Welcome back to our partnership with Eater. For this weekly Friday column, Eater editor Paolo Lucchesi gives his report on all the restaurant news that's fit to print, including the dining scene's new black, high-profile restaurants in transition, general Yelp silliness, and most importantly, Wolfgang Puck's soothing Austrian accent.
1) Everyone is in a tizzy regarding the debut of Michael Mina's latest project, RN74. Opening an ambitious wine-centric restaurant—even one that has already been declared the new black—is no easy task in this day and age, but a preliminary look at the menus suggests that Mina and Co. are pretty cognizant of the economic times. Opening day: April 24th.
2) Once one of the hottest restaurants in town but lately a victim of an evolving dining scene (and a scathing Bauer review), Postrio is going to take some time off to rethink things. Earlier this week, Wolfgang Puck announced that he will close his NorCal restaurant this summer for a complete design remodel and concept shift.
2.5) Elsewhere in the Wolgang Puck universe, see the thickly-accented chef awkwardly read from a sexy romance novel. Ladies...
3) San Francisco's resident internet shitshow Yelp caved to the bad publicity and will begin to allow restaurants to respond. Will it make a difference either way? Not likely. Will it add to the white noise? Most certainly.
4) With all due respect to local lass Jamie Lauren, this past season of Top Chef will probably be best remembered for the Euro duo of Stefan and Fabio, whose bromance antics and memorable quotes stole the season. To everyone's enjoyment, the chef pair has continued its epic tickle-fighting on Facebook ... and it's spectacularly nonsensical. Take, for example, when Stefan calls Fabio "prince of sandwiches and icecream." Sometimes nothing needs to be said.
5) Speaking of confusing items, the ill-fated Metreon—which, it should be noted, is readying for a complete overhaul— will apparently host an indoor farmers' market starting in May. Because, you know, there aren't enough of those in the city.
6) Also in the Union Square area, Bar Crudo is currently on its farewell tour. Come next Saturday (4/25), the tiny seafood hotspot will be shuttering its Bush Street location in favor of some roomier digs over on Divisadero, so get in while you can.
7) Oh, and FYI: Toby Young will continue to be a plague upon your life.