Very cool
Very cool
Che Fico Parco Menlo, 1 Hotel, Laurel Heights listings, best sandwich shops, The New Bar, Yo Tambien Cantina, Farmhouse Inn, MORE
RESTAURANTS • First Person
A budding empire
If there's been a single constant at Divisadero's Italian taverna Che Fico, it's that there isn't one. Now six years in, chef David Nayfeld and Matt Brewer's Back Home Hospitality group is adding more twists to the plot. Later this year, they’re set to open a Che Fico Pizzeria at the Chase Center's bustling Thrive City. And while the group recently shuttered Alimentari, located downstairs from the original Che Fico, its departure set in motion an expansion into a full two-level ecosystem for the flagship restaurant (which now features an excellent brunch).
But Che Fico's biggest splash of late has been happening in Menlo Park, where Nayfeld and his team have cut the ribbon on both Che Fico Parco Menlo and the adjacent fine foods market and takeaway kitchen, Mercato di Che Fico.
Parco Menlo is the crown jewel of the new Springline development, which also features Peninsula iterations of SF favorites like Hayes Valley's omakase scion Robin and the first location outside of the city for Andytown Coffee. But there is no doubt who anchors the bustling, cobblestone-lined live, work, shop, and dine complex. Outside, Che Fico Parco Menlo sports an all-season patio under a custom-built pergola that feels like dining in a modern Northern Italy piazza. Inside, an open kitchen looks out onto Jon De La Cruz-designed red velvet and leather booths and an elegant horseshoe bar.
Much of the menu is inspired by their classics as established in SF, like the spare-no-addition chopped salad and naturally fermented sourdough pizzas. Handmade pastas like the impeccably layered lasagna Bolognese and the luscious agnolotti del plin (with English peas, ricotta, and Meyer lemon) shift with the seasons, as is Che Fico’s style. But the Peninsula-specific menu items feel like unlocking a new portal into Nayfeld's Cali-inspired dishes that all represent a sort of epitomized version of themselves.
Take, for example, the vongole en crosta, a freshly-baked pizza crust pocket cracked open tableside to reveal steamy manila clams swimming in 'nduja butter broth. It’s one of the best new dishes of the year, and certainly among the most inventive. The seared octopus with salsa verde pairs incredibly well with a glass of the Bartolomeo Altenasso nebbiolo barolo or Bolsignano brunello di Montalcino. Lemon soft serve with black truffle sea salt caramel with sips of Brucato's Woodlands amaro — an SF original — is a dashing way to end a meal.
A couple doors down, the companion Mercato di Che Fico is a well-curated neighborhood market. There are sandwiches made with Che Fico's fresh baked focaccia, a full-service butcher and seafood counter, ready-made dinners, and coming soon, a gelateria. Building an empire takes a certain level of audacity, but Che Fico has always been bold, and maybe that, in fact, is its constant. –Adrian Spinelli
→ Che Fico Parco Menlo (Menlo Park) • 1302 El Camino Real • Tues-Sat 430-10p (Mercato di Che Fico, daily 10a-8p) • Reserve • Photo: Eric Wolfinger.
RESTAURANTS • The Nines
Sandwich shops
The Nines are FOUND's distilled lists of the Bay Area’s best. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@itsfoundsf.com. For the full archives, click here.
Turner's Kitchen (Mission), seasonal gems near Dolores Park from a former Zuni chef
Deli Board (SOMA), long lines and big ticket easily worth it for Instagram staple
Palm City (Outer Sunset, above), gorgeously constructed hoagies with an exceptional wine and beer selection near Ocean Beach
Molinari Delicatessen (North Beach), city's most iconic Italian deli still slices salted cured meats right onto Acme bread
The Sentinel (Financial District), downtown takeaway fave featuring famous roast beef with horseradish cream cheese and smoked red onion
Devil's Teeth Baking Company (Outer Sunset), one biscuit breakfast sandwich to rule them all
Flour + Water Pasta Shop (Mission), lunchtime hoagies, like eggplant and chicken parm, ‘til 330p
Sandy's (The Haight), NOLA-style muffulettas both classic and mushroom; also sold by the wheel
Birdbox (South Beach), Michelin-starred chef Robin Song-owned home of the phenomenal Claude the Claw fried chicken sandwich
Photo: Tim Ehhalt.
SF RESTAURANT LINKS: Former owners of cult fave La Ciccia open wine bar Binu Bonu in West Portal • Left Bank outposts in Larkspur, Jack London launch menu for dogs • Hillsborough's viral Flintstone House turned omakase experience just got shut down • Have we reached oyster bar saturation?
REAL ESTATE • On the Market
Living large in Laurel Heights
Edwardian- and Victorian-style homes with small footprints are the mainstay of Laurel Heights, but don’t let those tiny lots fool you: Stacked stories and comprehensive remodels are also a trademark of this Presidio-adjacent neighborhood. And things are only looking up. Even in SF’s tough market, the median sales price in Laurel Heights increased over 50 percent in the past year, to $2.54M.
As we write, there are seven homes on the market in the neighborhood. Here are two of them, recently sold, and one still looking for a buyer.
→ 186 Collins St (Laurel Heights) • 4BR/3.1BA, 2790 SF house • Ask: $3.695M, sold for $3.5M • three-story classic with notable kitchen upgrade • Days on market: 28 • Agent: Scott Brittain, Sotheby’s.
→ 624 Euclid Ave (Jordan Park) • 5BR/4BA, 4979 SF house • Ask: $5.795M, sold for $6.37M • fully detached 1911 single family with bonus garden apartment • Days on market: 15 • Agent: Bridget R. Cannata Denning, Compass.
→ 64 Parker Ave (Laurel Heights/Jordan Park, above) • 5BR/3.1BA, 3698 SF condo • Ask: $3.95M (reduced from $4.45 on 5/31) • bi-level top-floor with two private decks and a two-car garage • Days on market: 83 • Agents: Victor G. Makras & Shahin B. Garibaldi, Makras Real Estate.
SF WORK AND PLAY LINKS: That Transamerica Pyramid private club isn’t happening • Testing a Valo Hyperfoil in the Bay • Wakeboarding Zuckerberg embraces Coors Banquet • Tix for Ken Fulk’s Outside Lands experience remain available • Cities turn to street performers to liven up office districts.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Favorite Fruit
Dark Star Orchestra, Greek Theater (Berkeley), Sat @ 530p, VIP, $500 per
Twins vs Giants, Oracle Park (SoMa), Sat @ 715p, section FC123, $137 per
Camper Van Beethoven, HopMonk (Novato), Sat @ 6p, GA, $45 per
WORK • Wednesday Routine
Sustainable sunset
ANGELA TAFOYA • owner/design & lifestyle writer/brand consultant • NOOMOON
Neighborhood you live in: Inner Sunset
It’s Wednesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
Once my kids have been dropped off for school and daycare, the scene at my workplace (which is my home on this particular day) is me — working from my dining room table — on some of my freelance articles, or doing consulting work.
What’s on the agenda for today?
Today is a beautiful sunny Sunday and I’m in the shop! I own and operate a secondhand kids’ clothing store here in the Inner Sunset. I get to chit-chat with a rotating cast of customers throughout the day.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
I have two little ones, so I definitely don’t dine out as much as I used to, but I do try to get out and about in my neighborhood. There’s a new coffee place on 9th Ave that just opened up that I want to try called Poor Boy Coffee. And, of course, I’d be remiss not to mention my incredible neighbors at Yo Tambien Cantina. Their Hugo Street Retreat is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten.
How about a little leisure or culture?
We live pretty close to the Academy of Sciences, so that is always on our list for ease — and obviously kiddo things. I love going to the Botanical Garden for a walk through the Redwood Grove. It’s such a nice way to feel like you've been transported out of SF into the thick of the woods.
Any weekend getaways?
Throughout the summer, we (of course) like to slip away to wine country for a day or two — we love Farmhouse Inn in Forestville. My in-laws live in Nevada City, so it’s been nice visiting and experiencing that region. There are some really fun things happening there!
What was your last great vacation?
Last year we took a family trip to Zion which was pretty incredible. We stayed at Autocamp, so we felt like we got an outdoor camping experience without actually having to camp. This year we are heading to San Pancho to stay at Casa Madre.
WORK • Startups
Fast & slow
After a couple of weeks of traveling and holiday disruption, I woke up Monday morning wanting to go fast — to quiet the uncertainty that built up during days outside the routine by hitting the gas on the business.
Luckily, it was early and I was in my kitchen and nobody else was paying attention, so I couldn’t do any damage.
Lock has a theory, which I subscribe to, that it takes at least a year, probably two, for media brands to take hold. During that waiting period, you’ve got to show up every day, publish when you say you’re going to, do good work even when it seems like nobody’s paying attention. Only then, when you’ve gained trust and established credibility, can you achieve instant success.
At FOUND, we’re just past a year in NY and still counting time in months in SF, LA, and Miami. So we’ve likely got some more slow ahead of us before I can wake up after a holiday and blow a lot of money on hiring new staff.
It’s possible to try to circumvent the media-building process with money, but that’s a tricky game. Revenue can lag other measures of success, which means you better have a lot of money and probably more. It’s also possible to go too slowly, of course, and end up with a hobby instead of a business.
Managing the fast and slow of the early stages is hard. It’s especially hard during the times that don’t call for gas. Hopefully, if we do it right, those times will seem much shorter when we look back on them fondly as the carefree early days of FOUND. –Josh Albertson
GETAWAYS • Staycation
Virtue, signaled
Locals and loyal guests remember Hotel Vitale and the rollicking, pre-pandemic happy hours at Americano’s patio bar. The longstanding waterfront resort has been reimagined as 1 Hotel San Francisco, part of Starwood Capital Group’s sustainable luxury collection.
The refurb brought with it a plant-filled lobby, quiet luxury vibes, and low-impact touches at every turn. Eco-minded travelers can check a host of boxes on their carbon-offset bingo cards: reclaimed redwood from the old Bay Bridge, filtered water stations on each floor with recycled wine bottle carafes, wooden key cards, and recycled paper hangers.
The 200 rustic-chic guest rooms boast room service. But if you desire to leave your stylishly cozy nest, there’s the California fare at Terrene, which also offers a cocktail menu with a selection of zero-waste drinks, featuring ingredients from the hotel’s onsite herb garden and apiary.
The intimate Bamford Wellness Spa is a carryover from the beloved Spa Vitale, with only a few treatment rooms for massages and facials (no showers, steam room, or sauna). But what the spa lacks in space, it makes up for in views. Two rooftop soaking tubs (above) are the showstoppers, where you can melt away your worries with a mineral-rich bath (and a glass of champagne). –Allison McCarthy
→ 1 Hotel San Francisco (Embarcadero) • 8 Mission St.
GETAWAYS LINKS: Seafood-focused Mexican restaurant Dos Pescados opens in Aptos • Russian River Resort hits the market for $4.5M • Yosemite entrance reopens following wildfire • Trip to Tahoe stop Poor Red's is still trucking.
ASK FOUND
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What are the best beaches within driving distance of the city?
Tell us a Lake Tahoe secret!
What’s your Bay Area Restaurant of the Summer?
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