Eater Tastings: SF Gets a Cat Cafe; Patio Heatmaps For a Weirdly Warm January; Oakland Restaurant Week Guide; More!

Friday, January 24, 2014, by Sally Kuchar

Welcome to Eater Tastings, where Eater SF editor Allie Pape shares the best restaurant and bar news of the week.

A cat cafe in Seohyeon, South Korea. [Photo: Chantelle/Flickr]

SAN FRANCISCO—Cat lovers and haters alike were rocked by the news that KitTea, SF's very first Japanese-style cat cafe, is on its way to the City by the Bay. You'll be able to drink tea and play with a "staff" of house felines.

BAY AREA—This crazy, unusual warm weather shows no signs of stopping through the weekend, so we updated our patio heatmap to give you the scoop on the latest places to dine and drink outside. Hey, if we can't have rain, we might as well have fun.

OAKLAND—Oakland Restaurant Week is in full effect through the end of the weekend. Here are our picks for the places offering the best deals, and the places that are barely offering deals at all.

CASTRO—Big news at the currently under-renovation Cafe du Nord: it's getting a brand-new food and cocktail program from Ne Timeas Restaurant Group (Flour + Water, Central Kitchen) and the Bon Vivants (Trick Dog).

SOMA—AQ is shaking things up in their kitchen. As of this weekend, they're dropping brunch, and in March, they'll dump their a la carte menu in favor of a prix-fixe and tasting-menu format.

THE MISSION—More details on Urban Putt, the Mission's forthcoming mini-golf course, are coming to light, including a chef (Dane Boryta of Bottle Cap), a bar team (The Bon Vivants, once again), and a projected opening date.

UNION SQUARE—A big bar shakeup went down at Jasper's Corner Tap & Kitchen, which changed management and lost star bar manager Kevin Diedrich and his team in the process. It may not be long for this world in its current form.

HAIGHT-ASHBURY—A few shakeups in the Haight: Estela's Sandwiches has finally returned to Haight and Fillmore after its devastating fire a couple of years back, while the Alembic has closed its kitchen to expand into the space next door.

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