The more they stay the same … well, sort of. With the recent closure of Johnny Rockets, the retro burger joint at the corner of Pierce and Chestnut, and the complete gutting and remodeling happening therein, one would think we’re getting another upscale eatery, pizzeria or sushi spot. In reality, a few months from now the Marina will see the next installment of Super Duper … a retro burger joint. Super Duper, though, will be serving up fast-food-style burgers, shakes and fries with a decidedly slow food and sustainable bent. Their beef is from Niman Ranch and is ground fresh daily, ice cream is made from organic Straus cream from Petaluma, and their pies and cookies are baked fresh each day in house. You can also get a chicken sandwich or portabella mushroom burger with one of their house-made pickles, all served in compostable packaging. Not your typical retro burger joint, though the look is still retro style with orange tones giving the place some pop. If you can’t wait the two months of scheduled construction before trying them out, you can always stop by one of their two Market Street locations in the Castro and downtown ... delish!

Super Duper:2201 Chestnut Street, www.superdupersf.com

Delaney’s closed just recently, and while there are no full details as to what it’s destined to become, a few factoids have emerged regarding the sale of the building. The entire property was auctioned off in bankruptcy court in July, with a number of serious bidders driving the final sale price up to $3 million. The winning bid was submitted by a group called Telegraph Hill Associates LLC, but one of the controlling partners listed for the group is Rick Howard, who is a partner in Bruno’s in the Mission and Harry’s Bar on Fillmore. Construction has progressed somewhat and while some of the finishes will be new, it’s looking like the original bar and layout is staying pretty much intact. One rumor floating around is that the unused back patio may be incorporated into the final plan, but no details were available just yet on that or a projected opening date.

“Bar formerly known as Delaney’s”: 2241 Chestnut Street

Over at the bar formerly known as Monaghan’s (which moved two doors down last year to the bar formerly known as CC’s Pierce Street Manor), work is underway to transform the tavern into Lamai Thai Massage and Yoga Studio. According to the listing, it’s being opened by Dianna and Kevin Howe, who currently own and operate Lamai Thai Massage in Venice, Calif. Thai massage was first developed during the age of Buddha and has been kept alive through the teachings of massage masters at temples throughout Thailand. The Venice location offers pregnancy massage and baby massage classes, so judging by the strollers on and off Chestnut, the Howes are coming to the right place. For a preview of what the Venice location offers, you can visit their website.

Lamai Thai Massage & Yoga:3259 Pierce Street, www.lamaithaimassage.com

Finally, up on Chestnut Street near Fillmore, Crave City Pizza, which opened late last year and featured Egyptian pizza, has quietly closed after less than a year in operation. The restaurant business is a hard nut to crack here, but it looks like new operators with some experience are taking over the space and are tentatively renaming the spot Castagna, which appropriately (in more ways than one) is Italian for chestnut. Brothers Jerome and Stefane Meloni, former owners of Cassis (on Steiner at Sutter), grew up in Nice, France, and learned their passion for good food and wine from their Italian father and French mother. A notice for a beer and wine license has been posted at the shuttered space, but given the backlog at the ABC in Sacramento, who knows how long the brothers may have to wait before sharing some good vino with you. Here’s hoping it happens in a timely fashion so they can open their doors with some working capital intact. Cin cin!

Castagna:2015 Chestnut Street

Jim Maxwell is a past president of the Marina Merchants Association and owns Architects II in the Marina. E-mail: [email protected]