Now seems to be a time of expansion, with several Bay Area restaurateurs adding to their growing empires. It’s great news for fans of cult spots that have in-demand reservations and tend to draw lines. Ready, set eat:
TrueBurger
TrueBurger has opened its second location in Oakland at 4101 Broadway. With burgers priced from $5.50-7, it’s one of the best-received low-priced burgers in the East Bay.
Burma Love
Perennial favorite Burma Superstar has opened this spinoff at 211 Valencia Street in the Mission. Eater SF reports that the bigger, chic-er space comes with a price — $2-3 more per entree than in the Richmond District, but there is also a host of new items on the menu alongside the signature offerings like samusa soup and rainbow salad.
Californios
Chef Val Cantu has just taken his avant-garde Mexican Californios pop-up to permanent status with a space in the Mission at 3115 22nd Street. The new spot is currently offering a tasting menu ($57) of unusual items which remain a mystery until a menu is presented at the end of the meal. Sample items have included braised and smoked beef tongue with winter greens and horseradish and aguachile of smoked hamachi.
Juhu Beach Club
Top Chef alum Preeti Mistry runs her permanent Juhu Beach Club restaurant in Oakland, but Inside Scoop SF brings word that she’s coming to San Francisco. Find a Juhu booth selling her slider-like pavs in varieties like veggie sloppy Joe and smoky black cardamom braised short rib every Thursday at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market starting January 15.
Mourad
After naming his first Morocco-meets-Californian restaurant, Aziza, after his mother, Mourad Lahlou is putting his own name on his splashy new multi-million dollar project at 140 New Montgomery (next door to one of last year’s big debuts, Trou Normand). Lahlou has not publicly announced an opening date for Mourad, but it is expected to be this month. In the meantime, Ulterior Epicure has the food porn preview of the tasting menu he’s working on at the moment, with photos of dishes like duck liver with cocoa-berber financier and lamb with Asian pear and romanesco.
Photo by Trueburger
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