If we had to pick the biggest trend in the 2014 Lower Haight food scene, it would be the wave of Asian restaurant openings and closings near Haight and Fillmore.
In January, Raijin Sushi opened at 531 Haight, replacing Al Fanoose. Two months later, House of Thai 2 replaced the short-lived Sweet Basil Thai at 494 Haight. Last month, Ming H. Yao Chinese debuted in the former Tandoor space at 525 Haight, and since May we've been waiting for the unveiling of Nara, a Korean/sushi fusion restaurant at 518 Haight, most recently home to Greenburger's.
We thought the roller coaster ride was over, but with just a week left in 2014, we've got a last-minute development: Sushi 509 (at 509 Haight) will apparently be turning into a restaurant called Stone Bowl.
An alcohol license transfer application was filed yesterday for the address, and is attributed to Eunice Youngsil Cho and Timothy Euntaek Cho. Those are also listed as the owners of the Seoul Garden Korean restaurant in Japantown, and given the use of the stone bowl (or dolsot) in Korean cuisine, we're going to guess that Stone Bowl will offer Korean food.
Sushi 509 opened in 2010, replacing the previous tenant, Hanabi Sushi. The business has been listed on the market since August, with an asking price of $189,000.
Our attempts to reach the Chos or anyone at Sushi 509 today have thus far been unsuccessful, but we'll update if and when we learn more.
