The Best SF And Bay Area Restaurant Openings Fall 2016

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There are some bold-faced Bay Area names opening new spots this fall: There's Chris Cosentino's wine country spot; the long-awaited Tartine Manufactory, which just debuted; and a kebab shop from Camino's Russell Moore. And then there's Single Thread, a farm, inn and restaurant in Sonoma. Here are nine reasons to get excited about eating in Northern California in the coming months.

Single Thread: There are few openings across the country this year that are more highly anticipated than Single Thread, a farm, five-room inn and exceptionally ambitious restaurant in Healdsburg, which last fall, Eater named the biggest opening of 2016. Chef Kyle Connaughton and his wife, Katina, who is a farmer, plan to serve a menu that blends produce grown on their property with Japanese techniques and flavors. In the Japanese kaiseki tradition, the menu will change regularly.

Tartine Manufactory: Any dedicated bread fan who spends time in SF has experienced the rush at Tartine around 4:30 p.m., when fresh loaves come out and baked-good loyalists log time in line for croissants. Liz Prueitt and Chad Robertson, the dynamic duo behind Tartine, knew they were outgrowing their original space on 18th Street, so a few years ago, they started to work on this 5,000-square-foot project (which opened last week) that's part bakery, part all-day café, bar and outpost of Pruitt's frozen treats project, Tartine Cookies & Cream. For breakfast, there's buffalo milk yogurt with jam and granola, an egg sandwich with porchetta and salsa verde and liège waffle.

Nomica: Charlie Trotter alum and Japanese-raised chef Hiroo Nagahara will helm the kitchen at Sushi Ran's new project in the Castro. The name means "drinking house" in Japan, so there will be cocktails made with awamori, a rice-based alcoholic beverage from Okinawa. To go with those drinks, there will be stuffed chicken wings; a waffle with beer, matcha butter and truffled maple; and a whole chicken in brioche with miso butter and shiso chimichurri.

Lettuce Cups | Photo: Courtesy of Nomica

The Nightbird: Kicking off the late-summer/early-fall debuts in the City by the Bay is Kim Alter's 38-seat tasting-menu restaurant in Hayes Valley. The four-to-five-course menu will change weekly and will be posted online in advance, so diners can pick a week that best suits their tastes. The opening menu includes a course simply titled "Corn" and another that combines rabbit with peach, summer squash and vadouvan.

Arsenal: Erik Sun, who has been part of the L.A. dining scene as a partner at Bestia for several years, is working on two SF projects, Arsenal, which should arrive this fall, and The Hunted, which looks to be slated for winter. The first is a high-end Asian restaurant with a focus on whole-animal cooking, which seems fitting as Sun calls himself as "a free diver, spearfisher, hunter and chef/owner of San Francisco restaurants," in that order.   

Acacia House: Chris Cosentino (like a handful of big-name SF chefs) is spending time up in Napa these days, preparing to open his restaurant at the Las Alcobas hotel in St. Helena with partner Oliver Wharton from Cockscomb. The hotel is next to a tasting room for Beringer, and because, well, this is Napa, the food will, of course, be made to pair with local wines. Since Cosentino is in charge of all the food for the 68-room hotel, the restaurant will also provide room service and breakfast, plus some picnic bites to take out on bike rides.

The Kebabery: Camino's Russell Moore has been experimenting with special dinners on Monday nights—and kebabs seemed to strike a chord with diners. So he's now working on a dedicated kebab shop in Oakland that will serve dishes like lamb and walnut kofta, a slew of salads and possibly some falafel.

Illustration: Pizza Fingers

Brass Rabbit: The team behind Healdsburg's well-loved Chalkboard is opening where Bistro Ralph stood for 24 years. Chef Shane McAnelly's crew have kept quiet on details but say the new restaurant will offer a "seasonal supper club menu."

The Morris: In the former home of Slow Club, chef Gavin Schmidt and sommelier/restaurant owner Paul Einbund are installing this much-buzzed-about Cali-Mediterranean restaurant, which will serve house-made charcuterie, as well as whole smoked and roasted duck with a coffee and honey glaze. The space has been changed somewhat—there's a new bar and new tables—but fans of Slow Club will still see the resemblance.