You like to keep up with what’s brand new? Here’s a cheat sheet of five new spots that just opened around town for you to check out.
Brasserie S & P
This restaurant and bar/lounge has opened in the Mandarin Oriental after an extensive renovation of the street-level space where MO Bar used to be. Check out the cocktails from the gin-centric bar (bar director Priscilla Young stocked 34 bottles to try), and chef Adam Mali’s San Francisco–brasserie style menu includes a raw bar and lots of plates built to share, like duck confit with apricot, crème fraîche, and chive on latkes, and kimchi-pork steamed buns.
Chez Maman West
A second location of the Potrero Hill favorite is now in Hayes Valley at the corner of Gough and Hayes. The French bistro menu will be the same as the original location, with the same delicious burger and crêpes, plus some unexpected additions. Since the chef (Russell Cab) worked at owner Jocelyn Bulow’s Mexican restaurant in Potrero Hill, Papito’s, there will also be quesadillas, burritos, and tacos on the menu.
Hayes Valley Bakeworks
This is a new café featuring pastries made from scratch, as well as wholesome pizza specials each day, and soups, salads, and sandwiches. What’s unique is the Bakeworks is operated through Toolworks, a nonprofit that places people with disabilities and the formerly homeless in job training, and the café will further support this mission by employing these participants.
Machka
A new Turkish restaurant has come to the Financial District, serving contemporary Turkish cuisine with Mediterranean influences, prepared with seasonal, locally sourced, and (mostly) organic ingredients. It’s open for lunch and dinner, with a communal table, hardwood floors, and an exhibition kitchen, plus sidewalk seating (lame July weather permitting).
Pläj
This Scandinavian restaurant (pronounce its name as “play”) has opened in the former Ovations space at Inn at the Opera in Hayes Valley. Chef-owner Roberth Sundell’s menu features Scandinavian dishes with some California influences, ranging from krondill poached lobster Skagen with white fish caviar, horseradish, avocado, and chile, to white asparagus, morels, fennel confit, egg 63°C, hollandaise sauce, and fried sourdough.
Marcia Gagliardi is the contributing food editor for 7x7 and author of the weekly Tablehopper e-column and book The Tablehopper’s Guide to Dining and Drinking in San Francisco. Email her at marcia@7x7.com, and read more at tablehopper.com.
