Juiced up
Verjus, Ampersand, Sunnyside listings, Binu Bonu, Amsterdam, Eater's cuts, Paso Robles wineries, MORE
RESTAURANTS • First Person
Natural high
When Michael and Lindsay Tusk (of Quince and Cotogna fame) first opened Verjus in 2019, they introduced the concept of a Parisian-inspired cave à manger to San Francisco, and the natural wine bar was the hottest new restaurant of the year. When the pandemic hit soon after, the Tusks first converted it to a retail space, then shut it down, promising an eventual return when the time was right.
That time has come, as the restaurant’s red door once again swung open last month.
Most of the original details are still in place: the glossy red ceiling shining over the room; the illuminated marquee menu above the open kitchen which shuffles weekly; a wine wall racked with bottles and a library-style rolling ladder. And so many excited diners, all jockeying for a table or standing at the bar, explaining in a bemused way how it seemed that Verjus had never left.
Verjus (round deux) remains deceptively — and paradoxically — casual. Whether or not you like it will hinge on how you feel about squatting on a backless stool while drinking a $20-something glass of outstanding French wine and nibbling on a $10 single oeuf en mayonnaise.
If your back allows it, the rewards are ample. The food is impeccable: a prettily packed pate en croute, sausages stuffed in house, and a simply perfect omelette rolled around creamy boursin. The pain perdu, maybe the best dessert I’ve eaten all year, arrives with crispy edges, a custardy center, and a dark caramel pushed to that delicious brink of burnt sugar. And this time around, writer and bartender Thad Vogler (who founded Bar Agricole) consulted on a new cocktail menu, aptly supplementing that excellent wine list.
There are a couple ways to play a trip to Verjus. Slide in early and settle in for a long happy hour of bubbles, buttered radishes, and any of the above delights. Or lean into the scene and join the crowd on the later side. One new touch in 2.0: a DJ booth in the corner. Either way, it’ll be good to be back. –Becky Duffett
→ Verjus (Jackson Square) • 550 Washington St • Tues–Thurs 4-10p, Fri & Sat 4-11p. • Reserve.
SF RESTAURANT LINKS: How the Bus Stop became the Fernet King • North Beach Restaurant reopens • Bar Jabroni’s ‘flat Champagne’ edge • The Snug team plots Taco Primo in Thrive City • Three.OneFour closes down in Berkeley • Year end best lists: Eater… SF Chronicle… KQED… Esquire.
REAL ESTATE • On the Market
Facing south
The story behind SF neighborhood Sunnyside is the definition of the “create a need, then fill it” maxim of entrepreneurship. Behrend Joost arrived in San Francisco in 1857 and started buying up land in the neighborhoods on the city’s south-central side; at the same time, he built San Francisco’s first electric railway, which connected the neighborhoods he developed with the rest of town. His grand plans were stymied by the quake of ’06, but development in the area bordered by Westwood Park, Mission Terrace, and Glen Park took off in the 1920s-50s, a boom of quirky, deceptively spacious single-family homes.
The quiet residential area has had a lot of turnover in recent years, as a new generation of residents embraced it for its walkability, multitude of well-regarded schools, and proximity to BART, Muni, and 280. Twenty-four homes have changed hands there in the past year, Compass reports, at a median price of $1.56M. Here, three listings that demonstrate the neighborhood’s charm:
→ 277 Monterey Blvd (Sunnyside, above) • 4BR/3BA, 2280 SF condo • Ask: $2M • Two-floor open concept, built in 2018 • Days on market: 11 • Agent: Zhane Dikes, The Agency.
→ 230 Staples Ave (Sunnyside) • 3BR/2BA, 1356 SF home • Ask: $1.149M • 1924-build with original hardwood, molding, and arched passages • Days on market: 51 • Agent: Lisa Eccleston, Eccleston Inc.
→ 459 Flood Ave (Sunnyside) • 4BR/4BA, 1979 SF multi-family • Ask: $1.45M (down from $1.577M on 3/4) • 1922 home with original elements tops two, likely unpermitted in-law spaces • Days on market: 271 • Agent: Michael Zhang, WEM Pacific Investment.
SF WORK AND PLAY LINKS: New tenant expected at Market St Virgin Megastore building • Snowflake signs the Bay Area’s biggest post-pandemic office lease • AI boom boosts Bay Area office market • Should you put your marathon times on your Linkedin?
WORK • Wednesday Routine
Go west
KELLY LUKENS • marketing manager • The Westin St. Francis
Neighborhood you work in: Union Square
Neighborhood you live in: West Portal
It’s Wednesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
Wednesdays are my work-from-home days, so I’m sitting in my kitchen with a cup of coffee (home-roasted by my husband) looking out at Mt. Davidson. I run marketing at The Westin St. Francis on Union Square, which includes everything from website and email management to social media and on-property activations.
What’s on the agenda for today?
Today I’m prepping for a photoshoot of our remodeled lobby. I can’t wait for the world to see the complete transformation — it’s going to make meeting in a hotel lobby sexy again. I also have a meeting with the Union Square Alliance Marketing Committee to discuss the downtown Winter Walk.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
Tonight I’m meeting up with girlfriends at West Portal’s Binu Bonu. I’ve been several times since it’s opened, and it’s such a cozy place to have a glass of wine with friends or wait for your reservation at Elena’s. I love that West Portal is finally getting its time in the spotlight!
How about a little leisure or culture?
This weekend we are taking family photos in our favorite spot, San Francisco’s Botanical Gardens. Later this month, I’m planning meet ups at the Union Square Ice Rink, volunteering at a food pantry with my kids, and sneaking in a date night at Black Cat Jazz Club.
Any weekend getaways?
We always make a point to drive up to Sonoma/Napa as the seasons change. We’ve been members at Saintsbury winery for years, but another winery I love is Abbots Passage in Glen Ellen. It’s female-owned, founded by sixth generation winemaker Katie Bundschu, and in a region of Sonoma Valley that sometimes flies under the radar.
What was your last great vacation?
A “parents-only” trip to Amsterdam! We stayed at The Hoxton, borrowed friends’ e-bikes and rode through Vondelpark in the rain. We also had some amazing meals at places like Cantine De Caron.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Dashing Through
Echosmith • Cool Kids: The Decade Tour • Brick and Mortar Music Hall (Mission) • Thurs @ 8:30p • VIP, $61 per
Krampus Pageant • Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence • El Rio (Mission) • Sat @ 4p • GA, $20 per
Breakfast With Santa • Neiman Marcus (Union Square) • Sun @ 830a • $61 per
WORK • Media
Eat when served
Well, our friends at Vox Media didn’t take us up on our offer to chat about the local Eaters. Instead, per a layoffs memo from CEO Jim Bankoff, they’re “reorganizing [Eater’s] cities coverage into a regional model in order to most efficiently serve its audience's needs.”
It was a good run. But local media is hard (and not a requirement for selling ads to Campbell’s). So we get it. Vox has a lot of mouths to feed and the soup is hot and filling. Still, a moment of nostalgia for the Eater city sites that obsessively covered local dining in a very new way when they launched back in the aughts.
Whatever comes next for Eater, a “regional model” does not portend deeper local coverage. We’ve heard that some of the network’s big city editors will get new jobs running the regions, so hopefully they’ll still find a way to serve readers well in those markets. It’s certainly on-trend with the decline of local lifestyle media writ large.
But we are believers, and — having built those original Eater/Cubed/Racked city sites (profitably!) — we think we can do something similar here at FOUND. As discussed in this space, Paris and London are next for us, but if you’re an affected restaurant reporter in a neglected big to medium-sized U.S. city, you can find us at found@foundny.com. –Josh Albertson
GETAWAYS LINKS: Before the weather comes, camping in Sonora Pass • Tahoe holiday guide • Inside Chase’s new Sapphire Lounge at SAN • Chef Chris Cosentino opens new restaurant Koast in Maui • Planning the perfect Africa trip.
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Shop
Yes, and
Emerson Boyle co-founded hip Castro flower shop Ampersand a decade ago in a cozy barn space in the Mission District that doubled as an event venue. The shop relocated to an industrial, high-ceilinged space on Market Street, where it still sells reasonably priced unusual blooms by day, hosting events by night. It’s also a plant store and gift store, with candles, incense, and colorful cocktail glassware, and more.
Boyle is also known as one of the best floral designers for weddings and events in San Francisco. His style, he says, is “inspired by the unfettered, the weirdos, and the beauty of ease found in nature.” His tablescapes and event designs are inevitably fecund, boldly colored, naturalistic, and sustainable — no floral foam or shiny ribbons here. –Jay Barmann
→ Shop: Ampersand (Castro) • 2190 Market St • 10a-6p daily.
ASK FOUND
First, a quick primer on how this works: You send us the pressing questions of the day (on dining, services, living in the Bay Area). We all put our heads together (us, FOUND, + you, FOUND subscribers, who are also FOUND) in search of truth and beauty.
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Where are you making your NYE reservations?
What’s your favorite place for a last-minute host gift?
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Got answers or more questions? Hit reply or email found@itsfoundsf.com.
GETAWAYS • The Nines
Wineries, Paso Robles
The Nines are FOUND's distilled lists of SF’s best. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@itsfoundsf.com.
L’Aventure Winery (Willow Creek District, above), innovative reds and rosés, neo-French influence from famed Bordeaux winemaker