Portland, here I come.
Portland + Bay Area Food Picks
Built to Grill
232 SW Washington St. (at SW 2nd Ave.)
Portland, OR 97204
(503) 789-3767
After three years, this little food cart in the Southwest Downtown area has amassed quite the following. The penne alla vodka, gnocchi, and garlic bread are the big hits. It's only open for weekday lunches, with entrees running about $7-8. Note: there are about 500 food cart pods in Portland. 4-1/2 stars - 319 reviews
The Chairman Truck
San Francisco, CA
Its location varies by day - or even by hour. When you see the brightly colored red-and-yellow truck, pounce on its pork belly steamed bun. You certainly won't regret. There's always a vegetarian option, usually involving tofu or seasonal vegetables. 4 stars - 842 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; Bodega Bistro.
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).
Portland + Bay Area Bar Picks
New Deal Distillery
1311 SE 9th St. (at SE Main St.)
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 234-2513
Portland may be known for its breweries, but I was excited to come across the Distillery Row Passport. For a mere $20, you're given tastings at five local distilleries, one cidery, and an urban winery in the Central Eastside Industrial District. Sounds eminently bikeable. This particular distillery opened in 2004 and won an award for its pepper vodka right here in San Francisco in 2008. 5 stars - 30 reviews
St. George Spirits
2601 Monarch St. (at Midway Ave.)
Alameda, CA 94501
(510) 769-1601
Sitting near the picturesque San Francisco Bay, St. George Spirits serves up training school for alcoholics. For $15, you can get about ten sizable tastings of their liqueurs and spirits (including absinthe and Hangar One vodkas). It's more than enough to share with another person. You'll also find awesome picnic tables to soak up the sun - and booze. 4-1/2 stars - 469 reviews
Previous San Francisco picks: Blackbird; El Rio; Rickhouse; Southern Pacific Brewing; The Hidden Vine; Vesuvio; The Pig & Whistle
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); Jupiter (Berkeley).
Previous North Bay pick: Lagunitas Brewing Co. (Petaluma).
Portland History
Francis Pettygrove
(1812-1887)
Mr. Pettygrove relocated to Oregon from Maine in 1843 to set up a store in Oregon City. He purchased a land grant with Asa Lovejoy in 1843, but they debated the new town's name. Mr. Lovejoy preferred Boston, while Mr. Pettygrove wanted Portland (in honor of the Maine city). The coin toss went in Mr. Pettygrove's favour two out of three times. He would go on to build a fortune in a lucrative trade between Portland, San Francisco, and Honolulu. Once the California Gold Rush struck, he sold the entire town lot for a 100-fold profit. Pettygrove Park (in the Southwest Downtown area) and Pettygrove Street (in the Northwest area) are named after him.
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; Charles Brenham.
Previous Peninsula/South Bay history: Millbrae; Tanforan Racetrack; T. Jack Foster; Leland Stanford; Milpitas; Donald Tresidder; Josiah Belden; Hiram Morgan Hill; Simon Mezes.
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
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.
Portland + Bay Area Weekend Highs
More of the same in SF! Things should warm a few degrees for the weekend. Portland is seeing some thunderstorms today, but that will give way to partly cloudy conditions and cooler than normal weather.
~ THU-FRI ~
Coast: low-60s
SF: upper-60s
Bay: mid-70s
South Bay: low-80s
North Bay: mid-80s
Inland East Bay: mid-80s
*Portland downtown: mid-70s
~ SAT-SUN ~
Coast: mid-60s
SF: low-70s
Bay: low-80s
South Bay: mid-80s
North Bay: low-90s
Inland East Bay: low-90s
*Portland downtown: low-70s
Portland Activities of the Week
1. PDX Pop Now
Friday, 6pm-1am
Saturday, noon-1am
Sunday, noon-midnight
The 9th annual free all-ages music festival features 45 Portland-area bands alternating between an indoor and an outdoor stage at Refuge PDX. Previous performers include The Decemberists, The Shins, Sleater-Kinney, and M. Ward.
2. Portland Farmers' Market
Saturday, 8:30am-2pm
Over 160 vendors line Portland State University's South Park. This puts the Ferry Building's Saturday market to shame.
3. Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB)
Saturday, 3pm
The Southeast-area brewery, which opened in 2008, is 100% renewably powered and produces 11,000 barrels of organic beer annually. The BikeBar (in the Boise district) just celebrated its first anniversary and features bike-frame art, a bottle-refueling station, ample bike racks, and two electricity-generating stationary bicycles. Wild! HUB offers weekly tours for 20 individuals, with two tastings at the end. You'll probably want more, as 12 are offered at any time.
Bay Area Free Activities of the Week
1. Symphony in Dolores Park
Sunday, 2pm
Joining the San Francisco Symphony will be Tiempo Libre, a Grammy-nominated salsa band. Included on the playlist are works by Bernstein, Copland, and Bach.
2. Renegade Craft Fair
Saturday-Sunday, 11am-7pm
It's the fifth annual Renegade Craft Fair, where you'll find over 250 indie artists, a free photo booth, and plenty of DIY workshops. At Fort Mason's Festival Pavilion.
3. Sunday Streets: Bayview
Sunday, 11am-4pm
The course starts at AT&T Park, winds through the Dogpatch, and finishes in the Bayview. Free bike rentals, music festival at the Bayview Opera House, bbq/Southern food for purchase, salsa lessons, and more.
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