Zuni Cafe Challenges the Tenderloin Emergency Order on Social Media

Zuni Cafe, the landmark Californian restaurant that slices off Market, has once again taken to social media to speak out on social issues. As San Franciscans have been following before the holidays, Mayor London Breed declared a state of emergency in the Tenderloin, with the stated intent of addressing the overdose crisis. In response, in an Instagram post just before Christmas, the restaurant wrote an open letter to District Supervisor Matt Haney before he cast his vote, calling out the mayor’s language and asking a series of questions. “Do you think ‘bullshit’ has destroyed our city?,” the post reads, picking up the word the mayor used. “If so can you define clearly what ‘bullshit’ is?” As well as questioning the harm of more aggressive police tactics and the impact to surrounding neighborhoods. Zuni Cafe is located just a short walk from the Tenderloin one neighborhood over.

The Board of Supervisors subsequently voted to approve the temporary emergency order, which will allow the mayor to avoid bureaucracy and take action faster, and which lasts for a period of 90 days. (Although the board meets again today and may potentially reconsider and decide to withdraw their support, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.)

This is not the first time Zuni has been outspoken on social media — chef Nate Norris has used the restaurant’s Instagram platform in the past to call out tear gas tactics and the reelection of Mitch McConnell and to take the SF Chronicle to task for “racist and anti-poverty reporting,” in addition to implementing socially conscious business practices like cutting tips and requiring not just vaccine proof but booster proof. As of publication time, this latest Instagram post has the comments turned off.

SF Restaurant Week isn’t happening (again) this January

If the dining scene seems extra quiet this week, you’re not imagining things. In addition to rolling temporary closures thanks to omicron, San Francisco Restaurant Week is not happening this month. SF Restaurant Week used to be an annual occurrence every January, which is typically a quiet time in the year for restaurants and can be a bright spot for dedicated diners seeking menu deals. But during the pandemic, SF Restaurant Week shifted to two different events in the spring and fall, and according to a representative for the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, that’s likely the plan this year and for the foreseeable future.

Aussie-inspired brunch is coming in hot to the Mission

But in a bright spot of brunch news, there’s a new Aussie-style breakfast restaurant coming to the Mission, the San Francisco Chronicle spotted first. Pastry chef Jessica Sullivan and manager Laurel Robinson are both industry vets from Delfina, and they snagged a sweet spot at 18th and Harrison for Poppy, their pop-up that now has a permanent home. They’ll be serving a menu of “brekky” egg sandwiches, yeasted barley waffles, “birdseed” granola with housemade yogurt and jam, smoked salmon toast, and more, hopefully by summer 2022.

In the meantime, why not eat king cake

And finally, for anyone suffering from the gray weather and post-holiday gloom, there are always fresh pastries in this town — never forget that the end of buche de Noel season only signals the beginning of galette des rois season, so you can still take comfort in cake this January. The traditional French cake is popping up at Maison Nico, Maison Danel, Le Marais, and other bakeries around town, sometimes with a crown and toys included to make it a party.

Update: January 4th, 2022, 3:26 p.m.: This story has been updated to reflect that Poppy is located on the northwest corner of 18th and Harrison streets.