SF boom in new restaurants

Great article by famous San Francisco food critic Michael Bauer on how many new restaurants have opened up in the city this year. Interesting that he notes how different things are in New York - where they're having a horrible year for new restaurant openings. Although he doesn't hazard any guesses as to why this might be the case.

This article definitely makes me miss the city by the Bay and all the great food that goes along with it!

http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/michaelbauer/2010/08/19/its-a-boom-time-for-new-restaurants-in-san-francisco/

It's a boom time for new restaurants in San Francisco
August 19, 2010

I’ve been so busy running from restaurant to restaurant that until now I haven’t really spent much time thinking about the larger picture of what’s happening in Bay Area dining: The economy may still be on life support, but the restaurant business is booming.

I’ve been in San Francisco for nearly a quarter of a century, spanning several boom and bust times, but I think we may be hitting an all-time record for new openings.

It’s a confluence of many factors: Places like Prospect and Des Amis, for example, have been in the works for years; when financing opportunities went south in 2008, so did construction on the projects.

I’m seeing a lot of exciting personal restaurants opening, which I haven’t seen in some time — places like Saison, Sons & Daughters and Benu (which I haven’t experienced firsthand yet).

I sat down to schedule my weekly reviews through the end of the year and all the places I need to go are backed up like commuters on the Bay Bridge at 7:30 a.m. But, this is not necessarily the case elsewhere. Steve Cuozzo wrote in yesterday’s New York Post that “2010 is the worst year for new restaurants since Ice Age investors opened the first mammoth house. ”

Here’s a quick rundown of what’s already opened in the Bay Area in 2010, followed by some of the places expected to open before the end of the year:

Saison: Joshua Skenes’ “pop up” restaurant in the Mission became permanent a few months ago, offering an eight-course fixed-price menu. I’m reviewing it in The Chronicle’s Food & Wine section on Sunday.

Wayfare Tavern: This all-American place in the transformed Rubicon space is the first of Tyler Florence’s new Bay Area ventures.

Prospect: Nancy Oakes, Kathy King, Pamela Mazzola and Ravi Kapur are a formidable team at this new hot spot in the Infinity Towers.

Thermidor: Spork’s chef Bruce Binn is doing a mid-century number at Mint Plaza, also home of Chez Papa Resto and 54 Mint restaurants. Think Chicken Kiev and Lobster Thermidor, of course.

Sons & Daughters: Two young chefs, Matt McNamara and Teague Moriarty, have taken over the Cafe Mozart space creating a regularly changing fixed-price menu.

Hog and Rocks: Scott Youkilis of Maverick combines pigs, bivalves and cocktails at this new Mission restaurant.

Zero Zero: Bruce Hill brings his Pizzeria Picco show (and more) from Larkspur to San Francisco in the former Azie space next to LuLu.

Commonwealth: The latest evolution of Mission Street Foods under former Bar Tartine chef Jason Fox offers an a la carte or a $60 tasting menu, where a portion of the proceeds goes to charity.

Benu: This is the first venture from Corey Lee, former chef du cuisine at the French Laundry, who took over the space that once housed Hawthorne Lane and Two.

Des Amis: The Bacchus group folks from Spruce hope this will be the West Coast version of Balthazar.

Ippuku: This Izakaya in downtown Berkeley features small plates and sake from Christian Geideman.

Morimoto: Chef Masaharu Morimoto has opened a namesake restaurant in Napa featuring his distinctive brand of Japanese-inspired food.

Spoonbar: Rudy Mihal does the food and Scott Beattie turns his immense talent to cocktails at this Mediterranean restaurant in the new h2 Hotel in Healdsburg.

Locanda da Eva: You’d think former restaurant critics would know better, but Robert Lauriston is taking his shot at culinary fame at this spot that once housed Zax Tavern in Berkeley.

Dish: Some of the people from Buckeye Road House have opened this family-friendly restaurant in Mill Valley.

Rustic: All of Francis Ford Coppola’s favorite dishes can be found on the menu at this restaurant, part of his new winery in what used to be Chateau Souverain in Geyserville.

Many more places are expected to open before the end of the year: Michael and Lindsay Tusk’s Cotogna next to their flagship, Quince; Alexander’s Steakhouse from Cupertino in the Bacar space; Una Pizza Napolenta from Anthony Mangieri, who closed his New York shop to open here; Locanda, a Roman eatery from Craig Stoll of Delfina; 25 Lusk, the impressive 10,000 square-foot space being designed by Cass Calder Smith in an alley off Townsend; Plate Shop in Sausalito from Kim Alter, formerly of Manresa and Ubuntu; Zut in the old Eccolo space in Berkeley; Plum, Daniel Patterson’s Oakland outpost; Michael Mina in the old Aqua space; Bourbon Steak in Michael Mina in the Westin St. Francis Hotel; Shimo Modern Steak, Douglas Keane’s new steakhouse in Healdsburg; Fish Story, from the Lark Creek Group, with Stephen Barber as chef; and Tyler Florence’s Rotisserie and Wine.