Rosemary and Pine, the casual restaurant from the group behind hits like Dumpling Time and the Michelin-starred Niku Steakhouse, is on the move. But fans don't have to worry about the restaurant leaving the neighborhood. The restaurant's new home will be at 55 Division Street, in the spot where Dumpling Time Express used to be – and in case you're unfamiliar, it's right around the corner, less than a five-minute walk from the original one Location located at 1725 Alameda Street.

The last day of service in the previous space was Sunday, March 24th, and the new Rosemary and Pine will launch tomorrow, Thursday, May 16th.

The move also shifts the restaurant's focus: Rosemary and Pine will no longer serve dinner. Instead, the restaurant will be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekends. The breakfast and lunch menus will showcase some of the dishes guests have come to know and love since Rosemary and Pine's debut in 2022. For example, the eggs Benedict with Benton's country ham and shiso hollandaise will be moving to the new location, as will the buttermilk biscuit with sausage gravy.

But there will also be a lot of new additions. Look for a selection of soups, salads and sandwiches, including stracciatella toast with balsamic and honey-roasted grapes and a fried chicken sandwich with furikake ranch slaw and gochujang aioli. Coffee service will be quick and friendly, a press release promises, and for those who want breakfast on the go, Rosemary and Pine will offer milk bread donuts until 11 a.m. daily

The new Rosemary and Pine represents a downsizing of the restaurant, which now has 48 seats, including 12 on the outdoor patio. The restaurant's name is inspired by Chef Dustin Falcon, who added dishes that reflected his childhood in Florida and New Jersey to the original menu.

Rosemary and Pine will reopen Thursday, May 16, at 55 Division Street.

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One of San Francisco's most respected Cantonese-style duck and pork shops will be moving out of its longtime Chinatown district.

Hing Lung will sell its last fried birds at 1261 Stockton St. on Sunday, April 7, the owners told the Chronicle. Hing Lung's owners say rent for the 43-year-old company's premises is rising and that the building is in poor condition.

“We believe this step is necessary for the well-being of our team and our customers,” the owners’ message read in part.

Current plans call for the reopening of Hing Lung at 927 Post St., a handsome brick building in the Tenderloin that was formerly the site of the upscale Meraki Market, by the end of June.

Hing Lung's other project, a restaurant in Bernal Heights called Go Duck Yourself, is still in the works and will welcome guests by the end of April. While the closing announcement comes suddenly, Hing Lung's employees will be at the new restaurant at 439 Cortland Ave. work.

Brothers Eric and Simon Cheung, who were born in Hong Kong but grew up in the Sunset District, took over Hing Lung from their father Wing in the 1990s. “Eric and Simon are heartbroken about leaving Chinatown behind,” said Patricia Tien, Eric’s wife and a spokesperson for the restaurant. “The room holds precious memories and honors our late father’s legacy.”

Hing Lung is a staple on Chronicle's list of best Chinatown restaurants. “The shop’s crispy and juicy Peking duck and roast pork represent old-school Cantonese barbecue at its best,” wrote former Chronicle restaurant critic Soleil Ho.

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Celebrity chef Tyler Florence is moving his popular traditional restaurant Wayfare Tavern from its current home at 558 Sacramento Street at the end of the year. A representative for Florence confirmed the move Thursday, writing in a statement that the restaurant “will move to a new, larger property in San Francisco in early 2025.” But it appears the team remains committed to downtown San Francisco's financial district and is considering a nearby location as the restaurant's new home. “We have spent the last few years renovating our new, fantastic space just around the corner,” the statement reads in part. “The current location of Wayfare Tavern will remain open and fully operational until we move.”

Last year, scant details about a new Wayfare Tavern location emerged when the San Francisco Business Times noted that business permits had been filed for a new location at 201 Pine Street. However, it was previously unclear whether the new property was intended for a relocation of the existing restaurant or a second location. In addition to rumors of a Wayfare move, Florence has been busy over the last year, opening two cafes in Union Square and taking over the City Hall building, while also operating his restaurants Miller & Lux in Thrive City and Wayfare Tavern.

The 12,000-square-foot historic building that houses Wayfare Tavern is already listed for lease in 2025 through Maven Properties. Since being rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake, the building has changed hands over the years. During his time under Florence, he and designer Lori Yeomans added elegant touches such as floors made from wood from a tobacco farm in Kentucky, and star designer Ken Fulk took over the top floor bar, Sequoia, in 2017.

In an interview with Eater SF at the opening of Wayfare, Florence was asked what he thought about moving into the space that once housed the famous Rubicon restaurant in San Francisco. “So many great chefs, Traci des Jardins, Elizabeth Falkner and Drew Nieporent, got their start here; and Jeremy Fox met his wife here,” Florence said at the time. “To take that spot, it feels like you had better step up your game.”

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The post Tyler Florence’s Downtown San Francisco Restaurant Wayfare Tavern Is Shifting appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Facing seemingly insolvable performance challenges from its kitchen ventilation system, Bridges Restaurant & Bar, Danville, Calif. was ready to outlay upwards of $20,000 for a new rooftop make-up air system.

Instead of exiting through the dual exhaust cooking hood, smoke and food odors wafted into portions of the 3,300-square-foot dining area raising complaints from patrons seated at tables near the kitchen.

The 24-year-old, independently-owned Bridges is popularly known in the San Francisco area for its casual-elegant dining and also as the famous location for actor Robin Williams’ comedic multiple costume changes in the 1993 Hollywood movie, “Mrs. Doubtfire.” Because of its upscale image and popularity, the vexing dining area cooking odors were bad for business and affected the overall guest experience, according to Kevin Gin, executive chef and a member of the restaurant’s investor consortium.

Furthermore, drafts from the existing make-up air HVAC system were drawing smoke and grease, that should have been contained within the cooking exhaust hood, and depositing them onto the diffuser, walls ceilings and other kitchen surfaces requiring more than $1,000 annually in maintenance labor and cleaning compounds.

Besides odor infiltration and maintenance costs, the drafts from the air conditioning supply over the food prep area was prematurely cooling prepared hot entrees while employees in other kitchen areas were uncomfortably hot.

Finding a Low Cost Solution
A large HVAC retrofit outlay seemed imminent until an arranged meeting between Gin and an HVAC ventilation product manger attending a Bridges-held 25th anniversary dinner for the nearby Food Service Technology Center (FSTC), a San Ramon, Calif.-based commercial foodservice equipment performance test lab funded by Pacific Gas & Electric. Nick Paschke, product manager at textile HVAC ductwork manufacturer, DuctSox Corp., Peosta, Iowa, recommended a custom textile air dispersion system designed specifically for kitchens. The ceiling-mounted device disperses airflow uniformly, parallel and in front of the kitchen exhaust hood. The fabric diffuser is an easy-to-install replacement for metal air distribution diffusers that commonly cause kitchen exhaust hood overflow.

Instead of a 5,000-cfm make-up air equipment replacement, only the kitchen’s lone conventional 3 x 3-foot supply box and four metal diffusers were switched out. Located over the food prep line to distribute air throughout the 1,000-square-foot kitchen, the diffusers were replaced with two eight-foot-long, 28-inch-diameter D-shaped KitchenSox fabric diffusers. Instead of the metal diffuser’s estimated 500-fpm airflow that caused turbulence and disruption of the cooking hood’s capture, the air is gently and evenly dispersed through the fabric into the entire kitchen area at a significantly slower 85-fpm rate. Without the previous high velocity airflow and subsequent turbulence, the dual exhaust cooking hood now efficiently performs up to its design standards and captures smoke, grease particulates and cooking odors without overflow.

CulinAire Systems, El Dorado Hills, Calif., a foodservice ventilation contractor specializing in demand ventilation controls and engineered kitchen ventilation equipment, fabricated the sheet metal plenum and metal/fabric adaptors that supply the 16 linear feet of fabric duct. The fabric duct system and metal accessories were installed by CulinAire overnight without disruption to the kitchen operation.

Without the drafts, the excessive airborne smoke, grease deposits and dirt that the return air system had once drawn onto diffusers, kitchen walls, ceilings and cabinets no longer occurs, which has expedited daily cleaning and sanitation routines.

Gin also plans annual cleaning since the fabric diffuser can be disassembled by kitchen staffers in just minutes and commercially laundered, a process that would require days to complete by an outside contractor with a metal system.

Green Mission Accomplished
By improving the air distribution and eliminating the hood’s hot air overflow into the kitchen, a considerable energy savings supplements Bridges’ green mission, which is strategically marketed among its clientele. Gin said it’s difficult to pinpoint energy savings of the new system because FSTC continually uses Bridges as a beta test site for new technology. However, Gin did estimate recent Bridges’ conservation efforts are saving the restaurant more than 20-percent in energy costs with quick investment paybacks.

For example, FSTC oversees results of Bridges’ variable speed Intelli-Hood control, which is manufactured by Melink Corp., Milford, Ohio, and won the renowned “AHR Innovation Award” in the ventilation category presented at the 2012 AHR Expo in Chicago.

Other green equipment includes:
· A Cyclone Xi 96-percent efficient hot water heater by A.O. Smith, Ashland City, Tenn.;
· A variable temperature control for more efficiently running walk-in cooler operation by E-Control Systems, Sherman Oaks, Calif.;
· High temperature/reduced water kitchen and bar dishwashers by Hobart Corp., Troy, Ohio;
· A lighting retrofit from standard bulbs to compact fluorescent;
· The highest efficiency equipment available today in fryers, convection ovens and ice machines by Vulcan-Hart Co., Baltimore, Md.; the Garland Group, Freeland, Pa.; and Manitowoc Ice Inc., Manitowoc, Wis.; respectively.

Bridges’ challenges with HVAC ventilation was solved completely with fabric diffusers that cost less than ten percent of the approximate $20,000 for a new make-up air system. Furthermore, the energy savings and reduced maintenance costs offer a payback of less than one year on the air diffusion system. “This is really a common problem (inadequate cooking hood drafting) I think many restaurants suffer from and don’t realize there’s a simple, inexpensive solution,” said Gin. “We once thought replacing the HVAC system would improve our kitchen ventilation challenges, but we now realize it probably wouldn’t have remedied what was actually a ventilation problem that fabric ductwork solved.”

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Under Beverage Director David Kolvek, Sons & Daughters Will Emphasize Alpine Wines and Expand the Wine List to Complement the New-Nordic Inspired Menu

San Francisco, CA | October 24, 2023 – Sons & Daughters, the beloved Michelin-starred restaurant in San Francisco’s Nob Hill neighborhood, is pleased to introduce David Kolvek as its new Beverage Director. Opened in 2010, Sons & Daughters recently introduced Harrison Cheney as Executive Chef, who became the 2023 Michelin Guide California “Young Chef “ and the team is looking forward to welcoming Kolvek’s influence on the beverage program.

With a new focus on wines from mountainous regions, both the Alps and here on the West Coast, David Kolvek’s wine list pays homage to the winemakers toiling in those challenging alpine conditions. In addition to recalibrating the focus of wine regions, the format of the wine list is changing. “I wanted to create a wine list that reads like an atlas. Grouping wine regions not primarily by the country they’re in, but by the mountains, rivers, and coasts that influence them,” says David Kolvek. 

“We’re excited about David’s vision for our beverage program at Sons & Daughters. Like myself, he has a unique upbringing with international travels and experiences that will contribute to the evolution of our restaurant,” says Chef Cheney. “He has an acute understanding of how the Alpine regions of Switzerland, France, Italy, and others influenced winemaking in the U.S. and we’re looking forward to what he will bring to our table.” Kolvek and Cheney are working to challenge each other’s palates and expand the connection between food and drink. 

Kolvek’s passion for hospitality, food, and wine brought him to San Francisco and ultimately into his role as Beverage Director at Sons & Daughters. His gravitation towards creative thinking and educating guests about wine is what drives him. 

“I find joy in learning about wine: its history, place in culture, and the people that make it. It’s up to us to relay that knowledge in a way that our guests can connect with,” says Kolvek. “Wine has taught me a lot about the world. It’s like a liquid liberal arts education, and that’s what I want to share.” 

Kolvek grew up primarily in the Sea-to-Sky Corridor in British Columbia, after a short time living in Slovakia where his parents immigrated from. The Coast Mountains of the Pacific Northwest have been influential to his perspective. His family owned and operated a pizzeria and later a café outside of Vancouver, B.C. where Kolvek learned first-hand the importance of work. Later, Kolvek studied Computer Science & Business at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. Since moving to San Francisco over five years ago, he has held managerial positions at West Coast Wine Cheese and Birba Wine Bar before joining the Sons & Daughters team in October 2022. In 2023, Kolvek became a Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers and received his WSET-3 Certification. He was named 2019 “Top 10 Sommelier in the Bay Area” in the Bordeaux Supérieur Wine Competition and is a California Wine Appellation Specialist.

At Sons & Daughters, Kolvek is looking forward to creating an Alpine driven wine list that pairs well with Chef Cheney’s cuisine. The new focus dovetails with the updates to the restaurant’s beverage program, which now features a new non-alcoholic beverage pairing that utilizes sustainable practices and techniques like lactic fermentation. With Kolvek’s influence, the wine list will expand its bottle selections, and feature labels that shine light on this often-overlooked wine category. Kolvek is confident that these unique Alpine wines pair perfectly with Chef Cheney’s acid-driven, New Nordic cuisine which highlights Northern California’s seasonality.

Sons & Daughters is located at 708 Bush St. San Francisco, CA 94108, and is open Tuesday through Saturday for dinner starting at 5:30 p.m. The tasting menu is priced at $229 per person served over the course of two and a half hours with an optional beverage pairing for $165 per person and the Non-Alcohol beverage pairing is $115 per person. Reservations can be made on Tock. 

SONS & DAUGHTERS (San Francisco, CA) — Sons & Daughters is an elevated, intimate 16-seat Michelin-starred restaurant in Nob Hill within walking distance of downtown San Francisco. Sons & Daughters, which earned 3.5 stars from the San Francisco Chronicle, offers a 18-serving tasting menu inspired by new Nordic flavors and is anchored in classic techniques and the seasonality of Northern California. Chef Teague Moriarty opened Sons & Daughters in 2010 and has since stepped away from the kitchen completely as the owner paving the way for Harrison Cheney, who joined the team in October 2022 and was appointed Executive Chef in January 2023, in the interim spending time taking the reigns and creating a new menu that reflects the restaurant’s ethos and his own culinary background. Chef Cheney is a force to be reckoned with having spent a moon quarter of his culinary career at two Michelin-starred Gastrologik in Stockholm. His pedigree also includes working with acclaimed Michelin-starred chefs Phil Howard at The Square in London and Michael Tusk at Quince, and at The Ledbury at Notting Hill. Cheney’s elevated and thoughtfully composed menu showcases modern, progressive dishes that imbue Nordic influence through acidity and balance, and highlight the abundance of locally sourced ingredients. Most recently, Harrison received the prestigious 2023 MICHELIN Guide California “Young Chef Award” and is honored to be in a position to inspire future generations within the restaurant industry. The wine program showcases an extensive, boutique selection of both classic and New World wines. Sons & Daughters is focused on sustainability by working directly with local growers, farmers and purveyors, minimizing food waste by using every part of the product and composting, and implementing mixed recycling – all with the goal of reducing the restaurant’s environmental footprint. Diners can anticipate a warm, welcoming atmosphere and high attention to detail when dining at Sons & Daughters. For more information, please visit www.sonsanddaughterssf.com, follow @sonsanddaughterssf on Instagram, and like on Facebook. 

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Before Lou knew of the Victor Heights plot, another developer evicted the residents living in the Craftsman and the single-story Victorian under the Ellis Act as part of a plan to bulldoze them and build 26 luxury apartments on top. When that proposal wasn’t approved, Lou bought the property along with two partners (he owns 20% of the development). One of his partners, Brian Falls, formerly worked for Palisades, the development firm that’s behind 1111 Sunset Blvd.; now, he has his own development company called the Urban House.

“Preservation is not just about the buildings, but also the settings, and the culture,” says architect Jingbo Lou, in front of one of the converted Craftsman bungalows at Alpine Courtyard.

(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

“Preservation is not just about the buildings, but also the settings, and the culture,” Lou says.

For him, preserving the settings and culture of Victor Heights means reinstituting the commercial fabric of the neighborhood by providing affordable rents for first-time small-business owners.

As part of his research into the neighborhood, Lou found a 1932 picture from USC’s digital library that shows how residential homes were once sandwiched between small retail shops in Victor Heights. All of his tenants at Alpine Courtyard, he says, “are in their mid-30s, have accumulated a lot of experience in their field and were looking for a starting point to have their own business.”

Lou finalized the deal to develop the plot in 2019, which was already zoned for commercial business as part of a 1970 master plan amendment — on account of the area’s proximity to water management district buildings, Elysian Park and major freeway intersections.

Early on, he learned that there was an oil well in the middle of what’s now the courtyard, which would have been a risk factor for the previous developers who planned to build residential units on top. Back in the late 1800s, Victor Heights — named for Victor Beaudry — was a popular area for oil production.

Lou’s plan maintains the existing layout instead of building anew and includes commercial tenants who don’t sleep there overnight.

Banchan shop and cafe Perilla has garnered good reviews and national attention. Owner Jihee Kim serves rolled egg and seaweed, dosirak with blistered cod, kimbap and more.

(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

Yee was the first of the group courted by Lou. He came by her Chinatown kiosk soon after it opened in the spring of 2021 and was impressed by her vegan croissants and fruit danishes. Eventually, he persuaded her to collaborate with him on a second location in Victor Heights.

Once she was brought in, Yee asked her good friend Riley to open a coffee shop, plus Kim, whom she knew from the restaurant world (Kim previously worked at Rustic Canyon and other fine dining restaurants in San Francisco), and also Thompson, whom she had worked with at the now-closed Konbi, to come on board.

Lou jokes that she’s his co-developer on the project. At the new bakery, she’ll continue to serve all of her Baker’s Bench staples, and she hopes to eventually offer hot breakfasts too. “We’ll just slowly grow as we’ve always slowly grown,” she says.

Chef Miles Thompson, left, and business partner Andy Schwartz expect to open a restaurant at the Alpine Street complex that’s an evolution of their pop-up Baby Bistro.

(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

Already, Riley is selling Yee’s croissants, chocolate chip cookies and cinnamon knots at Heavy Water Coffee. He’s also serving a collaborative drink with Perilla, an espresso tonic that utilizes Kim’s fermented umeboshi plum syrup.

“There’s nothing like this in Los Angeles,” says Thompson, who has worked as a chef in L.A. for over 15 years, including at the now-closed Allumette, Michael’s in Santa Monica and Konbi.

The development’s communal dynamic was a big part of its appeal for Schwartz. “In a pretty destination-driven, isolated city, there’s going to be a collective energy here, and I don’t think that’s something that happens so much in Los Angeles,” he says.

“In a pretty destination-driven, isolated city, there’s going to be a collective energy here, and I don’t think that’s something that happens so much in Los Angeles,” says Andy Schwartz.

(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

At this point in time, the old building that will house the forthcoming restaurant from Schwartz and Thompson is still in the beginning stages of being converted into a new restaurant (rough plumbing, flooring, etc.).

Jumie Ra, a ceramicist who has lived in Victor Heights for 11 years, welcomes the new businesses in Alpine Courtyard. “I’m also a small-business owner, so I think any small business is good, it just doesn’t get a lot of attention here,” she said.

Devin, a newer resident to Victor Heights who preferred to be called by his first name only, said of Heavy Water and Perilla: “They’re a little bougie, but it’s nice to have something, because it’s sparse.”

To Chen, who worries that the culinary hub is “trying to emulate a Silver Lake type of crowd,” a neighbor cup of coffee from Heavy Water that costs $2 is “a nice gesture, and probably well-intentioned,” he says. “But sometimes it’s not about the individual business practices, it’s about the developers and the bigger picture of what’s happening to a neighborhood.”

Alpine Courtyard returns small businesses to a stretch of Victor Heights where shops were once sandwiched between residential homes.

(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

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It was a scene not witnessed in Downtown San Francisco for some time: a line behind black velvet ropes that wrapped around two city blocks, with passing cars and curious pedestrians stopping to inquire about the draw. 

The opening party for Chotto Matte—likely San Francisco’s largest restaurant—was the venue to celebrate the city Friday night, and more than 500 people waited as long as 45 minutes to be part of it, entertained by a taiko drum performance that continued on the rooftop. 

Taiko drummers perform at the rooftop restaurant Chotto Matte. | Source: Julie Zigoris/The Standard

The conversation on people’s lips at the Nikkei dining destination was that San Francisco is poised for a renaissance. The verdant rooftop escape with views of the twinkling skyline certainly seemed like evidence that the city’s best days are ahead. 

Restaurateurs, real estate brokers, luxury retailers and city stakeholders rubbed shoulders at the leafy, tropical venue that evoked hot nights in Miami Beach. Well-dressed guests angled to snag Paloma-inspired highballs and French 75s at a fern and monstera-covered bar before moving into the main space, anchored by a DJ booth, cafe tables and banquettes under a mirrored ceiling. 

The rooftop restaurant Chotto Matte in San Francisco has a plant-decorated bar. | Source: Julie Zigoris/The Standard

San Francisco—its woes, its hand-wringing, its frequent forecasts of worsening doom—seemed miles away from the airy 450-seat restaurant, where passing trays of dragon rolls, shrimp tempura, vegan crispy rice and soft-shell crab quickly vanished.  

The expansive space occupies the rooftop of Macy’s former men’s department and includes an open kitchen, a private dining area and a sushi bar, all of which flows into a wraparound roof terrace studded with dining tables. 

Partygoers were invited to serve themselves sake by dipping a ladle into a wooden bucket while others waited in line for flutes of prosecco. A laser cannon tucked around the side of the sprawling roof shot a blue beam skyward. 

Servers prepare sushi at the rooftop restaurant Chotto Mate. | Source: Julie Zigoris/The Standard

The restaurant opened a month later than planned, and the exit stairwells still showed signs of construction at the Friday night opening party. The restaurant opened to the public on Saturday. 

The restaurant’s logo—a version of an Incan cross meant to represent harmony and balance—is echoed in the zigzag pattern on the black and white tile floor and sewn onto blankets draped over the outdoor seating and emblazoned on servers’ uniforms. 

The rooftop restaurant Chotto Matte has a view of the San Francisco city skyline. | Source: Julie Zigoris/The Standard

Guests left with black gift bags dangling from their fingertips. Inside? A sleek black box with Chotto Matte chopsticks and a rest in the logo’s cross shape, tucked among purple tissue paper.

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After a year of preparation, a yakitori restaurant with a century-long history in Tokyo will open on Oct. 25 in San Francisco’s Japantown. And Edomasa’s opening menu is all about chicken, with nary a vegetarian option to be found.

Known for its bite-size chicken, grilled and skewered, Edomasa will offer a $30 set menu with a bowl of chicken soup, a chicken meatball, four pieces of chicken yakitori and a bowl of seasoned rice. Customers can order other skewers—chicken tenders, tail, thigh, belly meat, breast or neck—a la carte, for $4.50 each.

Daiki Sekiguchi, the general manager of Bay Area-based parent company EK Food Services, said the menu has slightly changed for the American customers but remains true to the original.

“We recommend the Edomasa seven-course set menu,” Sekiguchi said. “It’s almost the same as the Tokyo menu.”

The new 39-seat restaurant Edomasa readies for its opening in San Francisco’s Japantown. | Source: Han Li/The Standard

Talking about his own favorite skewer, Sekiguchi said he likes the “Heart Stamina,” which is a mix of chicken breast, skin and heart.

Opening in 1924 near Tokyo’s 350-year-old Ryōgoku Bridge, Edomasa started out as a small stall that later became a popular destination. It closed in 2022 amid a controversy over the risks of consuming raw or undercooked chicken, which had featured in the restaurant’s signature dish. 

Sekiguchi said EK Food Services persuaded Edomasa chef Hisatoshi Hamana to relocate from Tokyo to San Francisco and reopen a near-exact replica of the original location. Notably, the San Francisco restaurant will not serve that raw chicken dish.

Edomasa chef Takumi Noda cooks and grills chickens. | Source: Han Li/The StandardChef Hisatoshi Hamana had worked at the original location in Tokyo until its closure in 2022. | Source: Han Li/The Standard

Another key difference is the grill. At the 39-seat Edomasa, diners can sit at the bar counter and watch the chefs prepare the chicken—on special electronic equipment imported from Japan, not the traditional way, using charcoal.

“Because our chefs understand that the smell of charcoal gets on the chicken,” Sekiguchi said. “We also believe that electric heating wire cooks the chicken more slowly at a higher temperature, which brings out the flavor of the chicken more.”

But don’t worry, vegetarians. Sekiguchi said Edomasa will eventually have some grilled vegetable items, as well as other different chicken courses and a kids’ menu. But for now, for those who don’t eat meat, an iced matcha drink is your best choice.

Edomasa

Wednesday-Sunday  | 5 p.m.-9 p.m.
1581 Webster St. #270, SF (inside Japan Center Mall)
edomasa-us.com

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The location of longtime seaside diner Louis’ Restaurant may become the home of a new restaurant, according to the National Park Service, which owns the San Francisco building.

“The NPS is currently working toward a Request for Proposal (RFP) in the future for a tenant to occupy 902 Point Lobos Ave to operate a restaurant,” park service spokesperson Julian Espinoza said in an email.

The park service had previously said that there was no search process underway, but that it would “maintain the building and evaluate its potential use for the future.”

People walk past Louis’ Restaurant on Feb. 17, 2023, located near Land’s End. The diner shuttered in 2020. | Garrett Leahy/The Standard

The service did not say when the request for proposal, a formal document asking for vendor bids, would be released. The service had a bidding process for the former Cliff House restaurant nearby, and has selected a new operator, but has not shared further details.

READ MORE: Cliff House To Reopen as New Mystery Restaurant This Year

Louis’ Restaurant closed in August 2020 after more than 80 years in business, just months before it was due to renew its lease. The months of closure due to Covid made it infeasible to stay open. 

Tom Hontalas, former co-owner of Louis’ Restaurant, stands outside the iconic 1930s coastal diner. | Garrett Leahy/The Standard

Whoever takes over the building will have to address needed repairs to the building, which has not been fully renovated in decades, Espinoza said.

Public documents say that while the building is in “good overall condition,” the building would not be up to current building code and would need even more modifications if the next restaurant there wanted to expand the space.

Laurie Thomas, head of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, said that renovation of professional kitchens can be very expensive.

“Once you get into plumbing and electrical, you can easily get to $100,000,” Thomas said. 

Tom Hontalas, former co-owner of Louis’ Restaurant, said that he was excited to see who ends up taking over.

“I wish them the best, and look forward to seeing what they’ll do with the place,” Hontalas said. “Maybe one day I’ll drop in. I don’t think I’ll say who I am, but I’d check it out.”

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