Local Reader's Pick
Reader Oth writes about Guerrilla Rep's "My Tia Loca's Life of Crime," which runs at San Francisco's Bindlestiff Studio through June 2. Themes range from immigration and race relations to spousal abuse and family reunification. Tickets are $20. www.brownpapertickets.com/event/243065
Local Food Pick
Shanghai Dumpling King
3319 Balboa St. (at 34th Ave.)
San Francisco, CA 94121
(415) 387-2088
Per reader Eddie's referral, I found myself at a small dive-y Chinese cafe in the Outer Richmond on a warm night. Air flows in nicely to aerate the dining area. The xiao long bao (soup dumplings) are phenomenal and worthy of multiple orders. Pork tofu has a great spicy kick, and the sugar egg puffs finish the meal in a beignet-like manner. Cash only, with waits being fairly standard. 3-1/2 stars - 1300 reviews
Previous San Francisco picks: Radius; Limon Rotisserie; Art's Cafe; Little Star Pizza; Yamo; Breakfast at Tiffany's; Humphry Slocombe; Tu Lan; Foreign Cinema; Zanze's Cheesecake; San Tung; Katana-Ya; A La Turca; Boxing Room; Frances; Saigon Sandwich; Brenda's French Soul Food; Park Tavern; Broken Record; Rosamunde Sausage Grill; Curry Up Now; Yasukochi's Sweet Stop; Lime Tree Southeast Asian Kitchen; Firefly; Red Door Cafe; L'Ardoise Bistro; Pluto's; My Tofu House; Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous; Walzwerk; Good Luck Dim Sum; Amber India; Sotto Mare; Sweet Maple.
Previous Peninsula/South Bay picks: Curry Up Now (San Mateo); Little Lucca Sandwich Shop & Deli (Burlingame/South SF); Falafel's Drive In (San Jose); Sunny Bowl (Mountain View); Back A Yard Caribbean Grill (Menlo Park); Pluto's (Palo Alto/San Jose); Ramen Dojo/Ramen Parlor (San Mateo); Amber India (Mountain View/San Jose/Palo Alto).
Previous East Bay picks: Little Star Pizza (Albany); Angeline's Louisiana Kitchen (Berkeley); Asmara (Oakland); Keanu's Island Kine Food (Vacaville); Tara's Organic Ice Cream (Berkeley/Oakland); Pluto's (Chico/Davis/Sacramento/
Previous North Bay picks: Bouchon Bakery (Yountville); Della Fattoria Bakery (Petaluma); Sol Food (San Rafael); Stumptown Brewery (Guerneville); Moustache Baked Goods (Healdsburg).
Local Bar Pick
Rickhouse
246 Kearny St. (at Bush St.)
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 398-2827
The Bourbon & Branch team has a FiDi winner on its hands, as whiskey and beer flow freely into patrons happy to have left their workdays behind. The layout, with open windows and a more discreet balcony, lends nicely to the atmosphere. Expect a healthy wait as your bartender whips up a complex concoction of fanciful ingredients. 4 stars - 904 reviews
Previous San Francisco pick: Blackbird; El Rio
Previous Peninsula/South Bay pick: Antonio's Nut House
Previous East Bay pick: The Trappist
Local History
Anthony Chabot (1813-1888)
After a recent bike ride around Lake Chabot, I wondered who Mr. Chabot might be. He was raised in Canada and eventually moved to California in 1849. He spent a few years in the mining business before moving into the water industry. His projects included San Francisco's first public water system, Tamascal Dam, and San Leandro Dam. It is this dam of San Leandro Creek that helps create the man-made reservoir now called Lake Chabot. He would also donate a telescope and an observatory fund to Oakland, which would later build the Chabot Space & Science Center.
Previous San Francisco history: John Geary; Samuel Brannan; Michael O'Shaughnessy; Jasper O'Farrell; Frank McCoppin; Thomas Hayes; Francisco de Haro; Jose Bernal; David Broderick; Henry Haight; John Townsend; Cyril Magnin; Jose Arguello; Keiko Fukuda; John Le Conte; Eugene Schmitz; Theodore Judah; Herb Caen
Previous Peninsula/South Bay history: Millbrae; Tanforan Racetrack; T. Jack Foster; Leland Stanford; Milpitas; Donald Tresidder; Josiah Belden
Previous East Bay history: Charles Tilden; William Hayward; John Fremont; Mariano Vallejo; Ygnacio Martinez; Henry Kaiser
Previous North Bay history: Cotati; Charles Fairfax; Luther Burbank
Bay Area Charity
FabMo Creativity Center
Started in 1997, this Mountain View-based nonprofit is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) organization that diverts fabrics to Bay Area artisans and teachers. FabMo also hosts an annual art boutique and a variety of workshops. www.fabmo.org
Previous organizations Randy's Guide has spotlighted and donated: Common Ground Relief, LYRIC, Aldea Inc., Glide Memorial, City CarShare, Maitri, Loaves and Fishes, Friends of the Urban Forest, Farm Sanctuary, Bay Area Community Services, Blue Energy, My New Red Shoes, College Track, Foundation for the People of Burma, Vital Life Services, Little Angel Fund, San Francisco Health Services Coalition, Natural Resources Defense Council, Bay Localize, San Francisco Women Against Rape, Sustainable Conservation, Ashoka, Old Skool Cafe, Darfur Sister Schools, Rebuilding Together San Francisco, Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center, Urban Solutions, San Francisco Suicide Prevention, The East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse, Shanti, Curry Without Worry, SF Neighborhood Theater Foundation, La Cocina, Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Northern California, The Bike Kitchen, First Graduate, Lazarex Cancer Foundation (Amy C), and KQED (88.5 FM).
Bay Area Weekend Highs
Looking good. Spring is here! Warmest day should be Saturday.
Coast: mid-60s
SF: mid-70s
Bay: mid-80s
South Bay: upper-80s
Inland East Bay: upper-80s
North Bay: low-90s
Bay Area Free Activities of the Week
1. Powwow in Palo Alto: Friday-Sunday
Tribal dancing and drumming will be the highlight of the 41st annual Stanford Powwow. More than 100 vendors will also be present. www.stanfordpowwow.org
2. Golden Gate Park: Friday + Sunday
Friday Nights at the De Young has activated a dead time at museums. This week, the theme is the Golden Gate Bridge's 75th anniversary, with dance lessons, jazz-era music, and a lecture by FAMSF docent Kay Payne. Then on Sunday, the Golden Gate Park Band strikes up music at 1pm to commemorate Armenian Independence Day, while the San Francisco Rose Society hosts its annual Mother's Day Rose Show starting at 12:30pm at the Hall of Flowers and offers the roses to the public afterward at 4pm. http://deyoung.famsf.org www.goldengateparkband.org www.sfrosesociety.com
3. Amgen Tour: Monday + Tuesday
Catch 16 professional cycling teams criss-cross the Bay Area. On Monday, they travel 117 miles from San Francisco's Marina Green to Santa Cruz County. Then, Stage 3 on Tuesday is a 115-mile route from San Jose to Livermore. www.amgentourofcalifornia.com
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