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CHOW NOW
Mmmm, what’s that smell? No, it’s not ganja (well, actually, it probably is) but there’s also the delicious wafting of the other kind of baked goods coming from the newly opened location of TwoFish Baking Company (240 Ritch, SF. www.twofishbaking.com) in SoMa. For those familiar with the popular Sea Ranch bakery, you can expect its signature sticky buns, along with scones, cakes, banana bread, and more, plus some lunch plates like salads and a range of calzones, including a white calzone with olive oil, garlic, mozzarella, ricotta, and basil. Equator coffee, check. Swing by (for now) Mon–Fri 7:30am–3:30pm.
People love to complain how there’s nowhere to eat in the Castro, but now there’s a brand-new Spanish joint you can check out called Beso (4058A 18th St, SF. www.besosf.com), where you can eat as much cut-to-order jamón as you can afford. It’s from the same gents who own Bisou around the corner — they seem to like kisses. The tapas menu features some updates of classic dishes, like steak tartare, plus seasonal paellas and other plates; A cool feature is that many of the fresh ingredients come from the owners’ Napa Kitchen Garden in Napa Valley. The 54-seat restaurant has some counters where you can sit and enjoy a glass of cava, making it a good date spot (I mean, come on, the name kind of begs for it) but there are some group tables where you can dine with your amigos too. Open nightly for dinner.
BALLIN’ ON A BUDGET
Fans of the awesomely affordable, vegetarian thali plates and dosas at Udupi Palace (3242 Scott, SF. www.udupipalacesanfrancisco.com) should know there’s now a third location that just opened in the Marina.
Looking for some flavor-packed late-night eats? Over at Hog & Rocks (3431 19th St, SF. www.hogandrocks.com) in the Mission, there’s a new Korean pop-up on Thursday nights (through Aug. 28). Starting at 10pm until the bar closes, chef Robin Song is offering hangover-squashing dishes like bibimbap to kimchi tofu stew.
CLOSING CHAPTER
While I normally like to focus on what’s new in this column, an upcoming closure is too important to not note here. After 20-plus years of holding it down under the freeway overpass in the Mission, the beloved Woodward’s Garden (1700 Mission, SF. www.woodwardsgarden.com) will be closing in the next month or so — the exact date hasn’t been set yet. As we’ve been hearing far too much these days, the ladies lost their lease and it won’t be renewed. Co-owners Margie Conard and Dana Tommasino are currently looking for another location, so time will tell. (They’re open to any leads or suggestions!).
Ask anyone who has lived in the city for some time, and they’ve had a romantic, memorable, or heartfelt meal here — it’s what happens when you’ve been open and serving soulful cooking since 1992. So make a reservation to come in, say thanks for the memories, and bid farewell to the ladies in this location while you can. They plan to throw some pop-ups and artistic salon events in the future, I’ll be sure to keep you posted.
Marcia Gagliardi is the founder of the weekly tablehopper e-column; subscribe for more at www.tablehopper.com. Get her app: Tablehopper’s Top Late-Night Eats. On Twitter: @tablehopper.