As a tipster points out, last week the Chronicle officially announced that Charles Phan will be opening a new concept restaurant in the Soma Grand. Of course it was six months ago that plugged-in people were first able to trade on the “rumor”.
∙ It’s All About Service And Style At The Soma Grand (1160 Mission) [SocketSite]
∙ The Soma Grand: The SocketSite Straight Scoop [SocketSite]
Pity Charles and Debbie are not bringing the Slanted Door back to the Mission.
The SOMA Grand is a hideous structure, main contribution is creating a wind tunnel on Mission Street. I’ve always wanted the opportunity to pay megabucks for a unit with a view of a sullen federal worker in a cubicle.
Anything Charles does to it would be an improvement, although be sure to sport some sort of ballast-wear to avoid being blown down Mission.
-marc
I work at the federal building and walk that block of mission almost every day. Soma Grand may be many things, but it does not create a wind tunnel on Mission. 7th and 8th streets are wind tunnels.
I can’t wait for more restaurants to open in this area. Soma Grand will also have a Peet’s- which can probably turn a profit from the business from the federal building alone.
marc –
In a very short time, you seem to have become a professional comment provider here on SocketSite.
I, for one, find your comments fascinating and urge you to keep up the good work. My favorite thus far, apropos of nothing, was your celebration of SOMA’s “queer culture on the cheap”.
As for the Phans (we call them Chuck and Deb, but that’s a minor quibble), I understand they’re working on a wind tunnel restaurant concept. While I believe this concept would be hostile to the cellophane noodles, it should work wonderfully well with the shaking beef.
Thank you again for your contributions, and congratulations on landing a fabulous Edwardian. When “the music stops”, as you say, I will be in perpetual agony over my utter lack of similar foresight. God bless, and keep up the [fight].
Whether you like it or not, at least the Federal Building is interesting. Having the Soma Bland plopped next to it makes the juxtaposition between the two all the more stranger. The Soma Grand is one of the great missed opportunities to build an interesting design. Having a Peets down next the lobby would be nice though.
Looks like this confirmation closes out one of the rumors around the Java House story in SF Gate that a high chinese restaurant was looking to take the Java House space so we’re back to Starbucks or Peet’s and after what happened to Starbucks this week, I suspect it will be Peet’s or no change at all at the Java House.
Great on the slanted door spinoff – even if it is in one of the ugliest buildings to be built in SF in the past 20 years.
I will never understand the hype over Slanted Door. Mediocre, overpriced Vietnamese food. Just walk a few blocks into the TL for the real thing. And there’s already a cheaper spin-off restaurant in the new mall.
My only comment is that the Federal Building folks need to pick up the trash that circulates (tornado style) in between the main building and that cafe (or whatever it is on the southeast corner). Sad to see such trashy crap blowing around a brand new public structure on the weekends. It shouldn’t be beneath the Homeland Security folks to pick that crap up while patrolling.