Openings, closings
SF’S SAHA RESTAURANT HEADED TO FORMER HERBIVORE LOCATION That didn’t take long. Last week, we broke the news that the Berkeley location of Herbivore had closed; we’ve learned from SFist this week that a Yemenese restaurant from San Francisco, Saha, will be moving into the space. Saha operated for close to 12 years in Lower Nob Hill, gaining acclaim from the San Francisco Chronicle, Zagat and The Examiner, as well as a loyal following on Yelp. According to a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page, the move was prompted by a need for more space: “We promise not to abandon what is important to you, but realize the limitations of the space we have been been in. We have been blessed with the best of landlords and support staff of the Hotel Carlton for the past 12 years. However, it is time for Saha to soar!” The restaurant serves what it describes as Arabic fusion cuisine — dishes from co-owners Mohamed and Marmee Aboghanem’s home of Yemen prepared with a California ethos. Much of the menu is vegetarian and/or vegan, a fact that will likely appeal to those mourning the loss of Herbivore. A note on Saha’s website lists an opening date of October 2016. Saha will be at 2451 Shattuck Ave. (at Haste Street), Berkeley. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook.
MORE DETAILS ON LUCIA’S, THE BELLI OSTERIA REPLACEMENT Last month, we broke the news that Belli Osteria had closed after four years of operation on Shattuck Avenue. We had heard from the Belli owners that its replacement would be a wood-fired pizza restaurant, but had few details. Eater SF reports this week that the new new restaurant will be called Lucia’s, and it will serve Neapolitan-style pies in a white-tiled dining room with a “Brooklyn vibe.” Co-owners Steve Dumain and Alessandro Uccelli have brought on an Italian pizzaiolo to manage the pizzas, which will not only include pies made with double-zero flour (typical for Neapolitan pizzas), but also pies made using live sprouted grain doughs. Other menu items will include vegan pizzas, charcuterie, deep-fried breaded mozzarella and buffalo milk gelato. Much of Lucia’s produce will be sourced from the restaurant’s own Oakland garden plot, as well as local farmers and purveyors. When the restaurant opens sometime in September, it will serve just beer and wine, but Dumain told Eater that his team is currently applying for a full liquor license. Lucia’s will be at 2016 Shattuck Ave. (at University Avenue), Berkeley.
FARLEY’S ON 65TH WILL BE SOLD Citing the complexity of operating cafés across three different Bay Area cities, Farley’s owner Chris Hillyard is selling the Emeryville location. The E’ville Eye broke the news, speculating that much of this complexity had to do with the high minimum wage requirements in the city. Farley’s has been in Emeryville for six years; it was the third location for the San Francisco-based café. According to a sign posted on the café door, Hillyard will continue to operate the Oakland and San Francisco locations: “After doing some soul searching, we decided that operating cafes in 3 different cities was becoming too complex, not allowing us to give each cafe, and community, the attention we feel it deserves. So we made the tough decision to sell this location because we felt it was time to simplify our lives and focus on operating our cafes in Oakland where we live and in San Francisco where we have operated for 28 years.” At the moment, the sale has been delayed, Hillyard told Nosh in an email, so the café is continuing to operate as usual. Once everything is finalized, Dee Spot Café will take over the space. The new café will, according to Hillyard, serve much of the same menu. Dee Spot plans to hold its grand opening Sept. 10. Dee Spot Café will be at 1195 65th St. (at Vallejo Street), Emeryville.
FRED’S MARKET ON TELEGRAPH HAS CLOSED We hear from our readers that the Telegraph Avenue location of Fred’s Market has closed. It was the original location for the market, and the only location in operation after the University Avenue market shuttered in 2012. A phone call to Fred’s Market confirms that the number has been taken out of service, and the store shelves appear to be mostly empty. Known for sandwiches, the neighborhood markets were a popular choice for nearby residents. While there’s no word on a replacement for the Telegraph Avenue Fred’s, we heard via the Daily Cal that the University Avenue Fred’s will become an exercise studio. Construction on the studio began earlier this month.
KARA’S CUPCAKES OPENING IN EMERYVILLE TOMORROW San Francisco-based Kara’s Cupcakes is slated to open in Emeryville’s Bay Street shopping center in the former Teacake Bake Shop spot. It is the 10th location for Kara’s, which opened its first bakery in the Marina district in 2006. The bakery offers both gluten-filled and gluten-free cupcakes in a range of flavors, from chocolate fleur de sel to vanilla and passionfruit. Owner Kara Haspel Lind sources much of her ingredients from local purveyors like Petaluma Farm (eggs), Giustos (flour) and Scharffen Berger (chocolate). Kara’s Cupcakes will be at 5615 Bay St. (in the Bay Street Shopping Center), Emeryville. Connect with the bakery on Facebook and Instagram.
TRUE FOOD KITCHEN TO WALNUT CREEK The healthy dining chain is headed to the Bay Area this fall, with locations planned for Walnut Creek and Palo Alto, reports Eater SF. True Food Kitchen was co-founded by Andrew Weil, and serves a menu of anti-inflammatory, vegetable-heavy dishes such as shiitake lettuce cups, edamame dumplings and ancient grain vegetable bowls. While much of the menu is vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free, True Food Kitchen is not totally austere in its approach; pizza, cocktails and even beer make an appearance. The Walnut Creek location is slated to open Oct. 18 (Palo Alto will open earlier, on Oct. 4). True Food Kitchen will be at 120 Broadway Ln. #4 (near South Main Street), Walnut Creek. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook and Instagram.
TIDBITS: MICHELLE’S YOGURT AND SWEETS, YOGOFINA, ESTELLE In this week’s fro-yo news, we’ve heard from the Daily Cal that Michelle’s Yogurt and Sweets, which sold candy and Dryer’s ice cream in addition to frozen yogurt in the Telegraph Channing Mall, has closed. An unnamed tea and yogurt shop will replace it. Over in the Elmwood, long-awaited Yogofina looks ready to open. The fro-yo chain already has several East Bay locations, including in Montclair, Lakeshore, Walnut Creek and Alameda. Expect the usual fro-yo flavor offerings and assortment of toppings. In Emeryville, we hear from the E’ville Eye that the restaurant Estelle headed to the former Basic Café space has been scrapped. The restaurant space is now up for lease. The Eye said owner George LaFrance confirmed that he had pulled out of the space, and he is looking for a new, larger space that “would be suitable for the new concept.” Michelle’s Yogurt and Sweets was at 2430 Durant Ave. (at Telegraph Avenue), Berkeley. Yogofina will be at 2911 College Ave. (at Russell Street), Berkeley.
Dinners and events
DRAKE’S 27TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY Tonight, San Leandro-based Drake’s Brewing Company is throwing a major party to celebrate 27 years in the beer biz. Attendees to the event, which will run from 4-9 p.m. at the company’s San Leandro brewery, will get to try this year’s five Aroma series beers as well as eight beers from alumni brewers. In addition, the Drake’s team will hold timed tappings and tastings of barrel-aged and sour beers from the brewery’s aging cellar. Food will be provided by Slow Hand BBQ, Doc’s of the Bay and Drake’s Brew! Kitchen. The $35 advance tickets ($40 at the door) will get you unlimited tastings of all the beers. In other Drake’s news, we hear that the brewery has recently expanded its main brewing facility in San Leandro to triple its original size (making more room for those sour beers), and it will be opening a new beer garden, Drake’s Dealership-style, in West Sacramento next year. Learn more about the Drake’s anniversary party here. Drake’s Brewing Company is at 1933 Davis St., San Leandro. Connect with the brewery on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
MORE BEER: PINTS AT THE PARK The inaugural beer event will take place at Lake Merritt’s amphitheater Aug. 27 and will feature beers from 18 different local breweries, including recently-opened Novel Brewing and Temescal Brewing. Pints at the Park will offer food from local food trucks such as Fist of Flour and Kenny’s Heart and Soul, and it will also host an industry-only tent and pilsner competition, plus live music. Much of the proceeds will go to benefit Oakland’s Studio One Art Center, which is, according to its website, “the only city-run program dedicated to studio arts instruction in a wide range of media for persons of all ages.” Pints at the Park will be at the Lake Merritt amphitheater (between 12th Street and First Avenue), Oakland, from 2-8 p.m. Aug. 27. Connect with the event on Facebook.
LEARN ABOUT MUSHROOMS AT PEGASUS Santa Cruz mushroom enthusiast and taxonomist Christian Schwartz will be holding a reading and event surrounding his new book, “Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast,” at downtown Berkeley’s Pegasus Books Sept. 1 at 7:30 p.m. The book is a user-friendly reference and field guide to coastal California ‘shrooms from Monterey County to the Oregon border. It includes tips on mushroom collecting, descriptions of specific habitats and biozones, updated taxonomy, and lots of photography. Learn more about the event here. Pegasus Books is at 2349 Shattuck Ave. (at Durant Avenue), Berkeley. Connect with the bookstore on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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