James Beard Foundation

When Nicole Krasinski and Stuart Brioza, the couple behind San Francisco's popular State Bird Provisions, entered the packed media room at last night's James Beard Foundation Awards at Lincoln Center in New York, they were quickly devoured by a hungry press corps like some tiny little quail. And with good reason: They had just received the award for Best New Restaurant in the United States.

The Bay Area had a strong showing at the JBF Awards, with our homegrown talent snagging honors in six categories.

See also: Pancakes Are For Dinner at State Bird Provisions

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Pollo Campero

Free chicken, free chicken! Next Tuesday, the lines may be longer than usual at the newish Mission spot Pollo Campero (2740 Mission St.), or as we like to call it, the Best Juicy Guatemalan Fried Chicken, Evah! Pollo Campero is rolling a freebie leg OR thigh between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. on April 9. We're thinking that this free offer may or may not be in response to the major Tuesday draw at nearby Popeye's Louisiana Chicken: where $1.29 nabs one leg and one thigh pieces of chicken all day, every Tuesday.

See also: Top 10 Best Places for Fried Chicken in San Francisco

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On scene at Chez Panisse fire. Damage very visible on front under dining alcove. twitter.com/berkeleyside/s...

— Berkeleyside (@berkeleyside) March 8, 2013

Sad news from Chez Panisse: After the front porch fire on March 8, a shaken Alice Waters thought the restaurant might be able to open in a matter of weeks, but over the weekend construction crews revealed much worse damage than originally thought, reports Inside Scoop. Instead of just a facelift of the porch, it turns out that the porches will need to be demolished and structural repairs necessary upstairs and downstairs.

See also: Alice Waters: Silver Lining to Chez Panisse Fire?

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Flickr/yummyporky

Belgian waffles at Grand Lake Farmer's Market in Oakland.

Handheld waffles are big business in Belgium, and they're reaching critical mass in San Francisco. This morning brought news via Inside Scoop that Anthony Myint of Mission Chinese, Commonwealth, and Mission Bowling Club, is teaming up with coffee roaster Andrew Barnett (formerly of Ecco, which is now Intelligentsia) to open Linea Caffe, a little espresso/food stand in the Mission, right next to Duc Loi supermarket.

Sounds like the cafe's focus will be on espresso instead of pour-over coffee, but the bigger news is that Myint will be trying out a few new concepts: GreenSalads.org, which comes with its own manifesto, and Lt. Waffle, which will be offering sweet and savory Brussels-style waffles.

See also: B.street Waffles: Hearty Hand-Held Waffles an S.F. Hit
Three Places to Get Your Waffle On
The Waffle-gato: The Off-the-Menu Item at Blue Bottle You Haven't Heard Of

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On scene at Chez Panisse fire. Damage very visible on front under dining alcove. twitter.com/berkeleyside/s...

— Berkeleyside (@berkeleyside) March 8, 2013

Update: 2:10 p.m. ABC news is reporting that Chez Panisse will be closed at least through the weekend, and has canceled all reservations through March 23 (two weeks from tomorrow). The New York Times also has a short essay by David Tanis on what the porch meant to Chez Panisse.

Original story: 12 p.m. The food Twittersphere has been lighting up this morning on the news of a fire last night at iconic Berkeley restaurant Chez Panisse. The fire was first reported around 3 a.m. by a passer-by, and contained by 3:30-3:45 a.m. before the blaze was able to damage much more than the exterior and front porch, according to reports from several sources. Alice Waters told The New York Times that she hoped to re-open the cafe later this week thanks to her business interruption insurance, and there might be a silver lining in it after all: Perhaps when they rebuild the porch, they can add room for a few more tables outside.

See also: Slow Food's $5 Challenge Made Alice Waters Cry
Why All the Hatin' on Alice Waters?
Alice Waters to Receive France's Highest Honor

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Erik Wideman

No big deal or anything, but Bono stopped into Swan Oyster Depot a couple hours ago, according to tipster Erik Wideman. He shared this photo of the rock star with the Swan's team.

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Tamara Palmer

Blood & Sanskrit, an Indian whiskey cocktail by The Company.

The Company Bar & Kitchen is currently being built at 133 Steuart Street, in the space that formerly housed Shanghai 1930 restaurant. The project is the latest in the Mina Group collection and is led by longtime Mina group star sommelier Rajat Parr. AK Design Network from Los Angeles is transforming the location into something more modern and casual, with lots of wood and exposed beams. Parr has spent years thinking about this concept, and it will finally be unveiled this summer.

See also: New Delhi Offers Inspiration for Home Chefs

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Elizabeth Tichenor Photography

Shanghai Restaurant lasted just four months.

Four months ago, we wrote about a brand new restaurant called Shanghai and how it was attempting to break the curse of a space that had previously been home to a five-month restaurant called Gingerfruit and a three-month restaurant with the most-appetizing name of Pudong. The chef came from the recently-closed Shanghai 1930 restaurant and brought a fair standard of fine Chinese cooking with him. Prices were high, but not outrageous compared to other restaurants within blocks of it on Market Street in the Castro.

This week, Inside Scoop SF reports that Shanghai has closed after four months.

See Also:
- Shanghai Tries to Break a Restaurant Curse

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Yelp

The Internets are abuzz this morning with news that Mayor Ed Lee announced today at the National Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C.: The S.F. Department of Health is teaming up with Yelp to post restaurant health scores on the ratings website. Currently ratings appear on a select number of restaurants with more to roll out in the coming days, and New York and Philadelphia to follow in the coming weeks. As health inspection details become more integrated into the site, they could potentially have a dramatic effect on consumer behavior. Would you go to your favorite dive if its not-so-stellar inspection details were in your face?

See also: GE Salmon is Close to Being Approved: Let the FDA Know Your Thoughts
New Study Shows Voter Support for Genetically Modified Food Labeling in California
California's Got a Brand-New Cottage Food Law

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Tamara Palmer

Ice Cream Bar offers specials all next week for its first anniversary.

Ice Cream Bar (815 Cole) opened in January 2012, the culmination of two years' work from owner Juliet Pries, who took her expertise from the bar world (she was previously a part-owner of Kezar Pub) and applied it to her vision of a soda fountain for kids and adults of all ages. It wasn't easy, and Pries says she encountered bad luck at every turn when trying to secure various permits, but the long effort paid off with an establishment that was instantly embraced by multiple generations.

"It's been amazing," reflects Pries. "I didn't expect it to be so busy -- it's more than I expected. And people's reaction to it has been amazing, too. People have gotten into the experience and the decor a lot more than I imagined."

See Also:
- Ice Cream Bar Owner Juliet Pries on eBay, Tinctures, and Coca Leaves

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