“Sunset Buzz” is a recurring column on changes, tidbits and other news from the Sunset. Got news? Send us tips at junyao@missionlocal.com.
Last month, John Lindsey, chef of the Sunset’s Rusty Ladle, snatched the “best chowder” crown — quietly literally, a bread crown 10-inch in diameter — from long-time San Francisco chowder luminaries like Sotto Mare and Boudin.
“I feel like I just woke up from a dream,” Lindsey wrote on Instagram.
Lindsey joined the Chowder Fest competition hosted by the Fisherman’s Wharf community benefit district, because… why not?
“I was like, “Let’s do this,” he wrote.“We will meet lots of chowder lovers and introduce them to Rusty Ladle.”
Lindsey used to look down on the Fishermen’s Wharf every day, back when he worked at the San Francisco Art Institute, he said. Kristin, his partner, grew up a few blocks away.
“We spent a lot of time watching the seals and getting breakfast at the Eagle Cafe,” he wrote. “I love the wharf! It is an important part of San Francisco. Tourism helps all business top to bottom.”
Nippon Curry, a Bay Area Japanese curry chain, is taking over the former space of Lomo Libre at Irving Street and 19th Avenue. The restaurant, serving pork katsu and karaage curry, has locations in the Marina, Berkeley and San Jose.
The owner is aiming to open two new locations in San Francisco: one in the Sunset and the other on the border of North Beach and Chinatown. Nippon Curry uses imported sauce from an award-winning chain Hinoya Curry in Japan — it has the exclusive U.S. license to use Hinoya’s recipe.
The two new locations in San Francisco are part of Nippon Curry’s national expansion, through either franchise or corporate-owned operation, the San Francisco Business Times reported.
A group of Sunset residents is inviting all Sunset neighbors “to host a little something on their block” — all on the same day, March 20, 2027.
Named the Sunset Wave, the organizers, Josh Nesbit and Sandi Lam Harder who founded the Sunset Social Club, said that the gathering could be in a driveway, a parklet or just a street corner. It could be as big or as small as you want it to be: A potluck, coffee and donuts, tea on the stoop, or card game in the garage.
If it’s rainy or foggy on the spring equinox (in the classic Sunset fashion), the organizers shrug it off. “We’ll roll with it,” they said. “Garages and warm offerings will be great. We’ll share a rainy-day plan and specific ideas with hosts.” The goal: “a Sunset where everyone knows someone on every block.”
Previously on Sunset Buzz:
Bare Bones, the rotisserie spot run by preschool dads, opened on Taraval Street last week. The bold, purple and pink signs were up on the storefront, hand-painted by artist Jeff Canham.
The menu is simple: Rotisserie Chicken and sandwiches, beer-battered cauliflower for your vegetarian friends, green apple and fennel salad to get your greens. And a beautiful porchetta — slow roasted pork belly with herbs and garlic.
