We learn Tyler Florence's side of the situation of the Union Square cafes story, the high-end Japanese spot Bar Shoji is about to open, and Let's Eat BBQ is back in the Bayview, all in This Week in Food.

Following on last week's news about chef Tyler Florence backing out of his city-subsidized deal to open two cafes in Union Square Park, called Miller & Lux Provisions, the Chronicle now gets Florence's side of the story. He says that the rotisserie portion closed quickly because of very slow sales, and the remaining patisserie/cafe ended up losing almost $300,000 in its first year. "We entered this partnership with a genuine commitment to revitalizing Union Square, investing both the granted funds and significant personal resources,” Florence says in a statement. "While the city provided initial support, unforeseen challenges — such as the permitting delays for renovations, and operational hurdles — impacted the project’s long-term viability."

The new high-end Japanese spot Bar Shoji in 140 New Montgomery (the former Trou Normand space), which we first told you about almost a year ago, has softly opened for daytime cafe service. Tablehopper tells us that chef Ingi “Shota” Son, he of the Michelin-starred The Shota, is joined here by chef Intu-on Kornnawong, formerly of Jo's Modern Thai, to help develop the nighttime menu, which will feature "higher-end but casual Japanese dishes" in an à la carte format, unlike The Shota's full omakase experience. They are aiming for a mid-March soft-launch of dinner and bar service.

We alerted you Thursday to the closure, now a couple of months old but it went under the radar, of the very French restaurant in Nob Hill called Jeanne d'Arc. The Cornell Hotel de France is now using the space for events.

Richmond-based East Brother Beer Company is opening a new taproom at the Metreon, inside an empty retail space at 135 4th Street, previously occupied by the Japanese spot Sanraku. As SFGate reports, Metreon general manager John McBride says the taproom should be open later this year, but not for "many months."

Tablehopper reports on the return of Let’s Eat BBQ (5130 Third Street) in the Bayview, which has been revived by original owner Monique Hayes, who opened the spot in the former Archie's BBQ space in 2011 with her late husband, known as Mr. Lee. She's offering plates starting at $25 with one meat and two sides, and two meats for $35.

The Chronicle's MacKenzie Chung Fegan offers her review this week of Sofiya, the five-month-old Uzbek restaurant in Lower Nob Hill. She loved a number of the dishes, some of which are familiar from other cuisines in Central Asia and Eastern Europe, including a larger version of the dumplings called manti, and the boat-shaped, pizza-like khachapuri, which comes from Georgia. And she recommends bringing friends, because portions are substantial.

Top image: Uni at The Shota, courtesy of The Shota