A new Mexico City-inspired spot arrives in North Beach, SoMa's Bergerac pivots into the Italian-inspired Bella, and Outerlands has a new chef, all in This Week in Food.

Top Chef alum and former Bar Crudo chef Melissa Perfit has popped again with a new venture in North Beach, called Equal Parts. After we learned earlier this year that Perfit had left the kitchen at Popi's Oysterette in the Marina, we wondered what might come next. And as Eater reports, it's a restaurant and bar that is "channeling Mexico City and Tulum, with seafood-infused California cuisine at its center." Also behind the venture are Victor Pichardo and Jacob Cortes of Hazie's, and entrepreneur Richard Yu, and it's taking over the former Spaghetti Factory space at 478 Green Street. Expect some Spanish-style seared octopus with potatoes, and a tomatillo-based green twist on coppino, as well as heartier plates like a braised pork shank with Swiss chard and butter bean puree. Equal Parts opens on Wednesday, December 17, and the full menu is online.

Bergerac, the clubby downstairs bar and lounge attached to SoMa nightclub Audio, was reborn last week as Bella, and Italian-themed bar and "listening lounge" with lime-washed terracotta walls, new furniture, and a new vibe. As Eater reports, you will find Italian-inspired spritzes and other drinks on the new cocktail menu, including an Amalfi Spritzer with Aperol, limoncello, and Prosecco; and The Traveler, featuring gin, Campari, passionfruit, Manzanilla sherry, and lemon. There is also a new food menu, with an arancini "tower," pizzettas, shrimp cocktail, and chicken sliders.

Opening night was last night, December 11, for Bar Panisse, the new cocktail spot with food (and no reservations taken) next door to Chez Panisse. As we reported earlier this week, Chez Panisse has stayed quiet with the details about the project, ever since stirring up controversy by evicting the beloved and long-lived tapas bar Cesar, and they still haven't put anything on the website. A story that's still live on the Bar Panisse Instagram shows us some interior shots from opening night, and a glimpse of the drink menu, which includes classics like a Sazerac and a Daquiri, as well as a House Martini with lemon verbena and saline included, and a Gimlet made with Meyer lemon.

Tablehopper brings us word of a new Italian spot opening in SoMa, Bruno's Italian Taste, in the former Atlas Tap Room space at 606 Mission Street. It's the project of Fabio Brunocilla and Marcella Foti, taking inspiration from gastronomia counters in Italian supermarkets — which offer things like pre-made pasta dishes, rotisserie chicken, and more. There will be Roman-style pizza, calzones, and both hot and cold panini as well. Follow them on Instagram for an opening date.

A new chef is switching some things up at Outerlands, the beloved Outer Sunset brunch and dinner destination. Chef Brenda Landa has worked in the kitchens of Nopa and Cotogna, as the Chronicle reports, and launched her pop-up Good Bird at Outerlands two years ago. She's now added a few of her own dishes to the brunch menu, including a delicious looking egg sandwich with fried mortadella and cheddar, and a congee bowl with chicken bone broth, togarashi braised chard, and a jammy egg.

80-year-old San Ramon steakhouse The Brass Door is, sadly, closing down after Christmas Eve. As the Chronicle reports, the owner, Shahla Azad, was unable to reach a new lease agreement with the property owner, and said she is exploring opportunities to reopen the restaurant elsewhere. And the property owner says they are seeking a new tenant for the historic restaurant.

The Chronicle critics unveiled their best new bars and restaurants of the year this week, with drinks maven Esther Mobley crowning Shoji, the virally popular newcomer in the former Trou Normande space, as the best bar of the year, despite it being "frustratingly" hard to get into these days.

Also basically impossible to get into is MacKenzie Chung Fegan's pick for the best new restaurant of the year, which is Fù Huì Huá. It's an eight-seat, modern Chinese tasting menu spot from the father-son team of William and Tao Ge, that opened earlier this year 2809 24th Street (formerly Kazan, a Japanese restaurant). And Fegan raves about her one night dining there — it's too expensive and too hard to get into, she said, for her to make three visits and write a full review. Still, she says, the food is spectacular and William Ge is "moving the conversation about Chinese cuisine and fine dining forward in a singular way." The rest of her and Cesar Hernandez's picks for best new restaurants are here.

Top photo courtesy of Equal Parts