Local Food Pick
Homeroom
400 40th St. (at Shafter Ave.)
Oakland, CA 94609
(510) 597-0400
It's a school-themed restaurant in the Temescal neighborhood that almost entirely focuses on macaroni and cheese. I ordered the Mexican Mac, which featured Niman Ranch chorizo, chipotle peppers, and jack cheese. Spicy goodness! There is also a vegan option as well as plenty of add-on ingredients. I liked the card catalog system for storing your frequent member visit cards... always losing those at home. Steps from the MacArthur BART station. 3-1/2 stars - 747 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; Shanghai Dumpling King; Super Duper; Kokkari Estiatorio; Olea.
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); Nini's Coffee Shop (San Mateo); Kabab and Curry's (Santa Clara).
Previous East Bay/Sacramento 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); Super Duper (Mill Valley).
Local Bar Pick
The Pig & Whistle
2801 Geary Blvd. (at Wood St.)
San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 885-4779
Besides being steps from two of my last three apartments, this British pub knows how to serve up a pint of beer properly. You'll also find cider on tap as well as other well favorites. Trivia night on Wednesday brings in the crowds, plus a few TVs around the bar will usually showcase the Giants or other sports happenings. A limited food menu serves up Brit specialties like bangers & mash, shepherd's pie, and fish & chips. 4 stars - 291 reviews
Previous San Francisco picks: Blackbird; El Rio; Rickhouse; Southern Pacific Brewing; The Hidden Vine; Vesuvio.
Previous Peninsula/South Bay pick: Antonio's Nut House (Palo Alto).
Previous East Bay pick: The Trappist (Oakland); Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon (Oakland); The Turf Club (Hayward).
Previous North Bay pick: Lagunitas Brewing Co. (Petaluma).
Local History
Charles J. Brenham
(1817-1876)
He left his Kentucky roots during his teenage years to work on riverboats on the Mississippi. In 1849, he moved to California and transported passengers between San Francisco and Sacramento. He won election as the 2nd and 4th Mayors of San Francisco in 1851 and 1852, the only SF mayor to win non-consecutive terms. (Elections and the city charters were in a state of flux at that time.) Brenham helped provide police protection to prevent lynchings and mob rule against accused criminals, reduced spending, and increased the water supply to accommodate the soaring population. His attempt in the banking industry ended poorly, and he returned to the steamship industry thereafter. Charles Brenham Way is a short stretch of 7th St. just north of Market St., in the Civic Center area of San Francisco.
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; James Phelan; Lawrence Ferlinghetti; Angelo Rossi.
Previous Peninsula/South Bay history: Millbrae; Tanforan Racetrack; T. Jack Foster; Leland Stanford; Milpitas; Donald Tresidder; Josiah Belden; Hiram Morgan Hill.
Previous East Bay history: Charles Tilden; William Hayward; John Fremont; Mariano Vallejo; Ygnacio Martinez; Henry Kaiser; Anthony Chabot.
Previous North Bay history: Cotati; Charles Fairfax; Luther Burbank; William Richardson; Oscar and James Shafter
Bay Area Charity
Congrats to FabMo Creativity Center, the latest Randy's Guide donation recipient!
Duboce/Valencia Fire Relief
On May 6, 2012, a four-alarm fire destroyed the corner building on Valencia St. and Duboce Ave. 37 residents have been displaced. Community members have worked with Community Living Campaign for the fire survivors' collection fund.
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), KQED (88.5 FM), and now FabMo Creativity Center.
Bay Area Weekend Highs
Fairly temperate conditions will feature coastal fog and afternoon breezes up to 15mph.
Coast: low-60s
SF: upper-60s
Bay: mid-70s
South Bay: upper-70s
North Bay: low-80s
Inland East Bay: low-80s
Bay Area Free Activities of the Week
1. Fourth of July
Bay Area
Too many cities to list, from Fremont and Orinda to San Francisco and San Mateo, will be hosting Fourth of July festivities. Fire up the BBQ, and don your Old Navy flag shirt.
2. East Bay Symphony
Tuesday 5-9:45pm
The Oakland East Bay Symphony, Hilltop Community Choir, and Oakland Jazz Workshops perform along Richmond's Craneway Pavilion, with food stands and a raffle to boot. Fireworks are set for 9:15pm.
3. Sunday Streets
Sunday, 11am-4pm
To prepare for all of the great food buffets on Wednesday, exercise a little beforehand. The Mission is closing both Valencia St. and 24th St. Free bike rentals and repairs, yoga classes, roller soccer, climbing wall, and more.
Bay Area Freebie of the Week
Bistro Burger
343 Sansome, 333 Bush, 865 Market, and 201 Mission
San Francisco, CA
Bistro Burger is partnering with LevelUp to offer a free lunch through tomorrow (June 29). Just download the LevelUp mobile app on your iPhone or Android, and you'll have a $10 mobile credit to use for your lunch between 10am-2pm.
