Quoting Michael Paoli (Michael.Paoli@cal.berkeley.edu):
Well, for San Francisco, there are a few Henry's Hunan Restaurant locations - existing - which may or may not be open - or open for dinner, or open for dine-in, yet, etc. - or may not even still exist ...
That's what I just got through saying, basically, yeah. ;->
Anyway, some others I'm at least partially familiar with ...
647 Sacramento St. Smaller location, pretty sure I've never eaten there.
The page on Yelp (https://www.yelp.com/biz/henrys-hunan-restaurant-san-francisco-4) has a January 11, 2021 notice from the restauranteurs: "Hello, this location is temporarily closed. Please contact our Mission (415-585-8838) and Church (415-826-9189) street locations for service."
However, nice catch. That's the one still-extant Henry's location I missed, yesterday.
924 Sansome St. I think I only ate there once, large location - much dine-in space ... not sure about (nominal) evening crowds/capacity - I'd guestiate from the location it may be more busy/packed (nominally) for dinner service. But looks like that location is probably beyond temporarily closed (gone?).
That was the _original_ Henry's Hunan location -- and, as I mentioned just upthread, closed permanently quite a while ago (probably around 2014).
1016 Bryant St. - have eaten there fair number of times, but not in quite a while. Considerably smaller location.
I already covered this one (though I appreciate the detail about it being a considerably smaller location): As I said, Google Maps claims they currently _do not_ do dine-in service, only takeout and delivery.
I'm guestimating up 'till about 2021-06-15 +- will be a relatively gray area, as things continue to partially open up, but we've not yet fully made it to where at least San Francisco and the Bay Area thereof can essentially declare COVID-19 fully behind us and get rid of all related restrictions ...
Nope. I personally feel I've struck the right balance for CABAL meetings starting this past Saturday, of saying people with ramped-up vaccine immunity (which I reserve the right to verify) are welcome to come, provided they feel it is safe and acknowledge that doing so is at their own risk. It also helped that CABAL is 98% outside in my spacious back yard. _However_, speaking for myself, I would be comfortable at this point, i.e., starting now, with indoor BALUG dining under similar terms as CABAL's, at a restaurant.
Also, the venue landscape will be forever changed.
So true!
We're not done losing cherished restaurants, and there will be permanent changes for the survivors, not to mention replacement businesses that spring up to replace those we've lost.
That is also an area where restaurants in the urban core (where there's less available space for outdoor dining) and those in the fog belt are disadvantaged compared to those out here in the sticks. E.g., Alpine Inn in Portola Valley, a historic beer garden with an immense outdoor dining space, has done well and reopened early.
With San Francisco County having recently entered Yellow Tier, I expect we'll be seeing more reopenings and expanded service. (San Mateo County is stuck for now in Orange Tier, moderate risk).
And yes, Henry's Hunan Restaurant - certainly including 110 Natoma location - food there has always been quite good if not excellent, and the prices quite reasonable for the value. But, although BALUG has met there for a fair number of years now, I don't know that we're necessarily wed to that restaurant's location
One thing strongly in that location's favour: It is airy and spacious inside, thus getting close to the ideal risk profile of outdoor dining such as one has at Alpine Inn.
So, as a point of comparison, as I mentioned, I've never been inside the Excelsor District (Mission nr. Ocean) location. The Google Street View photograph shows a small door almost invisibly tucked to the right of a large storefront for a Mexican restaurant. So, is the Henry's Hunan dining space cramped? Can't really say. Without visiting or seeing good indoor photos, all I can say is that the 110 Natoma venue (currently not yet reopened) is really good by general industry standards, as to airiness and spaciousness.
BALUG could always relocate to Alpine Inn, but it's certainly not Chinese and certainly not San Francisco (so that's only a joking suggestion).
The closest San Francisco analogue I can think of (quickly) to Alpine Inn is Zeitgeist, a beer garden at 199 Valencia @ Duboce. Funky mostly-outdoor place with picnic tables, and, if you wish, you can bring in pizza from across the street and they don't mind. Google Maps says they have reopened for indoor (patio) dining.
Reviews on Google Maps suggest that the beer and food remain good, but that the staff have gotten frayed tempers dealing with pandemic restrictions and other related matters (including the risk to their good selves), and so have tended to be way less laid-back and more snippy than they used to be (and who could blame them?). Definitely _not_ Chinese, but a past haunt during Dot-Com days, and it has its pleasures.
Anyone rather to quite local to San Francisco want to do some more detailed reporting and recommendations for venue ... and even approximate timing, as things open up?
That would be appreciated. (I'm a whole county away, as the bottom end of Menlo Park.)