Pastry shop and diner coming to Divisadero
Angela Pinkerton remembers her days as a wild youth, wandering through the trees of her grandparents’ quiet orchard nestled in the farmcovered hills of northeastern Ohio. Sometimes when she closes her eyes, she still sees the grounds, what grew where and how her grandmother, Theorita, dazzled in the kitchen.
Now one of the country’s top pastry chefs, Pinkerton fell in love with cooking while standing in Theorita’s shadow, watching — and sometimes helping — her craft pies from scratch.
Those memories are fueling her forthcoming San Francisco restaurant: Theorita, a 50-seat neighborhood spot that is envisioned as equal parts pastry shop and diner. It is taking shape in the street-level space at 838 Divisadero, below Che Fico, its sister Italian restaurant developing on the second floor. Pinkerton’s partners in both restaurants are chef David Nayfield and Matt Brewer.
In 2011, Pinkerton pulled in a James Beard Award for the nation’s Outstanding Pastry Chef for her work at New York City’s Eleven Madison Park, which is where she met Nayfield.
Nayfield and Brewer have
been planning Che Fico for years, but when they brought Pinkerton into the fold, Nayfield said he knew Pinkerton’s talents weren’t going to be used to their full potential. So in many ways, Theorita was always the end game for their partnership on Divisadero.
“You can’t do these types of things on your own,” Pinkerton said of their partnership. “It’s better to be with people that you trust. And you know they want the same thing at the end of the day as you do.”
The space, a former auto body shop, will be designed by Jon de la Cruz of Oakland design firm DLC-ID. The Theorita dining area will have booth and countertop seating. And there’s going to be a window looking into the pastry kitchen.
“We want people to have that reminder that pastries are at the core of this,” Pinkerton said.
Both restaurants are mostly concepts and construction tape at this point, with openings still months away (fall 2017 for Che Fico, winter 2017 for Theorita), but Pinkerton said she can already see her project unfolding.
Early in the morning, Theorita will serve as a local stop for coffee and pastries, she said. In the afternoon and into the evening, it’ll transition into a “San Francisco take on an American diner or luncheonette.”
“You’ll see things like a patty melt on the menu. Some dishes will be done for two people, like a pot roast for two, for example” Pinkerton said. “These will be lighter plays on those classics. There’s also going to be things like an English muffin with foie gras butter. And a savory waffle with eggs.”
Most importantly, there will be pies. Because, after all, the restaurant is an homage to the woman who, early on, set Pinkerton on her culinary path.
“I’m kind of doing my own take on my grandmother’s apple pie.” Pinkerton said. “It’s pretty much her recipe.”
Marina goodbyes: Chestnut Street is seeing some of its decade-long standbys shut down.
Mamacita (2317 Chestnut St.), a regular on The Chronicle’s Top 100 restaurants list, had its final service March 17. Mamacita was a local pioneer in the city’s upscale Mexican food scene, and its closure brought an abrupt and unexpected end to the popular restaurant’s 12-year run.
Partner Nate Valentine said the business was “busy and successful” to the end. Details behind the shuttering are vague, but the space itself will remain under the control of Mamacita partners Stryker Scales and chef Sam Josi, who eventually plan to open a new restaurant at the address.
Down the block, Mezes (2373 Chestnut St.), one of the only Greek restaurants in San Francisco, will close its doors for good on April 30, after 17 years serving the Marina crowd.
According to Mezes management, chef Nikos Maheras will continue to distribute his line of Greek spreads.
Blooming again: A second chapter is underway for the former Rose Pistola space (532 Columbus Ave.).
Rose Pistola closed in early February, ending its 21-year run in North Beach, and the space is in new hands.
According to a pending liquor license, the space’s operational licenses are being transferred to a restaurant doing business as Cantina Di Liguria. Tied to the filing are Bonnie Fisher and Boris Dramov, the folks behind Roma Design Group.
The intel so far is scarce, but Fisher did provide a few details, via email.
“We are looking forward to creating a new sociable gathering place that will build on the identity and traditions of North Beach but take advantage of the innovations and evolution of the food culture that have occurred since Rose Pistola was first established 20-some years ago,” she said. “We are taking the opportunity now to renovate the space and developing our concepts further.”
While there are more questions than answers about what’s taking shape, it might be safe to assume it’ll be visually appealing. The Roma Design Group has designed the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall as well as the San Francisco Ferry Terminal expansion.