A cook works behind the line at Homemade Cafe in Berkeley, which is closing on Jan. 1, 2024.
Jessie R. via Yelp/Courtesy
A Berkeley cafe that became a national news story for its free breakfast tickets is closing after 45 years. Homemade Cafe, which opened in 1979 at the corner of Sacramento St. and Dwight Way, will serve its last breakfast on Jan. 1.
"It is with great sadness and disappointment that we have to close. It is just financially impossible to stay open," the cafe wrote on its Facebook page. "In today's economics, running a small, locally owned, full service restaurant that serves Homemade food out of quality ingredients, at relatively reasonable and affordable prices, while valuing its employees and refusing to pay less than a living wage is apparently not possible."
Collin Doran bought the cafe in 2011 and introduced his “everybody eats” free breakfast for people who could not afford to pay for a meal. Customers who donate $5 get a “free food” ticket posted to a bulletin board, which gives two eggs any way, potatoes, toast and coffee to a hungry walk-in. The policy became national news, earning the cafe features on the “Today” show and the Washington Post.
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“On days when we run out of tickets, we keep serving free meals anyway,” Doran told the Post. “Nobody should go hungry. This is the right thing to do.”
But even national acclaim was not enough to save the diner. A GoFundMe to help Homemade Cafe said Doran “invested over 200,000 dollars of his savings over the last two years to stay operational,” and when faced with closure, employees “unambiguously volunteered to take a 20% pay cut.”
"We've survived a lot and are strong but these last few months have not been kind, with expenses for everything constantly rising every month by 5%-10%," the GoFundMe reads.
On Friday, Doran announced on Facebook that Homemade Cafe is closing permanently in the new year.
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"Monday will be our last day to serve you breakfast all day, with no reservations, our last time to make and serve all the delicious soul satisfying meals in our repertoire with all the love and care we can muster," the post reads. "We will no longer get to welcome you in as if you were a loving family member, but you will always be in our hearts and we have memories to cherish for a lifetime."
Text description provided by the architects. A former rental building with various materials, loft style with red brick, black color walls, and steel punching ornaments in Bangkok, Thailand, was renovated into a new cafe space, which the owners want to change the new perception of this building. The one-and-a-half-story cafe has approximately 70 seats, is located in Bangkok's eastern suburb, about 300 square meters, and is surrounded by a high-density residential zone next to the famous zoo in Bangkok.
ASWA proposed adding the new welcome elements throughout the existing structure. The initial idea was to create a space by using an arch, and an inverted arch resembles an abstract picture frame from the exterior entrance along the interior space. The repetitive white arch frames will welcome everyone from the street and capture the greenery scene from the golf course behind by changing its mood & tone during the day with its light and shadow.
When entering the interior space, the plywood arch partitions became the leading prominent role in creating a picturesque architectural form in the interior space, which can provide semi-private space for each customer in each area. Based on the existing structural conditions of the building, the new elements will be placed directly on the structural grid to camouflage the existing concrete column in the center of the space with the new arch frames to greet everyone who comes to visit this cafe.
Days after filing for bankruptcy, the co-owner of San Francisco's Blue Front Cafe said he has no plans to reopen his Haight Street restaurant after running it for more than 30 years.
Located at 1430 Haight St., the cafe is known for dishing out Mediterranean fare, including shawarma, gyros and kebabs. The cafe has been operating at the same location since it first opened in 1961, according to co-owner Issam Khoury.
Khoury confirmed he filed for bankruptcy when reached by phone and said the restaurant has been closed since November and that he has no plans to reopen.
"I don't think we can reopen," he said. "We don't know what's going to happen."
Khoury said sales took a nosedive during Covid, with remote work and empty Downtown offices killing the catering arm of his restaurant, which he said generated $10,000 a day in revenue.
Blue Front Cafe on Haight Street has been closed indefinitely since November. | Source: Garrett Leahy/The Standard
Co-owner Hani Khoury also confirmed the business' indefinite closure.
"We are out of Blue Front Cafe indefinitely due to the lack of enough business and the diminishing corporate lunches which we depended on to supplement our business income," Hani Khoury said in an email.
The cafe's rent has dropped from its pre-pandemic rate of $12,400 a month to $6,500, but the Khourys still can't afford to keep the doors open.
"Until March 17, 2020, we had orders like crazy," Issam Khoury said. "We stayed open until November, but there were no orders—not enough to pay the rent."
Worse still, poor sales have made it hard for Khoury to pay off a non-forgivable business loan from the Small Business Administration he took out during the pandemic to stay afloat. Khoury declined to share the loan amount, only saying it is "a lot."
Khoury blamed the pandemic for bad business, saying it killed the catering portion of his business and meant he could no longer afford to pay off his loan and pay rent.
"This is what's going on in San Francisco right now," he said. "Those of us who were depending on catering, we're suffering right now."
The restaurant's financial woes are apparent beyond the bankruptcy filing. When The Standard visited Blue Front Cafe, a Nov. 29 eviction notice showed they owned two months in back rent totaling $13,000. Khoury said he had not yet seen the eviction notice.
A Nov. 29 eviction notice says the owners of Blue Front Cafe owe two months in back rent totaling $13,000. | Source: Garrett Leahy/The Standard
Blue Front Cafe has also faced financial woes, even before the pandemic. In 2019, the cafe cut back its hours, blaming construction along the upper Haight Street corridor and increasingly popular food delivery apps, which they said cut into profits.
Pausing in front of the Blue Front Cafe, Brian Kingan gazed inside. He had ordered and paid for a chicken shawarma wrap online but only found the restaurant shuttered.
"I'll have to see if I can get reimbursed," Kingan said.
Brian Kingan stands in front of Blue Front Cafe on Friday. | Source: Garrett Leahy/The Standard
Standing in the rain, still hungry and at a loss, Kingan reminisced about Blue Front's cuisine.
"It was really good," Kingan said.
The Blue Front Cafe's landlord, Shukri Hanhan, did not respond to requests for comment.
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December 30, 2023 at 07:43AM
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Francisco's Blue Front Cafe Closes, Blaming Empty Offices - The San Francisco Standard
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EAU CLAIRE (WQOW) - Coming soon to Eau Claire is a new business that will offer a place for people to shop, sip coffee, and connect with cats.
Mr. Kitty's Cat Cafe & Boutique is opening in early 2024 on South Farwell Street in a building many once recognized as the Eau Claire Community Haven House.
The new business will offer a variety of beverages, snacks, and adoptable rescue cats.
Customers are welcome to dine in, study, relax, and socialize with friends, family, and kitties.
The café has partnered with the Eau Claire County Humane Association. Shelley Janke, director of the shelter said this café will make a purr-fect addition to Eau Claire.
"Eau Claire doesn't have anything like this. We have a lot of great coffee shops and restaurants, but this is the first time that we've had a cat café. We definitely see more of our feline friends coming into our shelters than we do any other types of animals. So, this way we will be able to get a good amount of cats out into the café in hopes that they can find their homes," Janke said.
Once the café opens there will be 10 to 15 adoptable cats wandering the lounge at all times.
To learn about volunteer opportunities at Mr. Kitty's Cat Café, you can visit their website here.
For the past 56 years, the iconic red and white striped trucks boasting french fries, pizza and funnel cakes of Snyder Concessions have popped up at fairs and festivals around Centre County. Now, two Snyder family members are opening a cafe, keeping the french fries, sandwiches and cinnamon rolls coming year-round.
Snyder’s Cafe, at 100 Cobblestone Road in Zion, is still in the early stages, but owners Rick and son Addison hope the permits and renovations will allow the cafe to open in the spring. The cafe will have indoor seating, a drive-thru serving concession favorites, and new menu items — including beef from the family’s ranch.
“We’re gonna push iced coffees and coffees, our cinnamon rolls, our french fries,” Rick Snyder said. “We will have some sandwiches also from our own beef.”
After years of customer requests, the father-son pair began developing plans to open a stand-alone cafe, reminiscent of the Snyder family’s roots as restaurateurs. Rick Snyder’s parents, Blair and Emogene Snyder, owned Benner Pike Pizza in Bellefonte in the 1970s. In 1971, they began their first endeavor into concessions — selling pizzas out of the back of a truck at fairs and festivals.
Now, the family has moved entirely into the concession business, with eight separate concession stand corporations still run by members of the Snyder family, covering everything from funnel cakes to french fries to the family’s original pizza. The cafe, like the other concession stands, will be a separate business owned only by Rick and Addison Snyder.
“We wanted to be one of a kind,” Addison Snyder said. “We wanted to be different than everyone else.”
After a photo of the Synder’s Cafe sign circulated on Facebook, the Snyders have received an outpouring of support.
“Everybody is so excited,” Rick Snyder said. “It’s almost overwhelming. Facebook is going crazy about it. We put our sign up (Wednesday) and it’s just blowing up — going viral.”
Addison Snyder said the pair plans on creating a separate Facebook page for the cafe in the coming week to post updates for the community.
A sign for Snyder’s Cafe, located at the corner of Zion Road and College Avenue in Zion, PA. Keely Doll kdoll@centredaily.com
Keely Doll is an education reporter and service journalist for the Centre Daily Times. She has previously worked for the Columbia Missourian and The Independent UK.
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December 29, 2023 at 02:28AM
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Centre County concession favorite announces new plans to open cafe near Bellefonte - Centre Daily Times
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kengo kuma revives traditional craft and materials
This so-called Wakuni Shoten café is set to open in In the heart of Higashimurayama City, Tokyo with architecture by Japanese icon Kengo Kuma. Recognized at once by its textural, patterned facade, the architecture expresses a contemporary reading of tradition. Its materials have been repurposed from a Shinto shrine, and have been reassembled with influence from the art of origami. Thus, the project is more than a café, but a celebration of community, sustainability, and the enduring spirit of Japanese craftsmanship. With its architecture now complete, the Wakuni Shoten café will open in January 2024.
images courtesy Kengo Kuma & Associates
learning from the heritage of tokyo
The Wakuni Shoten café is the result of a collaboration between Kengo Kuma & Associates, Okaniwa Construction Co., and Tomokazu Uchino, head of Uchino Sheet Metal. The space was born from a deep love for Uchino’s childhood home, the Aoba shopping district. Witnessing the district’s gradual decline, the team sought to breathe new life into the area while celebrating its rich heritage. The collaboration with Kengo Kuma and his design team proved to be the perfect marriage of vision and expertise, as the Japanese architect is known for his work with salvaged materials.
the folded facade in green and blue
The defining feature of Kengo Kuma’s Wakuni Shoten café is undoubtedly its exterior, a patterned composition of seven hundred patinated bronze plates each sourced from the roof of Hayatani Shrine in Hiroshima Prefecture. Rather than discarding these disused plates, Tomokazu Uchino and his team of skilled craftsmen painstakingly reshaped and repurposed them, imbuing them with a new lease on life. The result is a mesmerizing facade that shimmers with a spectrum of greens and blues.
The café’s interior walls are finished in a stark black plaster, serving as a backdrop for brass accents, including lampshades, sinks, baseboards, and kitchen elements. Even the outdoor chairs, designed by Kengo Kuma and crafted from salvaged seats of the former National Stadium, echo this theme of reuse. Sustainability is woven into the very fabric of the project. The decision to reuse the cafe’s original 52-year-old framework honors the past while minimizing environmental impact. By reinforcing the foundation and strategically integrating new wood, the team has revived the derelict structure, demonstrating a respect for both the environment and the district’s history.
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December 29, 2023 at 05:46AM
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kengo kuma reuses shinto shrine materials for origami facade of tokyo café - Designboom
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DOYLESTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — A new cafe is bringing its mouthwatering baked goods, sandwiches and Old World-style cooking to Doylestown Township.
DTown Cafe - the area's newest breakfast, lunch and pastry shop - has opened for business in the Doylestown Commerce Center at 2005 South Easton Road (entrance at the rear of Building A). Look for the umbrellas. Hours are Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The cafe will be closed on Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 1 and 2.
Many of the food offerings at the DTown Cafe are taken from family recipes passed down through the generations including its biggest seller - their Old World-style pierogies available with a variety of different fillings including its popular potato and cheese, sauerkraut and buffalo chicken. They are made fresh and then frozen for the customer's convenience.
Chef Conar Welsh and his mother, Lisa, making pierogies in the kitchen.
Dtown Cafe also makes fresh bread daily from scratch, as well as a variety of pastries and confections including its delicious cinnamon buns, tasty cookies, and buttery, flaky crust chicken pot pies. The cafe also serves fresh soups made from scratch, salads and hot and cold sandwiches.
The food at DTown Cafe is whipped up by Chef Conar Welsh, a Central Bucks East High School graduate who was born and raised in Bucks County and is a graduate of the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu Paris. He is proficient in savory cuisine, pastry, and bread.
Conar has worked with some of the finest chefs in the world cooking French, Italian, Mexican, Thai, Southern BBQ, Midwestern Tex-Mex, Polish, and Irish cuisine, but his favorite thing to cook will always be seafood.
Originally inspired and taught to cook by his mother, Lisa, you will now find them working together in the cafe.
Customers are welcome to stop by the DTown Cafe Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Orders can also be placed online at http://dtown.cafe or through its Facebook page @DtownCafe.
DTown Cafe offers a variety of grilled sandwiches. (Contributed)
A cup of chili topped with cheese and sour cream and a homemade roll - the perfect combination for a cold winter's day. (Contributed)
STARTS RIGHT NOW, AND WE’RE JOINING YOU HERE AT FIVE WITH BREAKING NEWS AS WE COME ON. CONCORD POLICE SAY THEY ARE LOOKING TO IDENTIFY A MAN AFTER AN INCENDIARY DEVICE WAS PLACED OUTSIDE A CAFE EARLIER THIS YEAR. TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR SCREEN HERE. CONCORD POLICE JUST RELEASING THESE PHOTOS. YOU SEE, THEY SAY THIS PERSON IS LIKELY TIED TO A BLUE OR DARK BLUE HONDA PILOT AS WELL. POLICE SAY THAT DEVICE WAS LEFT OUTSIDE THE TEATOTALLER CAFE AND BAKERY AT CAPITAL PLAZ
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Concord police release photos of man amid investigation of incendiary device left outside café
Police in Concord have released surveillance images of a man who, in connection with the investigation of an incendiary device that was placed outside a café earlier this year.Concord police said they're investigating a device that was left outside the Teatotaller Café and Bakery on Capital Plaza on March 25.The man in the photos released by Concord police has a beard and glasses and was wearing a ballcap and a blue Pink Floyd "Wish You Were Here" sweatshirt.>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play <<Police said the man may be tied to a blue or dark blue Honda Pilot, as well.At the time the device was found, police described it as a "smoke-style device."Anyone with information is asked to call Concord police at 603-225-8600. Anonymous tips can be submitted through the Concord Regional Crimeline at 603-226-3100 or online at concordregionalcrimeline.com.Related stories:Dec. 13, 2023: NH attorney general announces civil rights enforcement action against group in connection with protest outside Concord caféSept. 14, 2023: Reports of hate crimes, extremism rising in New Hampshire, officials sayJune 20, 2023: New Hampshire officials investigating protest outside drag story hour in Concord
CONCORD, N.H. —
Police in Concord have released surveillance images of a man who, in connection with the investigation of an incendiary device that was placed outside a café earlier this year.
Concord police said they're investigating a device that was left outside the Teatotaller Café and Bakery on Capital Plaza on March 25.
The man in the photos released by Concord police has a beard and glasses and was wearing a ballcap and a blue Pink Floyd "Wish You Were Here" sweatshirt.
>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go:Apple | Google Play<<
Police said the man may be tied to a blue or dark blue Honda Pilot, as well.
At the time the device was found, police described it as a "smoke-style device."
Anyone with information is asked to call Concord police at 603-225-8600. Anonymous tips can be submitted through the Concord Regional Crimeline at 603-226-3100 or online at concordregionalcrimeline.com.
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Concord police release photos of man amid investigation of incendiary device left outside café - WMUR Manchester
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When Billy Albertson made a latte on a recent Monday morning at the Clark County Courthouse’s first-floor cafe, The Verdict, he started by reaching for a 12-ounce cup, which he knew to be in the stack on the farthest left on top of the espresso machine.
He measured out the coffee grounds and pressed the buttons to begin the brew with practiced ease.
RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. (WACH) — This is the scene during the breakfast and lunch rush Monday through Friday at the Sunrise Cafe in Downtown Columbia.
Head cook Benjamin Bennett says he enjoys the atmosphere.
"It's awesome I stay in transitions and I'm just getting home from prison. They offered me a job, so they are definitely giving back to the community so it's awesome I am a prospect of what they're trying to do," said Bennett.
Like Bennett, owner Johnny Davis also experienced his share of hardship, that is what inspired him to open up the Sunrise Cafe.
"Someone helped me when I was strung out on drugs and back and forth to prison someone tried to help me," said Davis.
According to Davis he was sentenced to life in prison on drug charges.
After serving 15 years, he was granted clemency by former President Barack Obama.
Davis says he saw that as a sign and is using that second chance to give back.
"The half way house, transitions, Oliver gospel mission, these are some really good guys, look I'm not here to judge you I'm here to try to help you," said Davis.
Bennett says with the holidays approaching he is happy to be able to provide for his children.
"I have kids and its awesome to be working especially around the holidays," said Bennett.
"The holidays make me feel good but making someone feel wanted and that someone believes in them makes me feel better," said Davis.
RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. (WACH) — This is the scene during the breakfast and lunch rush Monday through Friday at the Sunrise Cafe in Downtown Columbia.
Head cook Benjamin Bennett says he enjoys the atmosphere.
"It's awesome I stay in transitions and I'm just getting home from prison. They offered me a job, so they are definitely giving back to the community so it's awesome I am a prospect of what they're trying to do," said Bennett.
Like Bennett, owner Johnny Davis also experienced his share of hardship, that is what inspired him to open up the Sunrise Cafe.
"Someone helped me when I was strung out on drugs and back and forth to prison someone tried to help me," said Davis.
According to Davis he was sentenced to life in prison on drug charges.
After serving 15 years, he was granted clemency by former President Barack Obama.
Davis says he saw that as a sign and is using that second chance to give back.
"The half way house, transitions, Oliver gospel mission, these are some really good guys, look I'm not here to judge you I'm here to try to help you," said Davis.
Bennett says with the holidays approaching he is happy to be able to provide for his children.
"I have kids and its awesome to be working especially around the holidays," said Bennett.
"The holidays make me feel good but making someone feel wanted and that someone believes in them makes me feel better," said Davis.
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December 26, 2023 at 05:30PM
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Joe Kwaczala bringing unique brand of yinzer comedy to Club Cafe show - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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A Mumbai man was in for a shock as he discovered an unexpected and disgusting surprise in his Christmas Eve food that he ordered online from the iconic Leopold Cafe via Swiggy.
Ujwal Puri, a photographer, was taken aback after he found a medicine tablet in the Chicken in Oyster Sauce that he had ordered online from the legendary cafe in Colaba. He shared the visuals, including a video and a set of photos, on X on December 24.
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“My Mumbai Christmas Surprise ordered food from Swiggy from Leopold Colaba got this half cooked medicine in my food,” he wrote.
See his post:
Screenshot of Ujwal Puri's post on X.
“Just found this in my food from Leopold (Chicken in Oyster Sauce),” Ujwal wrote while sharing a video.
As the post garnered attention on the social media platform, Swiggy responded by saying: "We have got your DM, see you there."
In another reply, a Swiggy representative wrote: "We expect better from our restaurant partners, Ujwal. Do allow us a moment while we look into this."
The internet, meanwhile, had a lot to say.
"Leopold’s food quality has been deteriorating over time. But this is a new low! What a way to run a Christmas meal," an X user commented. "Damn they sent a medicine because they don't want your stomach to get upset. WTF Swiggy! Seriously?" another user remarked sarcastically.
“Lol this is flexon tablet which is used for pain which he getting now due to Swiggy,” reads another comment on Ujwal’s post.
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Mumbai man finds medicine in food ordered from iconic cafe. Swiggy reacts - India Today
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Larissa (Spanish for “laughter”) Gonzalez held the grand opening of her new Coconut Cellar cafe on Aug. 5. She began selling such boba tea creations as Butterfly Blues, Butterscotch Bum, Mango Sweet Tea, Coral and Cream, Cruisin’ Colada, and other specialty drinks.
Then a funny thing happened on Dec. 3, which was a Sunday.
MCGREGOR, Texas (KWTX) - Staff at the Coffee Shop Cafe in McGregor were treated to an early Christmas gift thanks to a generous group of Central Texans.
Chris Newman and a group of 41 other people held their third annual “$100 Breakfast” at the coffee shop where the group raised $3,200.
$500 of the total went towards the groups bill.
Additionally, all the cooks and other staff received $100 each and the groups two waitresses each got $920.
A random stranger chipped in $160 for the waitresses, bringing their total to $1,000 each.
Newman says it’s a blessing to be able to give back.
“There’s a lot of younger kids, especially younger people that have kids and they have to work hard for their money and may not have a ton during Christmas so we like to help give to that as much as we can,” Newman said “I was blessed. Gods blessed me with being able to provide for my girls so I wanna help other people that could use it.”
The group has grown significantly each year and hopes to be able to have even more next Christmas.
Café Kitty, Underbelly Boulevard, 6 Walker’s Court, London W1F 0BT (020 3772 3922; cafekitty.co.uk). Small plates £8-£15, steak £24 per person, dessert £6.50-£8, wines from £30
Outside Café Kitty the lights are twinkling. It’s nothing to do with Christmas. They belong to the Mood Sex Shop on Walker’s Court in London’s Soho. LEDs alternating blue and red spell out the words “Fetish”, “Femdom”, “Spanking” and “Bondage”. It’s quite the menu and while I don’t judge, it’s not quite what I’m after right now. I prefer the sound of the menu in front of me, with its hot promise of devilled eggs and buffalo chicken with stilton dressing. That’s the kind of spanking I really fancy.
It’s common to mourn the passing of the old Soho and its cast of consciously raffish characters with their dilated pupils and gin-ravaged breath. The protection rackets have gone and almost all the little red lamps in the upper floor windows, those tiny lighthouses each warning of a life dashed on the rocks of poisonous lust and exploitation, have been switched off. Mourning that is ill-considered nostalgia. The old Soho may have had “characters”, but most could be bloody annoying gone 10pm, and if there’s less of the drugs and fewer young people being forced into prostitution, then all to the good. In the digital age, when stimulation can be sourced easily from the blue-grey glow of a computer screen, the survival of the Mood Sex Shop is almost sweet. It’s like finding a gnarly prehistoric species of fish ill-suited to the modern world, which somehow swims on.
Of course, bits of Soho have been redeveloped. Everywhere has, including me; my prosthetic hip is a necessary bit of structural underpinning. In these narrow streets there are outcrops of new-build and shiny bits of glass. But the area is still full of bars, clubs and restaurants that are worth visiting. They are rooms you want to be in, offering cocktails you’ve never heard of before and innovative ways with miso or hispi you’ve never eaten. The fact is, Soho has never quite been what it once was. It has always moved on. A perfect example is to be found at the Boulevard Theatre. The modern redevelopment of this alleyway, which has been here since the early 18th century, occupies the site of what once was a sister venue to the Raymond Revuebar.
Now it’s one of the most innovative and intimate of performance spaces in London, which can rotate and be reconfigured in a whole bunch of ways. It originally opened in 2019, with exciting plans, but the pandemic did for that. Finally, in October, it was taken over by Underbelly, producers of comedy on the South Bank and the production of Cabaret at the Playhouse, which has converted the whole theatre into the Kit Kat Club. They like offering a total, rounded experience, do Underbelly.
Hence Café Kitty, in the low-ceilinged first-floor restaurant space. The banquettes are a deep ultramarine. The walls are a dirty salmon pink, inlaid with long ovals, some of them mirrored, as if it’s a modern take on the Parisian art nouveau brasserie, complete with globe lights. There is even a slightly knackered piano in the corner. I am temperamentally predisposed to like a restaurant with a piano, however battered it may be.
The restaurant comes from the team behind the much-adored Kitty Fisher’s in Mayfair and Cora Pearl in Covent Garden. This means the menu includes the Kitty Fisher’s “crispy potatoes”, which are another take on those finely sliced, confited, compacted then deep-fried spuds that have become all the rage, for the simple reason that they are sharp-edged blocks of striated, deep-fried, golden carb loveliness. You have desires, do you? Well get out of Walker’s Court and get your arse up here to satisfy them. They have crispy potatoes. Unlike the original Kitty Fisher’s, where the menu gives an impression of starters and mains, here it really is a set of small plates, mostly priced in the low teens, plus one of those salt-aged steaks from Hannan Meats.
Some people find these parades of small things unsatisfying, disjointed and a little random, because it’s too much like the rest of life. I get the point. We crave structure and familiarity. Then again, these are very good small things, so we should accept the randomness. The devilled eggs, from the snack list, are not some fancy take on the 70s stager. They just are the 70s stager, the yolk whipped up with mayo and cayenne and reintroduced to its resting place. They also serve a real Caesar salad, unblemished by deathly cotton-wool chicken breast or spongy industrial prawns. It is romaine, salted anchovies (not the horror of boquerones), croutons and the right dressing. It’s on a par with the superb version served by Hawksmoor.
Crispy potatoes, devilled eggs and a proper Caesar salad. That sounds like dinner to me, but other things are worth your time. There’s a picture-pretty tarte Tatin made with roasted, chewy squash and crisp, caramelised onions on buttery pastry. There are dense slices of trout gravadlax, the colour of a Christmas satsuma, with a mustardy coleslaw. There are those hunks of crisp battered chicken thigh, with a hot-sour buffalo chicken wing sauce made by someone who has read the recipe. There is also what they call the “Very Welsh” rarebit, because it’s a little spicier than most. I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t risk an incendiary title like that. I assume it’s meant to be the edible equivalent of Michael Sheen, with exploding lockdown salt-and-pepper hair and beard, shouting a battle cry at you from the western side of Offa’s Dyke. It kind of is, though the toast element is a little flimsy and thin. If you’re going to call something “Very Welsh”, nothing should ever be flimsy and thin.
But that’s me picking at nits. The main feeling is of a new space in Soho, which manages to feel both tucked away and right in the heart of things at the same time. Come here just for a Bad Kitty cocktail. That’s gin, sloe gin, elderflower, lemon and cava. Or perhaps start with one of those and finish with a boozy knickerbocker glory, plump with liquored up cherries. Maybe have their pear and gingerbread mousse under drifts of biscuit crumb. Or simply make a night of it and stay on to take in a show. You’re in Soho. The lights are twinkling. It’s what the area’s for. Next week I’ll be looking back at 2023. In the meantime, have a great Christmas.
News bites
I’m dedicating these last news bites of 2023 to a few things close to my heart, starting with a brilliant charity called the Food Chain, of which I am a patron. It began in 1988 as a one-off lunch on Christmas Day for people with Aids/HIV. Tomorrow, therefore, marks the 35th birthday of a charity that provides vital nutritional advice and support to those vulnerable people with HIV who, despite huge advances in pharmaceuticals, need help. Many referrals to the Food Chain come from the NHS and yet the charity receives no state funding. They are always grateful for donations. Here’s a link to their fundraising page.
Also doing brilliant things is Well Grounded, a not-for-profit social enterprise that gets people facing blocks to employment into work, through professional barista training and general experience of the coffee industry. I’ve been lucky enough this year to see what they do closeup and they are one of the most inclusive and supportive organisations I’ve ever come across, with a profound commitment to diversity. They could always use extra funds for their services, which are provided free to users. Their crowdfunding page is here.
And, finally, the actor, painter and cheese-maker Sean Wilson has just published a book called Jazz Food. Given my twin roles as restaurant critic and jazz pianist, how could I not mention that? It’s a beautiful volume bringing together essays on jazz, Sean’s vivid portraits of greats like Nina Simone, Charlie Mingus and George Melly and suggested playlists, with recipes for the likes of crab and chicken gumbo, Kansas-style ribs and Caribbean rice pudding. It’s available to buy direct from Rachel Cooke Publishing.
Email Jay at jay.rayner@observer.co.uk or follow him on X @jayrayner1
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December 24, 2023 at 01:00PM
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Café Kitty, London: ‘Right in the heart of things’ – restaurant review - The Guardian
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The Assembly Cafe in front of City Hall is one of the external venues city staffers patronize since the pandemic closure of the cafe inside City Hall.
Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle
Anyone who worked inside City Hall before the pandemic remembers the old cafe in the building’s basement.
It was no Michelin-starred restaurant or hipster coffee shop. But for staffers who remember it fondly, it was an egalitarian space where a community activist looking for a Cobb salad could rub shoulders with a city supervisor buying every hard-boiled egg in the place.
It was a de facto staff lounge, an impromptu conference room, a veritable oasis for insiders trying to escape ringing phones and angry emails. More than anything, it was convenient.
These days, Emma Heiken, aide to Supervisor Myrna Melgar, finds herself walking down the steps of City Hall past vast plazas hunting for something to eat or a cup of coffee.
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Board of Supervisors staff members eat lunch at Rad Radish, a vegan restaurant two blocks from City Hall.
Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle
Heiken knows all too well how the inconvenience can turn into outright frustration, especially when hurrying back for a meeting carrying a coffee that’s just a little too full.
“I’ve spilled it all over myself before,” Heiken said.
Soon, Heiken and anyone else visiting or working at City Hall won’t have to risk spilled coffee: A group of five Bayview businesses is cooking up a plan — still awaiting formal approval — to revive the empty cafe space. And they have big plans to turn it into the top-notch eatery called Cafe Mélange.
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The cafe group is made up of a collective of businesses on Third Street in the Bayview: Gumbo Social, Talio’s, Yes Pudding, Radio Africa, and one of Mayor London Breed’s favorites, Yvonne’s Southern Sweets. It’ll be a mix of all five flavors — a mélange.
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Dontaye Ball, owner of Gumbo Social, prepares a sausage po’boy sandwich in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco. The restaurant is part of a collective of five Bayview businesses looking to revive the vacant cafe space inside City Hall.
Stephen Lam/The Chronicle
“We are thrilled to work in partnership with this talented Bayview chef collective of Cafe Melange,” said Majeid Crawford, executive director with New Community Leadership Foundation, which is coordinating the cafe’s opening. “Our shared vision is for the cafe to be that ‘third space’ — a welcoming, familiar spot to connect, enjoy some delicious food, or grab coffee or a quick snack and refuel.”
The foundation has spent the past few weeks getting the space ready, including testing menu items at popups. There are also tentative plans to beautify the dining room space.
Dontaye Ball, head chef at Gumbo Social, said “it’s an honor” to have the opportunity to reopen the space and that he looks forward to supervisors and others coming together to enjoy the Bayview’s best.
Dontaye Ball, owner of Gumbo Social, adds shrimp-infused butter to a pan of blue crab meat. The restaurant is part of a collective of five Bayview businesses looking to revive the vacant cafe space inside City Hall.
Stephen Lam/The Chronicle
“We’ve all been very fortunate to have our current mayor try our food,” Ball said of Breed. “It means a lot, and it also means a lot for us to be able to serve the civil servants, the engine of our great city.”
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Quanisha Johnson, the small-batch baker behind Yes Pudding, said she’ll never forget how much she wanted Breed to taste her food.
“I remember earlier on doing events when I was hoping the mayor would come to my table and try some pudding,” Johnson said. “It’s going to be an amazing opportunity to give her that every day, if she wants, in City Hall.”
Yvonne Haines, who runs Yvonne’s Southern Sweets, said she couldn’t stop hearing from excited staffers during her popup event at City Hall last week.
Yvonne Hines, owner of Yvonne’s Southern Sweets, packages brownies at her shop. Hines is part of a collective of five Bayview businesses looking to revive the vacant cafe space inside City Hall.
Stephen Lam/The Chronicle
But officials aren’t ready to confirm it just yet: In a statement to the Chronicle, the city says it is still going through the process.
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Claudia Gorham, deputy managing director for the real estate division, said the city “issued an intent to award” for the cafe space and is in “confidential negotiations” with the winning respondent. The lease will be subject to Board of Supervisors approval.
“We hope to submit it to the Board early next year,” she said.
Crawford said it means a lot to the African American community to share its rich cultural heritage at City Hall.
“We look forward to bringing our unique ‘mélange’ of flavors, specialty dishes, gourmet coffee and more — from Bayview Third Street Corridor to the hallowed steps of City Hall,” Crawford said.
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December 22, 2023 at 11:29PM
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Long-shuttered cafe inside S.F. City Hall reopening next year. Here's who is taking over - San Francisco Chronicle
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images courtesy Kengo Kuma & Associates
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