Ben Mesirow

The pop-up is the latest in a long tradition of trends which attempt to subvert the tropes of the restaurant system. Following in the footsteps of revolutionaries like gourmet food trucks and frozen dinners, the goal is to provide restaurant-worthy dishes outside the standard rubric of the restaurant experience, and without all of its inherent hassle and pretension.

Regardless of their aim, though, the fact of the matter is that this city is crawling with pop-ups, and in an effort to help you decide which ones are worth the wait in line we bring you the first in a new series of occasional reports:

Rice Paper Scissors at Mojo Bicycle Café
The Pop-up: Rice Paper Scissors
The Host: Mojo Bicycle Café, every Thursday from around 6 until 10ish
The Cuisine: Vietnamese street and comfort food
The Experience: The first thing you'll notice at Rice Paper Scissors at Mojo is the parklet and the proliferation of red stools thereabouts.

That might be the precursor to the most prescient observation you'll make during your visit -- there are two vastly different experiences to be had here. When the weather is nice, the tables set on the wood planks protruding into busy Divisadero are inviting, somehow both secluded and the center of the party. On days like these, when the sun is still shining at 7 and your mind is pleasantly clouded by Death & Taxes, it almost wouldn't matter if the food wasn't great.

See Also: Food Truck Bite of the Week: Line-Caught with Fish Tacos from Cholita Linda
Rice Paper Scissors Pops Up For Anthony Bourdain
Lunchpad: Adventurous Sandwiches and Candied Bacon in Hayes Valley

More »

Anna Roth

The entrance to the new Divisadero Bi-Rite.

In one of the most anticipated expansions in the city this year, Bi-Rite Market opened its doors on its second location on Divisadero today. The boutique market, formerly only found on 18th between Guerrero and Dolores, is a foodie haven, with hundreds of small-batch, locally sourced, hard-to-find products, great produce, affordable wines, and delectable ice cream, among other things. Unlike the Mission store, the new location has an ice cream counter built right into the market, and will certainly invite its own lines starting today, with temperatures expected to climb into the 70s.

See also: The Mill: Simply Delicious Baked Goods
Wine Kitchen Proves Western Addition's Growing Clout

More »

Molly Gore

Josey Baker's whole wheat with butter and almond butter.

After seven months as a tent in front of its brick-and-mortar space on Divisadero, The Mill officially opened its doors this morning. By its second hour the line was stacked deep and looking antsy. The new spot from Josey Baker and Jeremy Tooker (Four Barrel) is a combination bakery/cafe, a welcome marriage of Four Barrel's reliably delicious coffee and Baker's well-loved repertoire of baked goods.

See also: Toast of the Town: Josey Baker's Bread Is Back
Josey Baker, Itinerant Baker, and His Community-Supported Bread
Four Barrel Nixes Soy. Forever.

More »

Pete Kane

And you thought Bi-Rite 2.0 was the only major development on Divis these days.

Newly open between Fell and Hayes, the warm, capacious and unpretentiously named Wine Kitchen may not rival the gourmet market opening across the street as an anchor tenant of a neighborhood in transition, but it's set to become a local jewel just the same. (No disrespect, Popeye's.)

See also:
- First Look: Trick Dog Bar
- See Your Beer's True Colors With Beertone
- 4505 Butcher Shop: Chicharrones Nachos, Chorizo Con Queso-Topped Sausages, and More

More »

Christina Spittler

Glass cake pedestals and ornately decorated ceramic dishes teeter in tall stacks. A single container holds a wire nest of no fewer than 14 different kinds of whisks. Baskets full of vintage cookbooks sit on the floor. If you're looking to acquire some eclectic and time-tested cookware, the Divisadero shop Cookin' is the place. And if you have a specific recipe or item in mind, owner Judith Kaminsky, with her trusty golden Lhasa named Tank by her side, has made it her life's work to help you find what you need.

With 25 years of experience under her belt, Kaminsky just may be your greatest ally in the kitchen. Although she has never clocked any hours in a professional kitchen, Kaminsky has been an enthusiastic baker throughout her life and knows every detail -- along with the whereabouts -- of every item in her extensive and seemingly chaotic collection of blenders, cast iron skillets, and silicone molds.

More »

Anna Roth

7x7's list of S.F.'s best breakfast burritos hit our social media stream over the weekend, which thrilled us, because breakfast burritos are our hangover cure of choice. But unfortunately we can't sign off on The Little Chihuahua, which we'd been disappointed by only the day before. The burrito's ingredients were nicely fresh, but all the veggies made the thing way too watery for our taste (7x7 described it as "wet-style"; we'd use the word "soggy"). We wanted crispier potatoes, more cheese, and fewer onions.

More »