Come back, Tu Lan.
Bay Area Food Pick
Molinari Delicatessen
373 Columbus Ave. (at Vallejo St.)
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 421-2337
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; The Chairman Truck.
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); Fiddler's Green (Millbrae).
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/Roseville); Bakesale Betty (Oakland); Zachary's Pizza (Oakland/Berkeley/San Ramon); Shoki Ramen House (Sacramento); Gregoire (Berkeley/Oakland); Val's Burgers (Hayward); Homeroom (Oakland).
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).
Previous Other picks: Built to Grill (Portland).
Bay Area Bar Pick
Biergarten
424 Octavia St. (at Fell St.)
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 252-9289
It's a marvel to see repurposed space at work on what was once a vacant lot in Hayes Valley. The area has gentrified significantly over the past decade, and this outpost from the Suppenkuche team does well to lure the professionals in droves on sunny weekend afternoons. It's almost always tap beer and bottled wine only, although on a winter evening there was an offering of warm mulled wine. Wool blankets are an option if you forget your parka on a summer night. Limited food menu, including pretzels and sausages, are decent complements to steins of beer. 3-1/2 stars - 116 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); The Oasis Beer Garden (Menlo Park).
Previous East Bay pick: The Trappist (Oakland); Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon (Oakland); The Turf Club (Hayward); Jupiter (Berkeley); St. George Spirits (Alameda).
Previous North Bay pick: Lagunitas Brewing Co. (Petaluma).
Previous Other pick: New Deal Distillery (Portland).
Bay Area History
Warren Hellman
(1934-2011)
The billionaire made his fortune in private equity, and later he turned philanthropist by supporting such causes as Jewish Vocational Services, Mills College, and The Bay Citizen. Mr. Hellman will, however, most likely be remembered as the founder (and producer) of the admission-free Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival, which falls on the first weekend of October and now hosts over 750,000 attendees. Performers have included Alison Krauss, Willie Nelson, Joan Baez, MC Hammer, Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett, and Dolly Parton. His endowment guarantees at least 15 more festival years. Golden Gate Park's Hellman Hollow, previously Speedway Meadow, 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; Simon Mezes.
Previous East Bay history: Charles Tilden; William Hayward; John Fremont; Mariano Vallejo; Ygnacio Martinez; Henry Kaiser; Anthony Chabot; Thomas Caldecott.
Previous North Bay history: Cotati; Charles Fairfax; Luther Burbank; William Richardson; Oscar and James Shafter.
Previous Other history: Francis Pettygrove (Portland).
Bay Area Charity
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
After today, things will get cooler again. Morning fog and afternoon breezes.
~ THURSDAY ~
Coast: upper-50s
SF: low-70s
Bay: low-80s
North Bay: upper-80s
South Bay: upper-80s
Inland East Bay: mid-90s
~ FRIDAY-SUNDAY ~
Coast: upper-50
SF: low-60s
Bay: mid-70s
North Bay: low-80s
South Bay: low-80s
Inland East Bay: mid-80s
Bay Area Free Activities of the Week
1. Asian Festivals
Aloha Festival: Saturday-Sunday, 10am-5pm
Nihonmachi Fair: Saturday-Sunday, 11am-6pm
Though the climate is far from tropical, the 17th annual Aloha Festival promises over ten hours of live entertainment, from hula to ukelele to Tahitian dance. Vendors offer Polynesian crafts and food. This year, it's held at the San Mateo County Event Center instead of the Presidio. Over in Japantown, a rival Asian festival - with Hawaiian music, Japanese dance, and local Asian bands - will serve up two music stages with Asian artisans and food in its 39th year.
2. South Bay Fun
Fremont Festival: Saturday-Sunday, 10am-6pm
Symphony Silicon Valley: Sunday 5:30-7pm
The end of the BART line sits just two blocks from the 29th annual Fremont Festival of the Arts, the largest free street festival west of the Mississippi River. 700+ artisans, two music stages, eight gourmet food trucks... but if you're more into an outdoor symphony concert, set up your lawn chair at San Jose State's Campus Green. If you arrive early, you'll even score some free ice cream. Playlist includes Gershwin, Sousa, and Copland.
3. Fitness Events
SF Bike Party: Friday, 7pm
Sunday Streets: Sunday, 11am-4pm
Meet at the Glen Park BART station - and yes, bikes are allowed on BART all day Friday - for a short ride to Twin Peaks and the Mission. Dress as a twin! Then on Sunday, the Mission hosts the latest Sunday Streets event, with free bike rentals, roller disco, dodgeball, and classes in yoga, capoeira, salsa, and zumba. The route runs along Valencia St. and 24th St.
Bay Area Freebie of the Week
Friday, noon-4pm
Check out the world's largest lollipop at the See's headquarters in South San Francisco, and receive a free gourmet lollipop!
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