Opening Night SF is a blog about the newest and best in Bay Area theater and restaurants, written by Jay Barmann, former editor-in-chief and theater critic of SFist, and former San Francisco editor of Grub Street.
I've been a writer, editor, and critic in the Bay Area for almost two decades, and thanks to stints at Grub Street and SFist I've eaten at every notable restaurant in the Bay Area, covered countless openings, and written reviews of all the big openings in local theater from world premieres at Berkeley Rep to national touring productions of recent Broadway hits.
San Francisco now boasts more Michelin three-star restaurants than New York for the first time ever, and this remains, in my opinion, the reigning culinary capital of the US. I look forward to continuing to cover the newest in Bay Area eats, from the best burgers to the latest creations from local fine dining visionaries.
Meanwhile, the regional theater scene around the Bay remains one of the best and most diverse of any in the country. Having made regular trips to New York to see theater since leaving there in 2000, I can say with authority that we should feel lucky to have first crack at many shows that premiere here only to go on to Tony Awards and Broadway success, as well as many revivals and smaller productions that are on par if not superior to anything currently playing off-Broadway. I've tried to bring a critical eye to the work of Bay Area theater companies for nine years now, delighting especially in work that challenges and delights the exceptionally cultured audiences here, and I will continue to do so at Opening Night SF.