Mario Cortez

After more than 10 years of serving French pastries, the owner of a popular Bay Area bakery is ready to open a new restaurant. Buvette de Marais opens Tuesday at Larkspur’s Marin Country Mart, with a menu that includes crepes along with quiches and coffee. It is the newest project from Patrick Ascaso, who owns bakery Le Marais, so naturally there will be plenty of croissants and other French-style pastries brought in fresh daily. Plans are to initially offer baked goods and crepes 8 a.m.-3 p.m.,…

A Bay Area restaurateur will serve two and a half years in prison after admitting he misused COVID-19 relief funds intended for restaurants. The Northern California U.S. Attorney’s Office announced on Thursday that David Tai Leung, a co-owner of Tomi Sushi and Seafood Buffet in San Jose, pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud related to loans he received illegally from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RFF) and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The government assistance programs pro…

The James Beard Foundation awards, considered the “Oscars” of the food world, named its winners from the Lyric Opera of Chicago on Monday evening, and Bay Area restaurants and chefs walked away empty handed for the second year in a row. The best chef California award had two Bay Area finalists: Geoff Davis of Burdell in Oakland and Rogelio Garcia of Auro in Calistoga. In the end, Lord Maynard Llera of Los Angeles’ regional Filipino restaurant Kuya Lord took the award. Six other San Francisco che…

San Francisco got a diverse spread of new restaurants in May. New offerings include Indian and Thai tasting menus, along with a Peruvian sandwich shop and an Italian takeout-focused spot with fresh pizza and porchetta. There are also new spots offering egg sandwiches in the Sunset District and frozen treats in Golden Gate Park. Click here for a list of notable restaurants that opened in San Francisco in April. Trendy egg sandwiches in the Sunset Sunset District newcomer Toast’N Egg is attractin…

The following is a list of notable restaurants and bars that closed in May. Click here for a list of restaurants that closed in April. Dela Curo Curry, a popular stall for northwest Japanese-style curry, has left Oakland’s Swan’s Market, it announced on Instagram. The counter-service spot served its thick, dark curry on plates that included rice, shredded cabbage and a choice of vegetables, shrimp, fried chicken or tonkatsu. The East Bay won’t go long without chef-owner Chikara Ono’s recipe, how…

Casual Mexican and fish taco chain Rubio’s Coastal Grill will no longer operate in the Bay Area. The company headquartered in Carlsbad (San Diego County) abruptly closed 48 stores, around one third of its total franchises, on Friday. This included two outlets in the South Bay, a company spokesperson told the Chronicle. A company statement said it cut “underperforming” locations and cited the “rising cost of doing business in California.” Assembly Bill 1228, known as the FAST Act, went into eff…

A popular East Bay brewery will anchor West Oakland’s huge, long-awaited food hall, which also announced an opening timeline this week. Almanac Beer Co. will be the focal point of the 12,000-square-foot Prescott Market at 1620-40 18th St., Oakland. The craft beer company will take up 1,800 square feet of the refurbished industrial structure, outfitted with a 20-tap system, a full kitchen, 74 indoor seats and an outdoor seating area. The taproom is slated for a summer opening, while the remainder…

The launch of two barbecue spots in April — one new, one relocated — kept plates in the East Bay stacked with smoked meats in April. Other new East Bay businesses offer sushi hand rolls, Indonesian laksa and Vietnamese coffee. With the weather warming up, the area also got two notable ice cream shops last month. Click here for a list of notable restaurants that opened around the East Bay in March. Vietnamese coffee shop opens New Vietnamese-style coffee shop House of Phin is now open in Oaklan…

The Slanted Door, the acclaimed Vietnamese restaurant from chef-owner Charles Phan, is pulling its flagship location from the San Francisco Ferry Building after 15 years. In a statement, the restaurateur said construction costs to remodel the long-dormant space were too high to make an opening feasible. “We loved being there, but I’m also excited for future projects,” Phan wrote in a statement. The closure was first reported by Eater SF. The location first closed temporarily in 2020 during the…

This is a list of notable restaurants that closed in April. For a list of restaurants that closed in March, click here. Buck Wild Brewing announced it would close on April 28 after three years of creating gluten-free beers in Oakland. In an Instagram message, the brewery thanked its patrons for their support and business. The taproom offered more than 10 beers from its tap system or in cans in a range of styles from saisons to Kolsch-style ales and IPAs. Instead of using barley and wheat, the gl…