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SoMa/South Beach: Burger Joint‘s King Street location is closing. [Scoop]
Nob Hill/Polk Gulch: Tai Chi (2031 Polk Street near Broadway) is closed. [Eater]
Hayes Valley: Smitten Ice Cream has concluded that contest to rename their ice cream machine, and the winning name is Brrr. [Hayeswire]
Union Square: Jasper’s Corner Tap & Kitchen has a new chef, Michael Ransom. [Scoop]

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Filed Under: neighborhood watch, burger joint, chef shuffles, closings, jasper’s corner tap and kitchen, smitten ice cream

Grub Street San Francisco

Berkeley: Victory Burger, which we mentioned was moving in next door to Actual Cafe at San Pablo Avenue and Alcatraz, is now open. [East Bay Dish]
Oakland: The newly opened Miss Ollie’s will be lunch only, on weekdays, for the remainder of the month, but will likely start dinner and weekend service in January. [Zagat, Earlier]
Mountain View: Chez TJ has just named their new chef, and it’s Jarad Gallagher, who most recently was chef de cuisine at Plumed Horse in Saratoga, and he’s also worked at One Market and Michael Mina. The menu has already become almost entirely his. [Scoop, Earlier]

Read more posts by Jay Barmann

Filed Under: neighborhood watch, chef shuffles, chez tj, miss ollie’s, openings, victory burger

Grub Street San Francisco

SIGNAGE CHRONICLES – Today residents of the Upper Haight watched an 80 lb. whopper (and fries!) as it was erected via a material lifter outside Burger Urge on the corner of Haight and Clayton Streets. Nearby shop keepers are already grumbling that it’s an “eyesore,” but it will no doubt delight some kids of all ages. We’re told the gargantuan burger put owner Sam Sirhed back somewhere in the realm of six or seven thousand dollars. It joins other hard-to-miss Haight St. fixtures like the stockinged legs above Haight Ashbury Gift Shop, and the real question is: Will it fill the void left by the very polarizing, very dead Katz bagel alien? [EaterWire, SFist and Uptown Almanac, earlier]

OAKLAND – Via Ms. Hopper, the lastest project from the Brown Sugar Kitchen folks, B Side BBQ is now serving the smoked goods on San Pablo Ave. According to the website, they’re operating during limited hours now, and you can take in the full menu of BBQ-ed beef, pork, poultry, seafood, and even tofu right here. [Tablehopper]

WEBSITE OF THE DAY – Here is the website of the day: Where the Fuck Should I Go For Drinks? It pretty much does what it says: It tells you where the fuck to get some fucking drinks using some slick HTML5 Geolocationing. Also, see its wonderfully confrontational Twitter account, @wtfsigfd. [Official Site via Eater National]

TAMALE WIRE - Haighteration says that a new tamale guy called Twisted Tamales will be at 735 Page Street in the Lower Haight on Sunday (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.). Check out their logo of a busty brown cow holding a whip. Whoa. [Facebook, Haighteration]

LISTICLE DEPT. – In honor of last minute holiday shoppers everywhere, Refinery 29 has compiled a handy list of good places to eat around the mall and Union Square. [R29]

Eater SF

[Photo: ucityguides]

Mikey Dollar Bills does a re-review of RN74 this week and he begins “to question the value” after swallowing two big checks. He says, “Don’t get me wrong – the food on its own is excellent…[but] It seems as if RN74 is losing its unique personality; it feels trendy but a little rote. Like a great wine, it’s missing that indescribable quality that makes me long to return.” It’s bumped down to 2.5 stars overall. [Chron]

The Kauffinator goes mainstream at The Melt and Umami Burger: two “nascent chains…doing it with Earth-huggy claims…good ingredients, compostable cutlery — but also with tech-geek-worthy backstories.” At The Melt he finds fresher flavors in the soups than the melts: “It’s a grilled cheese, all right, but a sterile one.” And at the first outpost of LA-based Umami Burger, he finds “the city’s most attractive burger restaurant” serves up burgers with “swagger” that are “quite good,” but sides are lackluster, and for the price “there are juiced up beefy burgers in town to rival it—Serpentine’s, Zuni’s and Heirloom’s come to mind. [SF Weekly]

Untz Untz takes the party to Trace at The W Hotel where Aqua/Oliveto alum Paul Piscopo‘s “ingredient-driven cooking is some of the best in The City at surprisingly moderate prices.” Despite the “ineptly lit W dining room,” his “cooking is so lush, earthbound and legitimately exciting it triumphs over its relentlessly uncomfortable surroundings, making Trace patrons remember they’re in San Francisco, after all.” [Examiner]

THE ELSEWHERE: The third Chron review of the week has hearty a 2.5 stars for Napa’s Cielito Linda, another contender in the recent Wine Country boom in Mexican restaurants; The Merc finds a stylish Walnut Creek Thai restaurant in Kacha Bistro, The Marin IJ says Larkspur’s Tha Siam will please a range of palates, and EBX comes around to new Alameda hot dog restaurant Doggy-Style.

Eater SF

Pearl’s is now set to open in mid-October.

Pearl’s Deluxe Burgers is getting close to opening their second S.F. location at the colorful and lively corner of 6th and Market (in the former home of our favorite lumpia/Chinese food/burrito joint, Market & 6th Food Corner). Owner Sylvia Park informs us that final inspections are happening next week, and there should be a firm opening date quickly to follow, as soon as all the finishing touches are complete. Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Umami Burger (2184 Union Street) is getting set for their October 7 NorCal debut, and the Feast got blessed with a dish preview. Check out all their fine photos here, including some enticing “smushed” potatoes. [Grub Street, Feast]

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Filed Under: burgers, pearl’s deluxe burgers, previews, umami burger

Grub Street San Francisco

1599 Haight St., as it stands today, 7/15/2011.

Although building owner Sam Sirhed would like to remain mum about the “classy” burger concept he’s bringing to Haight St., this we know: 1) The name on the pending liquor license is Burger Urge. 2) Bi-Rite owner Sam Mogannam‘s cousin Jack Mogannam will be a managing partner. [Sidenote: Sam and Bi-Rite are not involved.] 3) Sirhed says the concept is still far out, like five or six months. 4) The interior build-out has begun.

Calls are out to the powers that be. In the meantime, a message to the burger niche in the Upper Haight: prepare to be filled.

· Something “Classy” Coming to Haight St. [~ ESF ~]

Eater SF

The big buzz in San Francisco is the 34th America’s Cup. I believe that most American’s (including myself) had no idea that the America’s Cup is the third biggest global sporting event behind the Olympics and FIFA’s World Cup.

But it is … and the positive potential economic impact to the City is huge – and I am all for that. I won’t get into a long essay on the economics of pulling off the America’s Cup but they are challenging. So what does this have to do with the iconic Red’s Java House which will have it’s centennial celebration next year?

The America’s Cup requires an extensive renovation and development to the waterfront and that has put Red’s Java Hut continued tenancy in question. But just like there is a “lid for every jar” there is a “solution to every problem”.

At the end of the day, from what I read in the SF Business Times it seems there will be a place for Red’s in the big scheme of things. And perhaps it will be used as the San Francisco icon that it is to bring that additional San Francisco flavor to this event!

And Larry, if you’ve never hung out there and had a Red’s burger and a beer you should. My treat – just remember… the jukebox! belongs to me!

Blog: San Francisco News & Views

It didn’t take long for the creative geniuses behind fast-food marketing to come up with a new way to make you fat in the New Year. Earlier this week we noticed a new menu item at our loc…
SFoodie

THE MARINA – Umami Burger, the wildly popular LA burger chain is set to take over the bay next. It’s moving into the old Noodle Theory spot on Scott Street and judging by how much people in LA love it, it’s sure to be crazy popular in SF. Cause, you know, people here actually eat. JOKE, LA! Please don’t come up here and do plastic surgery on my face as payback! Or do. [ISSF]

BERKELEY – Birdland, north Berkeley’s Friday night multi culti underground eatery and jazz joint might have to go legit. That’s on account of it currently being illegal. They plan to run through Friday, December 17th of this year, and the future in 2011 is unclear. Let’s hope they keep on keepin’ on because it sounds fresh and I’d like to check it out. [Berkeleyside]

THE MISSION – Not the crafty type? Well, never fear, you can find goods to pass off as your own at tonight’s La Cocina’s Gift Fair. It runs from 4 to 9 p.m. at the Mission Cultural Center (2868 Mission Street) and there’s guaranteed to be something for everyone. Even the Grinch. Awww. Afterwards, check out the Mission Holiday Block Party! [SFoodie]

Birdland Sign [Photo: Erik Arnold / Berkeleyside]

Eater SF