With the opening of an updated and modernised version of North Beach stalwart Tosca, the people of San Francisco have let out a collective sigh of relief. Tosca, you see, has a bit of a history in the Bay Area - 92 years of it to be precise. This is the place where Hunter S. Thompson once broke an ankle as he jumped from the bar, where Tim Burton concepted storyboards on paper napkins for Edward Scissorhands and from where Allen Ginsberg was ejected because he wasn't wearing shoes.

New York chef April Bloomfield (of Spotted Pig fame) and business partner Ken Friedman have transformed the historic bar into a contemporary restaurant, albeit with a drinks focus, serving a menu of sharable Italian dishes which reference Bloomfield's travels in Italy and her time cooking at River Cafe in London. The wine list will focus on northern California producers as well as Italian wines.

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Source: http://www.smh.com.au