1233 Polk Street, Nob Hill
415 885 1233
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Fedoras. Whiskey in the office. Roman Polanski. File it all under: what's old is new again. Which is why you'll want to get reacquainted with Mayes, the newly resurrected oyster house from 1867, opening in Polk Gulch on Wednesday. Scour the dive-y block for the original neon sign and duck inside. You'll find what looks like a modern seafarer's club room—where Captain Edgar Wakeman might have knocked back a few single malt whiskeys and aphorisms with pal Mark Twain at the original brushed copper bar, before they headed off to sail from the San Francisco Port on a steam liner headed to New York (a guy knew how to live back then).
1746 Post St, Japantown
415 345 1975
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Aside from Sundance and a few prized sushi joints, let's face it: Japantown hasn't really been much of a destination after Japantown Bowl closed. But something's just come up that's likely to change all of that. Introducing a curiously intriguing den of Japanese culture, New People—a microcosm of Tokyo pop culture wrapped in a modern layered megaplex dedicated to everything Japanese from high-tech gadgets to movies and art—opening Saturday in the three-story glass building across from Benihana (another pure example of Japanese culture…).
2102 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley
510 549 9950
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The past. We're not saying everything was better then. It wasn't. Still, they knew how to do a few things well. Like twirling their handlebar mustaches. Not to mention growing handlebar mustaches. Also: they knew how to cook the hell out of a whole hog. Which brings us to Revival Bar + Kitchen, a new spot for turn-of-the-century-style dating and revelry, soft-open now in Berkeley. This is where you'll go to show your date that you're old-fashioned—like, really old-fashioned. It's housed in a building from 1901, harkening back to those halcyon days after the Gold Rush but before the 1906 earthquake.
2500 Folsom Street, Misssion
415 821 2500
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The hidden gem. You know it when you see it. But some clues never hurt. Like tables named after mob movies. And underground wine cellars. And—and this is the clincher—the phrases "off-the-menu" and "burger" are involved. Introducing Heirloom Café, a veritable hidden gem of a date spot, opening tomorrow on the outskirts of the Mission. Set up inside a turn-of the-century corner building, the rustic Victorian dining room feels like it was taken from a Pennsylvania farm—creaky century-old Douglas Fir floors, 1900s-inspired wallpaper and antique teardrop light fixtures. (Sadly, no hay for rolling in.)
Clift, 495 Geary Street, Union Square
415 929 2300
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Designed to complement the legendary Redwood Room, Velvet Room is a unique venue for corporate meetings and select nightlife events, while offering breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.
1500 Irving Street, Sunset
415 742 5122
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Ramen has long been your go-to bowl on cold, wet days. And while you're well aware of its many steaming charms, we're here today to make sure you're well-acquainted with its powers in the hangover remedy department... Which is why we're happy to tell you about ramen-equipped Izakaya Sozai, your new Japanese tapas bar in the Inner Sunset, ready to ply you with both hangover-inducing and hangover-preventing fare. Owned by a former Blowfish Sushi chef and his wife, Izakaya Sozai is a mom-and-pop you'd frequent for traditional Japanese pub food, ample beer, sake and shochu—all capped off with some of the best ramen in the city.
220 California Street, Financial District
415 955 1919
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The first week back after the holidays is notoriously rough. We venture to say you've just barely made it. So we wouldn't normally rush to bring up Monday, except we managed to find something worth looking forward to. Welcome Barbacco Eno Trattoria, the casual trattoria version of Perbacco conveniently located next door to its dapper elder FiDi sibling, opening for lunch the day you may need it most. Barbacco is your solution for house-cured salumi and meatball cravings midday—and it hits that hard-to-find lunch sweet spot between expense-account Perbacco and the corner deli.
3870 17th Street, Castro
415 621 3870
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Chances are you had a bit of family time over the weekend—maybe a bit too much. So the last place on earth you probably want to go right now is grandma's place. And yet, that's exactly where we're taking you. Don't worry: it's someone else's grandma. And she brought booze. Introducing Frances, a new corner eatery serving up French and Mediterranean cuisine—not to mention some unusual takes on wine—now open in the Castro. Look, we're not insulting your grandmother—we're just saying that this is another place to get a good, hearty meal, only the chef won't ask prying questions about your date.
1799 McAllister Street, Western Addition
415 674 8699
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There are days when the efficacy of caffeine versus alcohol in your life is a toss-up. You no longer have to make these unnecessary, difficult choices with the brilliance of Matching Half, the latest Western Addition coffee-bar meets drinking-bar, offering you all sorts of essential liquids (in a potent trifecta of artisan coffee, wine and beer)—and it's now open on the corner of McAllister and Baker. Step up to the bar-style counter to order your morning drip—whether that's an individually brewed Ethiopian from Santa Cruz-based Verve, or, in the next few months, Sightglass coffee via Blue Bottle and Four Barrel vets (we suddenly feel warm and safe knowing this).
680 Second Street, SOMA
415 896 1127
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True, the Giants' hopes for a postseason wild card were dashed yesterday in LA. Normally that means you're boycotting anything within a mile radius of AT&T until the season picks back up. But we've just come across an inviting little hangout where you can get a quick bite and a brew just about any time of day, all year round, that might have you rethinking your boycott. Introducing Ironside, a new all-day café/eatery/bar serving the restaurant-starved block of Second and Townsend.
1519 Grant Avenue
415 982 5726
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We deserve an Indian summer. Instead, we get thunderstorms. But that doesn't mean we've lost faith. That being said, these unseasonable showers got us to thinking that it might just be time to gear up for fall. Welcome Hollander & Lexer, a line of sharply crafted shirts and jackets with a lived-in, Holden Caulfield, Ivy League sensibility, making its exclusive West Coast debut at A-B Fits in North Beach now.