According to Eater SF and The Tablehopper, Le Petit Robert, aka, Little Bob, is closing. Once one of my favorite Russian Hill haunts (Mackie insists that I inform you that she never understood its allure), Little Bob went downhill rapidly after the eponomous Robert Cubberly (a rather tall gentleman, I'm told — calling him "Petit Robert" is like calling me "Slim") exited a bit over a year ago. Even the bread they served wasn't as good. In retrospect, Little Bob would have been an excellent zombie to have included in my Living Dead post.

Its end of month closing, will provide excellent fodder for a second Zen and the Art of Restaurant Dining post. For a time, I ranked its French-style hamburger the best in San Francisco, although the recent price increase from $14 to $15 really rubbed me the wrong way — it was already pricey at $14. I'll also miss the mac and cheese as well as the shaved brussels sprouts with hazelnuts, when sprouts were in season.

Both sources report that the neighboring La Boulange de Polk will move into Little Bob's space, allowing La Boulange to expand.

Speaking of La Boulange de Polk, last time that Mackie and I visited our immediate reaction was WTF???

First, and most offensive, the place stank. As in smelled. Badly. It reeked of something that can best be described as putrid foot odor mixed with the stench of a bad butcher shop. I beat a hasty retreat; Mackie stayed long enough to purchase a sticky bun before following me out the door.

Before exiting, I noticed that the cold case had disappeared and with it all of the tarts, custards, etc. that we'd grown (quite literally — they contributed to my ample midsection) to love. Yes, the bready type stuff is great, but what happened to the other yummy things??? Inquiring minds want to know.

If all goes well, La Boulange's move to the corner will remedy these problems and provide the place with some much-needed additional seating. I hope this is the case but I'm skeptical because much of the Bay Bread empire seems be on a downward trajectory. The exception is my new favorite hangout in the Lower Haight, Café du Soleil.

As a total aside, how could one company own and manage three so totally divergent restaurants??? Cortez won a Michelin star under Bay Bread's watch (the one time I ate there it was excellent), Little Bob was good then tanked and the previously-closed Platanos always sucked, except for the Three Milks Cake (another entry for Zen II). What gives with this comany???