RT Bistro's opening nears, a Rich Table chef de cuisine is breaking out on her own, and sandwich pop-up from Berlin is coming to SoMa after Xmas, all in This Week in Food.

The big news item of the week is that Rich Table's chef de cuisine Gizela Ho, who has been with the restaurant for eight years and change, is breaking off on her own to open her restaurant, called Good Morning 96. The name is a riff on a workman’s kitchen towel brand in Hong Kong called Good Morning 26, and an homage to Ho's grandfather, and Ho says that her restaurant will blend multiple cuisines, much like the Rich Table menu does — and there will be a heavy emphasis on snacks. The news is somewhat preliminary, as the Chronicle reports, becuase Ho has not yet secured a space for her vision, so we can't even say for sure that she'll be opening it next year. But perhaps.

In other Rich Table news, RT Bistro (205 Oak Street) is nearing it opening, likely on or around January 5. I got a preview of some dishes, which include a "one-layer lasagna" that's going to change with the season — currently featuring squash and black truffle — and a Japanese riff on Oysters Rockefeller. The space shares a wall with Rich Table, and will share a basement prep space, and the off-menu burger from Rich Table will be coming to the bistro menu as well. Expect 35 seats in a cozy, wood-lined space, inspired by Tahoe ski lodges, with cocktails and fun desserts to boot.

A fun sandwich pop-up, hailing all the way from Berlin, is coming to The Nosh Box (1116 Folsom) in SoMa next week, on December 27. It's called Smooches, and it's an operation from former San Francisco resident and sandwich lover Joe Peters. The pop-up, running from late morning to afternoon, will feature Smooches' breakfast sandwiches, served on homemade English muffins, with multiple sauce and add-on options. Says Peters, "Smooches started as a way to bring people joy in Berlin, and now I get to bring a little piece of that joy back home for the holidays."

Just in time for the health kick you'll be on come January, Goop Kitchen is now open on Morris Street in SoMa. The Gwyneth Paltrow-launched takeout and delivery operation, as we mentioned before, focuses on healthful salads and bowls, and offers vegan options including mushroom "carnitas." The SoMa location will be joined by two others sometime soon, and Goop Kitchen has so far only been in SoCal.

Tablehopper has the sad news that Cookin', the delightfully quirky — and chaotic — store for "recycled gourmet appurtenances" on Divisadero, is closing for good after 37 years in that space, with owner Judith Kaminsky finally deciding to retire after threatening to do so for years. The closing date is reportedly January 1, and there is some sort of clearance sale happening, but Kaminsky would prefer only industry professionals and people who know exactly what they're looking for to stop through.

And the Chronicle brings word that 61-year-old Delta waterfront restaurant The Point, in Rio Vista, is closing on December 28. So head on up, especially if you have access to a boat, for a final bowl of chowder by next week.

In the area of restaurant reviews, it should be noted that Chronicle critic MacKenzie Chung Fegan is now on her second maternity leave, and we will not be seeing another review from her until June. She announced in the Bite Curious newsletter that her food department colleagues will be filling on newsletter duty, and Cesar Hernandez will still be filing restaurant reviews in her absence.

Top image courtesy of Smooches