Local Food Pick
Bodega Bistro
607 Larkin St. (at Eddy St.)
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 921-1218
This slightly upscale French-Vietnamese restaurant in the heart of the Tenderloin offers a welcome sanctuary of delicious spring rolls, noodle soups, and steak kebabs. 4 stars- 462 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
Jupiter
2181 Shattuck Ave. (at Allston Way)
Berkeley, CA 94704
The huge outdoor patio, often spilling with the notes of a local band, is the main draw. It's literally above one of the BART stairwells, which makes for a quick getaway back to the City. The red spot ale is the best on the menu, but you'll find several house brews as well as a few guest taps. For those with hunger, the food menu is serviceable with appetizer, salad, entree, and pizza options. 4 stars - 1355 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).
Previous North Bay pick: Lagunitas Brewing Co. (Petaluma).
Local History
Simon Mezes
(1822-1884)
Born in Puerto Rico, the prominent banker-lawyer helped service Mexican landowners during a tumultuous time for land grants. The largest such grant on the Peninsula, Rancho de las Pulgas, consisted of 35,240 acres; Mezes successfully defended the title through the U.S. Land Commission and U.S. Supreme Court. He would acquire about one-fourth of the grant and called the area Mezesville, even though squatters would continue call the land Redwood City. Mezes developed a method for people to buy and sell property there, and designed a map based on surveys of the subdivided land. It's believed that the downtown park was the first property to be donated for public use and recreation in California history. Redwood City's Mezes Park is 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.
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.
Bay Area Weekend Highs
It's looking like more of the same. Be glad we're not baking in triple-digit heat as our neighbors to the east have been for days on end!
Coast: low-60s
SF: low-70s
Bay: mid-70s
South Bay: low-80s
North Bay: mid-80s
Inland East Bay: mid-80s
Bay Area Free Activities of the Week
1. Fillmore Jazz Festival
Saturday-Sunday, 10am-6pm
Crowds nearing 100,000 will flock to Fillmore Street and focus on three music stages between the Western Addition (Eddy St.) and Pacific Heights (Jackson St.). Restaurants, bars, stores, and street vendors will try to entice you with their offerings too. Public transit is strongly advised.
2. San Francisco Symphony
Sunday, 2pm
Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas will lead the San Francisco Symphony in a performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and Copland's Billy the Kid Suite. The San Francisco Symphony Chorus will accompany. Arrive early at Stern Grove for prime seating!
3. Occupy Bay Area Night
Saturday, 6pm
Live performances, music, and community talks will highlight the opening of the latest YBCA exhibit, which features 25 Bay Area artists and runs through October 14. RSVP beforehand for free admission.
Bay Area Freebies of the Week
Dianda's Bakery
Saturday, 6am-6pm
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Dianda's is offering free cream puffs and coffee all day, plus a cake cutting at noon. Yelp says 4-1/2 stars based on 300 reviews.
7-Eleven
Wednesday, 11am-7pm
Enjoy a 7.11 ounce Slurpee from all participating 7-Elevens. 15 San Francisco locations include four in the Union Square area, plus others in Castro, the Financial District, North Beach, Richmond, Bernal Heights, Ingleside, Bayshore (2), Parkside, Sunset, and Outer Mission.
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