Last week, tipster Daina C. asked us if we knew anything about the whereabouts of acclaimed chef Manny Torres Gimenez and the future of his Mission restaurant The Palace, which was severely damaged in a 2015 fire.
"After the fire, they were going to travel while rebuilding, but haven't heard anything in a while," she wrote. "We miss Chef Manny and hope he comes back soon!"
The good news: Torres Gimenez is set to return to the space with a new restaurant, Francisca's, which will offer seasonal California cuisine.
After the fire, Torres Gimenez shuttered his other Mission restaurant, Coco Frio, and set off on a year-long trip with his wife, Katerina de Torres.
The couple traveled through Aruba, France, Spain and Italy, looking for inspirational dishes along the way.
"We started in Aruba eating fried fish looking at the Caribbean Sea, and ended up in Modena, Italy, showing up without reservations at Osteria Francescana in the middle of nowhere," he said via email.
At Francisca's, the couple will share the dishes they discovered along the way, with Torres Gimenez serving as chef and de Torres running the front of house.
The restaurant will offer both an a la carte menu and a 10-course tasting menu, featuring salads, pasta, fish, and steaks. The a la carte menu will be offered in the dining room, with reservations via OpenTable, while the tasting menu will be exclusively at the bar, with reservations taken by phone (415-374-5747).
The Palace's space has been completely rebuilt in the wake of the fire, Torres Gimenez said. "We will have new floors to ceiling," including a white Carrara marble bar. Beer and wine will be on offer as well.
The restaurant is currently undergoing final inspections, but an opening date has not been confirmed yet. "We are hoping to open in a month or two," he explained.
For those who don't want to wait that long to sample Francisca's food, Torres Gimenez and de Torres are hosting an Italian-style pop-up at Oakland's Spice Monkey, starting tonight. It's open for both lunch and dinner, with a four-course tasting menu for $50 and $25 wine pairings.
Once Francisca's opens, it will serve breakfast (8-10am), lunch (12-2pm), and dinner (6-10pm), Tuesday through Saturday.
