Jack Knowles believes the restaurant industry is primed for an economic rebirth. And the owner of Oakland's A Coté (5478 College Ave.) is acting accordingly.
Knowles has finally cleared the permit hurdles on his forthcoming 165-seat pan-Latin restaurant in the former Los Compadres (4239 Park Blvd.) space in Oakland's Glenview District. Matt Colgan, who has been executive chef at A Coté for nine years, will run the kitchen.
Oh, but that's not all Knowles has up his sleeve.
Back in Rockridge, Knowles just happens to own the building that housed A Coté's ill-fated neighbor Citron (5484 College Ave.), which closed in April. Rather than rent the space to someone else, Knowles has decided to keep it and open an entirely new restaurant there, along with his cohort Colgan. The trick, he says, is to open a venue that complements A Coté next door, without cannibalizing the business at either.
But the most ambitious project in Knowles' sights is a third one across the bridge, where he has purchased a dandy in the Mission: the now-defunct New College (777 Valencia St.). In the collection of buildings between 18th and 19th streets, he wants to install four to five new restaurants and/or nightlife spots.
"The Mission is the most evolving part of the city," says Knowles, adding that his particular stretch is primed for a rebirth, with imminent newcomers like the Summit art bar-cafe across the street in the I/O Ventures tech incubator space (780 Valencia St.).
He's keeping one of the would-be restaurant spaces for himself - the old auditorium, which was built in 1910 as a mortuary - where he plans another joint venture with Colgan. As for other possible restaurants or bars in the New College cluster, Knowles knows that there's no shortage of demand from prospective tenants.
"For most local restaurant groups that can expand, if they aren't in the Mission already, they want to be," Knowles says, adding that he's already been courting several notable members of The Chronicle's Top 100 club.
Of course, there's a chance that he'll run into red tape in the politics-heavy neighborhood, either with the change-of-use permits or the liquor licenses, but Knowles said he would have been kicking himself if he didn't try.
"You just have to come to bat when the time comes," he reflects. "With this economy comes opportunity. I think the Bay Area is going to come back very strong, especially in the Mission. And I love all three sites for entirely different reasons."
The sweetest thing: Dessert aficionados mourned the closing of Miette's Marina outpost during the winter, but as luck would have it, the new tenant of 2109 Chestnut St. will continue the streak of sweet shops.
Due to open there later this month is SusieCakes, Susan Sarich's popular L.A. bake shop, which also has a branch in Marin. Expect all-American treats like whoopie pies, puddings and red velvet cakes.
Good vibrations: Just in time to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Cafe Kati (1963 Sutter St.), chef-owner Kirk Webber has made a miraculous return to working at his restaurant. Webber has been battling a hellish tissue-destroying disease called necrotizing fasciitis; in the past 2 1/2 years alone, he's undergone more than 40 operations.
The good news is that he's now back on the floor, with a whole slate of celebrations planned for Cafe Kati's 20th year of business. And after all his trials, he says he's absolutely thrilled to be back in the groove, noting that "it's just so nice to get back to what you love to do."
Indeed.
E-mail Paolo Lucchesi at
plucchesi@sfchronicle.com, and read his daily posts at insidescoopsf.com.
