Local Food Pick
Olea
1494 California St. (at Larkin St.)
San Francisco, CA 94109
Olea serves brunch three days a week (Friday-Sunday). The cazuela eggs are unique and filling, while the berry-topped French toast is always a hit. I've not been for dinner, which they serve Tuesday-Friday. It's a pain to get to Nob Hill, but step down into an intimately situated space for some affordable elegance. 4 stars - 414 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.
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
Vesuvio
255 Columbus Ave. (at Broadway St.)
San Francisco, CA 94133
Established in 1948, Vesuvio hosted a number of Beat authors like Neal Cassady and Jack Kerouac. Its location near City Lights Bookstore and - now - Jack Kerouac Alley makes it a hit among travelers near and far. Sit up on the second floor for great conversation and people watching. 4 stars - 516 reviews
Previous San Francisco picks: Blackbird; El Rio; Rickhouse; Southern Pacific Brewing; The Hidden Vine.
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
Oscar & James Shafter
(1812-1873) / (1816-1892)
During the 1850s, Oscar moved from Vermont to San Francisco and used his litigation skills to start cobbling together land in the Point Reyes area. He convinced his brother to join his title litigation firm in 1856. By 1868, they managed 3,500 cows on 17 dairies and produced over 700,000 pounds of butter annually. James served in the California State Senate, UC Board of Regents, and San Francisco County Superior Court. Oscar, meanwhile, became associate justice on the California Supreme Court. Today, 13 of the 31 dairies still operate, though under new management.
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.
Bay Area Charity
FabMo Creativity Center
2423 Old Middlefield Way
Mountain View, CA 94043
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.
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
The cold is on! Winds and dense fog will persist through Tuesday. Bundle up for Pride festivities...
Coast: upper-50s
SF: low-60s
Bay: mid-60s
South Bay: upper-60s
North Bay: low-70s
Inland East Bay: low-70s
Bay Area Free Activities of the Week
1. Pride Weekend: Trans March Friday, Dyke March/Pink Saturday, Parade/Festival Sunday
Friday-Sunday
Time to dust off those boas, glitter bottles, and speedos. The transgender and lesbian communities have separate marches on Friday (3:30pm rally, 7pm march) and Saturday (noon rally, 6pm march), respectively. Then, there's the parade on Sunday, which proceeds down Market Street from the Financial District to Civic Center. Grand Marshals include Sarah Silverman and Willie Brown, Jr. The festival sprawls across several Civic Center blocks, with the main stage offering live DJs and entertainment from 11am-6pm.
2. Stern Grove
Sunday, 2-4:30pm
The 75th annual Stern Grove Festival kicks off with Grammy-winning Anita Baker, The Family Stone, and Glide Ensemble for a day of gospel, R&B, and funk. Arrive early, as flat picnic space is hard to come by.
3. Alice's Summerthing
Sunday, noon-4pm
Alice @ 97.3 FM hosts its annual free concert in Golden Gate Park's Hellman Hollow. Adam Lambert is the headliner, with Scars on 45, Rebecca Ferguson, Vicci Martinez, and Graffiti6 in support.
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