Verjus returns tonight after a long closure, Jo's Modern Thai has lost its chef, and a new bar and restaurant — with a brewery — is coming in January to the former Sunset Reservoir Brewing Company space, all in This Week in Food.Michelin two-starred Lazy Bear just reopened in October after a two-month hibernation/renovation, and Eater now has pictures of the revamped, swanky, moody interior. Gone are the long communal tables — which were also nixed during the pandemic — and a new banquette frames one side of the dining room. Diners will sit at individual tables, gathering dinner-party-style only after dinner for dessert and drinks in the upstairs lounge. Also, there are now a couple of balcony-side tables upstairs for dining with a view down over the kitchen action. As of today, reservations are up for grabs for December.A new bar-restaurant-brewery called Fifty Vara is coming to the Outer Sunset early next year, in the former Sunset Reservoir Brewing Company space (1735 Noriega Street). Tablehopper brings us the news of the project from Brian Reccow of hospitality consultants The Specialistas. We don't have much in the way of menu details yet, but Reccow tells Tablehopper he'll be leaning into his experience at Cortez and Ramblas to bring Spanish and Mediterranean flavors, with local seafood, roasted meats, grilled vegetables, and lots of vegetarian fare. There will also be a brewery component, with house brews on tap, as well as a full bar and cocktail program. Look for it to open in mid-January.Some good news in the Mission District: Legacy burrito spot El Faro won't be changing hands or closing after all. Owner Raymunda Ramirez had said earlier this month that she was selling the business after a series of break-ins, but after some rallying of community support, NBC Bay Area reported this week that Ramirez has decided to stay put, and you can donate to a GoFundMe for her and her family here.We heard it was happening a little while ago, and now Verjus is officially back open in Jackson Square as of today. The Parisian-style wine bar offshoot of Quince has a new menu, and as the Chronicle reports, the popular pate en croute is back, along with some larger plates like grilled beef with matsutake mushrooms and béarnaise sauce, and a Petrale sole for two.The James Beard Award-nominated chef of Jo's Modern Thai in Oakland, Intu-on Kornnawong, has left the kitchen, and she tells the Chronicle her departure was due to the fact that she and owner Kao Saelee "didn’t see eye to eye on the communication and treatment of our staff." As Nosh reports, 14 staff members have published an open letter criticizing how Saelee has treated them, saying they stand by Kornnawong and that she "consistently advocated for her staff … and she was always met with opposition from Kao." Reportedly, about half of the staff have left the restaurant due to over-work and labor conditions.Super Duper Burgers just opened its newest location in San Francisco's Sunset District. The new location is 737 Irving Street, between 8th and 9th avenues, in the former Fresca restaurant space, and the opening is today, Friday. Super Duper, which opened its first shop in the Castro in 2010, now has eight locations in the city and 18 locations across the Bay Area.And over in the Castro, look for QBar to open back up next Friday, November 8, for the first time in five years. The bar was shuttered by a fire in November 2019, and between the pandemic and construction/permitting woes, it took this long to get back open. But open it will be.Chronicle Associate Restaurant Critic Cesar Hernandez has some high praise for Sequoia Diner in Oakland, saying, "I've been searching for my dream diner my whole life," and this is it. He adores how the menu "expands the bounds of what qualifies as diner food," including things like chilaquiles, loco moco, and a "flavorful" shakshuka. He also loves the "airy and light" waffles, which he says are "my favorite in all the Bay Area."And Restaurant Critic MacKenzie Chung Fegan has some seriously high praise for Sons & Daughters, which holds one Michelin star but which has been transformed by Executive Chef Harrison Cheney since his promotion to the role last year. Fegan raves that the restaurant, pushed in a New Nordic direction with a California lens, is now "one of the most phenomenal" in the Bay Area, with new delights and inspired combinations on every plate. Still, she warns, "Sons & Daughters is not what I would call an easy restaurant," and "If the sound of 'charcoal butter' or 'burnt green apple' makes you yearn for a hamburger, give it a pass."Previous editions of This Week In FoodPhoto via Instagram