Fire Up the Grill

the tablehopper | 5:15 pm | January 9, 2009 | Foodie 411

There will soon be two grills opening in San Francisco (sign of the times?). First up: Stefano Coppola, the owner of Lupa in Noe Valley and the new owner of the Kookez location just around the corner has decided to open an American grill in the space, called City Grill. He plans to have the restaurant open Tue–Sun for dinner and Fri–Sun for brunch. The interior is getting freshened up—will keep you posted on the opening date (which is looking like January 14th) and the menu.

• 4123 24th St. at Diamond.

As for the second project, Jones, the sporty Marina Steakhouse, is coming under new ownership: the crew behind Bin 38. Here’s more from one of the owners, Don Davis, “The working name is Scott Street Bar & Grill, though that may change. We’ll be doing an upscale neighborhood bar & grill, a new take on a classic. Expect lots of dark wood and leather with a fresh, modern take. We’ll have a wood-fired grill and pizza oven to put out the best bar classics in town. The drink list will focus on our twist on classic American cocktails and the largest American craft beer selection in town. Additionally, we’ll introduce the sports lounge concept, providing the only upscale place to watch sports in town.”
They are imagining Jones will close in mid-February, and after three–four months of remodeling, are hoping for a June/July opening.

• 2400 Lombard St. at Scott.

Time To Walk the Dog

Grapefruit Salad

Charles Phan’s (Slanted Door) Chinese noodle bar and lounge that is going into the Soma Grand is getting very close to opening—in fact, Wednesday January 14th is the intended opening date. The project is called Heaven’s Dog, with noodles as the primary focus, plus other menu items from Andy Wai (most recently at Yank Sing—so there might be some dumplings added to the menu on the weekends). It will be open for dinner to start, with lunch following soon thereafter. A big highlight is the bar program, with 12 or so cocktails from bar manager Erik Adkins, featuring quality ice made from a special ice-making machine; a number of local favorite bartenders are also slated to take turns at the bar. Olle Lundberg designed the space, with about 100 seats in all. The bar/lounge area has a long bar made of Douglas fir (over 20 feet long), plus cork walls and an orange color scheme, while the noodle shop feature white tiles.

• 1160 Mission at 7th St.

Marcia Gagliardi writes a popular weekly e-column about the SF dining scene, “the tablehopper.” Subscribe for free at www.tablehopper.com and get it in your inbox every Tuesday. Got news? Email Marcia at taste@sanfrancisco.travel.