragic kitchen fire one year ago. To clarify, it reopened at the end of last year in the classic San Remo Hotel (2237 Mason St. at Francisco St., 415-986-1886). Now you know where to go when you get a hankering for some chicken livers and veal scaloppine. Over in the Marina, a chic addition to Scott Street is Kwanjai Thai (3242 Scott St. at Lombard St., 415-563-1285), a sleek little space pod of a Thai place. The owner is Matt Kirchstein, one of the partners of the club Butter in SoMa. His fianc&eacutee is chef Khuanruen Phopon, whose lengthy menu of modern Thai dishes is sure to delight. They're open for lunch and dinner daily, and plan on staying open later than 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays (soon). Groovy. One restaurant Marina residents will unfortunately not be patronizing is the highly anticipated Sho from the very animated and talented Shotaro Kamio of Ozumo: they lost the lease to a big Texan company with an even bigger proposal to renovate the entire block spanning from the Curbside to the formerly intended site at 2733 Lombard Street. The developer is proposing a row of restaurants nestled in a four-story building with medical offices above, and underground parking below. The City's notoriously tough permit process, and the neighbors, will most likely make this a tough road for the developer, and will at least take a couple years. In the meantime, Sho and his partner Andrew Generalo are seeking another location for their dream concept restaurant. After acting as the wine director at the acclaimed Cyrus restaurant in Healdsburg, Jason Alexander will soon be returning to The City as the new wine director at Gary Danko on March 9. Alexander previously worked closely with sommelier Christie Dufault as an assistant sommelier while at Gary Danko for three to four years, and then left for Cyrus in 2004. He missed being in The City and the commute was certainly taxing, and will now be welcomed back as a part of the solid and excellent team Gary Danko is known for building. Alexander is currently on vacation in France, no doubt scouring for some new wines to bring home. Sommelier Michael Rasmussen has been transitioning off, and will now act as a sales rep for Chambers & Chambers wine merchants — he's been hoping to spend more time with his wife, and the normal hours should help. Alexander's replacement at Cyrus is Jim Rollston, who was formerly the wine director at the Farmhouse Inn in Forestville for three years, and was Alexander's right hand man while at Cyrus. So, on to Cow Hollow, where it's getting more European each day. There's Jocelyn Bulow's third location of Chez Maman (2223 Union St. at Fillmore St., 415-771-7771) that opened January 20 in the former Night Monkey space. Northsiders will be getting their fill of Chez Maman's famous burgers, cr&ecircpes, and other bistro favorites. They also have a small private dining room in the back that's ideal for a birthday group to get together over mussels. And just around the corner will be Terzo (3011 Steiner St. at Union St., 415-441-3200), in Pane e Vino's old digs. The name means "third" in Italian, and represents the third operating restaurant from the folks at Nice Ventures, who are also behind Rose's Café and Rose Pistola. Rose Cafe's executive chef, Mark Gordon, will be the chef at Terzo, overseeing the pan-Mediterranean tapas-style menu that will traipse through Spain, Morocco, Greece, Portugal, and regions in Italy. There is sure to be an active bar, with traditional European tapas like serrano ham to accompany the list of food-friendly California and Mediterranean wines. The opening is (optimistically) slated for late March. The space is being designed by Cass Calder Smith, and will feature an easygoing dining room with a restored redbrick fireplace, a table for communal seating, and leather banquettes. A couple of weeks ago, the executive chef of U Street Lounge (1980 Union St.), Michael Schley, parted ways with the restaurant. Schley and the owners had a differing vision about where they saw the direction of the food headed. The current staff will continue to oversee the kitchen. We'll have to wait and see where Schley lands. The many fans of Mamacita's (2317 Chestnut St. at Scott St., (415) 346-8494) tasty Mexican home cooking will be happy to hear they are now serving dinner on Monday nights, the night no one ever wants to cook. Brunch began on Saturday, Feb. 25th. Their addictive chilaquiles and some tasty huevos dishes on the menu will have you saying "que bueno." Brunch will be served on both Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Lastly, if you're looking for a swanky spot for lunch, both Frisson (244 Jackson St. at Battery St., 415-956-3004) and Scott Howard (500 Jackson St. at Montgomery St., 415-956-7040) are now open Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Marcia Gagliardi writes about food for www.gayot.com, www.citysearch.com, Where, DiningOut, and Edible San Francisco. Her weekly newsletter, the tablehopper, comes out on Tuesdays. Got a hot tip? Send an email to marcia[at]northsidesf[dot]com.

Last Updated ( Saturday, 19 January 2008 )