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Mr. Bauer kindly returned to Txoko in North Beach recently to do an update review after dinging them with a middling two-star review in which complained a lot about the lighting and the ambiance. Though not much has changed there except for cloth napkins, he now says "the speakeasy feel of the place" is an asset, and tries to open on a positive note talking about the "balanced and never heavy handed" cocktails. He doesn't mention the lamb tongue salad we liked (it may not have been on the menu), but from the new menu he enjoys a "rustic" braised lamb shoulder and a potato soup with green garlic. He notes that there was a Basque couple sitting near him who had trouble understanding how the menu was at all Basque, and the server couldn't really tell them either. And he leaves his verdict at two stars, same as before, with two and a half for the food. [Chron]

Pending approval at today's Planning Commission meeting, the property that's home to the Axis Café (1201 8th Street at 16th) on Potrero Hill is set to become a five-story mixed-use building with residential units and ground-floor retail. Once the building is constructed, the project sponsors have promised to reserve a new space for the Axis Café, but it sounds like the café would disappear (or need to relocate) for at least a year or two. We'll update you if the project gets approved. [Curbed]

Folsom Street near 17th and 18th Streets has been the site of ugly storm-drain backups in recent years, and last night's heavy rains caused flooding at the Stable Café and Saison, which share a building at 2124 Folsom. Chef-owner Joshua Skenes tells Grub Street the restaurant will be closed for at least two days as they try to mitigate the mess, and will hopefully reopen Saturday. Also, a bit of a correction is in order following a piece published yesterday about price hikes at the restaurant.

The woman who is likely to be accused of aggravated assault in a Saturday night scuffle outside Balboa Café remains at large, but Grub Street learns today that her side of the story may involve a claim of self-defense — or at least defense of her husband. An anonymous informant relays the story, allegedly via the suspect's sister, saying that she "she and her friends were accosted first and she was trying to get the man to stop punching her husband in the face." Meanwhile, the unnamed woman, who allegedly tried to bludgeon Jasper's Corner Tap manager Matt Meidinger with a pair of Louboutin heels after he suggested they weren't that important, has sparked the ire of the internet far and wide, and the story's been picked up by the British press.

So, we know that Taco Bell played a big role in popularizing Mexican food in the U.S. But in case you weren't aware, Febronio Ontiveros, longtime proprietor of El Faro at 20th and Folsom Street, introduced San Francisco to what we now call the Mission-style burrito. This overstuffed concoction, built with an extra-large flour tortilla (not a common sight outside Sonora, Mexico) and containing rice, beans, and plenty of meat, "governs what Americans now think of as a burrito," says Mexican-food historian Gustavo Arellano. In a new interview with Jonathan Kauffman, Arellano credits Ontiveros with S.F.'s first burrito, which he learned to make in work camps when he immigrated from Durango. And BurritoEater earlier cited September 26, 1961 as the day Ontiveros first slapped some sour cream and guac in there and created the super burrito. This concludes your lesson for today. [SFoodie]