If all goes well (and in this city that’s a pretty big “if”), Noe Valley will have a new cafe/wine bar in the old Last Laugh space on July 1. Noeteca Cafe co-owner Scott McDonald told us today that the city permits are pretty much in order and just a bit of light renovation, as well as finalizing the pending ABC permit, stands in the way of the opening. McDonald, who has a background in theater and currently works for the YMCA, is opening the cafe with Alex Kamprasert, a veteran of nearby Chloe’s Cafe, and former Holiday Inn food and wine director. Kamprasert will write the menu and cook the food, which will include breakfasts of “quiche and French toast and various other cozy foods,” sandwiches for lunch, and slow-cooked dinners like beef bourguignon and duck confit. They’ll have wines by the glass, half-glass, and bottle, as well as a coffeehouse menu of espresso drinks.
“We had hoped to open back in April. Now we’re shooting for July 1. Every time we’re around and doing a little bit of work, the neighbors express their excitement and warm wishes for our success,” McDonald said. Not everybody has been so supportive, though. McDonald said some neighbors have erroneously complained to the city that the cafe was open and operating without permits, that they had live music, and that they were planning on opening with a full kitchen, instead of the cafe setup for which they’re permitted. “Every time a complaint comes in, we have to get it addressed by all the different agencies, and sometimes people are on vacation and it’s just hard to schedule,” McDonald said. “It took us contacting the office of [District Eight Supervisor] Bevan Dufty to help us clear away some of that.” With the supervisor’s help, the pair is looking forward to trading red tape for red wine when they open in just a few weeks.
