Corners Tavern closes abruptly
Corners Tavern, the cool, stylish gastropub that’s held forth at Broadway Plaza for seven years, has closed.
Corners was located in the space that formerly housed the upscale Bing’s, a restaurant that also had a seven-year run before closing abruptly because of economic pressures and nearby competition. The tavern was launched in 2012 by a trio of restaurateurs from San Francisco’s Town Hall, Salt House and Anchor & Hope — Steven and Mitchell Rosenthal and Doug Washington — in partnership with the Moana Restaurant Group.
From the beginning, the hip, eclectic space was a “must make reservations” hit.
“You could spend an entire evening basking in the savory flavors and comfortable chairs and enjoying the warm spring breeze wafting through the massive rollup doors — and never notice that the floor is tiled with pools of pennies, the murals evoke a Brothers Grimm world and the antique snake cases that divide the publike alcoves in the bar hold tiny dioramas of bizarre, often hilarious scenes of cat ladies and strange rabbits,” the Bay Area News Group’s Jackie Burrell wrote in a 2012 review.
A year later that trio pulled out and left the restaurant in the hands of Moana. Chef Gavin Schmidt (Coi, Campton Place and Aqua) took over the farm-totable kitchen.
The Moana group, which is based in San Rafael, had previously closed two other Contra Costa County
restaurants, Yankee Pier in Lafayette in early 2019 and the Lark Creek Grill in Walnut Creek in mid2017. The group currently owns three restaurants in the South Bay (Parcel 104, The Farmers Union, Olla Cocina) and a number of restaurants in Wine Country. Its parent group owns one Contra Costa restaurant, Piatti in Danville.
Japan’s Taishoken Ramen opens first U.S. restaurant
Japan’s legendary Taishoken Ramen opened its first U.S. outpost in downtown San Mateo last week, serving its “dipping noodles” that have become famous throughout Japan.
Here’s the story: Nearly six decades ago at Masayasu Sakaguchi’s restaurant in Tokyo’s Nakano ward, manager Kazuo Yamagishi is said to have created a dish with an unusual two-bowl concept.
“On hot summer days, the staff would eat the cold leftover noodles by dipping it into a hot soup,” the Taikoshen website says. “Curious customers began requesting this dish, and it was soon put on the restaurant menu. Sixty years later, the dish is now one of the national foods of ramen culture in Japan.”
The idea, called tsukemen, fueled the growth of the Taishoken restaurant group, which has extensive locations throughout Japan. Both tsukemen and traditional ramen are served.
Today, the descendants of founder Sakaguchi run the company and are overseeing this U.S. sister restaurant. Grandson Yoshihiro Sakaguchi is the CEO.
The restaurant held its grand opening Wednesday, and through today it is serving dinner only, 5 to 9:30 p.m. It will be closed Mondays. Starting Tuesday, the restaurant will have its regular hours, lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 9:30 p.m.
DETAILS >> 47 E. Fourth Ave., San Mateo; 650-445-7579; www. taishokenusa.com
Pacifica’s oceanside Taco Bell upgrades to cantina with beer
A Taco Bell located in a gorgeous setting — next to the Pacific Ocean — has been renovated and rebranded as a Taco Bell Cantina.
Opening day was July 13 on the Linda Mar beach.
The cantina is Taco Bell’s boozy concept that also comes with new shareable menu items.
Upgrades here were made with the coastal location in mind. There’s a walk-up window where sandy surfers and beachgoers can order. There’s an indoor-outdoor fireplace. And it’s one of the first Taco Bells to feature both recycling and compost bins to encourage diners to help keep the beach clean.
And for those inland fans who are wondering, the Taco Bell Cantina in downtown San Jose is scheduled to open soon. We’ll keep you posted on that grand opening.
DETAILS >> Taco Bell Pacifica, 5200 Coast Highway.