The biggest food news of the week is that dormant chef Ravi Kapur, formerly of Prospect, is getting back into the game come next year with a new Lower Nob Hill spot in conjunction with two Nopa partners.
The name of the spot is still TBD, but it will be going into a space at 871 Sutter (between Leavenworth and Jones) come the second half of 2014, and the lease is now signed. Kapur is partnering on this project, which he says will be a "uniquely San Francisco restaurant," with two people behind the smash hit Nopa, Allyson Jossel (wife of Nopa chef Laurence Jossel) and Jeff Hanak. Jossel and Hanak will be sure to bring some Nopa-style casual hospitality to the front of the house, and this is certainly a good thing.
Kapur has been doing occasional iterations of his Hawaii-inspired LihoLiho Yacht Club pop-up over the last two years since he departed Prospect, but this won't be a brick-and-mortar iteration of that. Kapur's influences are pretty wide, including the French training he got while working for eight years at Boulevard, ultimately serving as chef de cuisine. And suffice it to say he's a talented guy, and this will be a biggie for 2014. [Chron]
The Cavalier got a glowing review from Michael Bauer this week, and you should know that they just launched lunch and brunch. [Chron]
Over in SoMa, look out on Saturday for the grand opening of Cellarmaker Brewing Company, yet another beer spot to add to the Great Beer Boom of 2012-13. The beer-meisters behind it are former Marin Brewing Co. guys Connor Casey and brewer Tim Sciascia, and they're opening their new brewery with a 49-seat tasting room in a former auto body shop at 1150 Howard Street between 7th and 8th. Expect some sophisticated and unique styles of beer, in sour, English porter, IPA, and other varieties. See Grub Street's interview with Casey from back in February. [Inside Scoop]
Also, you should be aware that The Cliff House is closed as long as the government's shut down, because it sits on federal land. [Inside Scoop]