White lips, pale face
Breathing in snowflakes
Burnt lungs, sour taste
Light's gone, day's end
Struggling to pay rent
Struggling to pay rent
Long nights, strange
men.
- Ed
Sheeran, 52.7 million views
Bay Area
Quote
"We want to assure you: we don't have plans to close
stores.... We're still Fresh & Easy, open for business with everything that
you enjoy about our store, with even more exciting things to come."
- Recent memo from the Fresh & Easy Team
"I think a lot of people throw more trash out here because it's a vacant
lot. I'd like a store [on South Van Ness Ave] because I am a cook and it would
be convenient to get certain groceries there."
- Joe Pham, Mission resident
"Whilst the business has many positives, its journey to scale and
acceptable returns will take too long relative to other opportunities. I have
therefore decided to conduct a strategic review of Fresh & Easy, with all
options under consideration."
- Philip Clarke, CEO of Tesco PLC, Fresh & Easy's
parent
Bay Area Food
Pick
Swan Oyster
Depot1517 Polk St. (at California St.)
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 673-1101
Yelp
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 673-1101
Yelp
Bring lots of cash, don't be in a rush, love seafood. It's quite
simple, really. Anthony Bourdain has even stopped by. The business, which has
thrived since 1912, offers up the best clam chowder in town. You'll also find
delicious seafood cocktails and salads. 4-1/2 stars, 1212 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; The Chairman Truck; Molinari Delicatessen; Wayfare Tavern;
Wexler's; Thorough Bread & Pastry; Lers Ros Thai; Helmand Palace; HRD Coffee
Shop; Fat Angel; Aperto; Pho Huynh Hiep 2; Ted's Deli; Zero Zero; Zazie;
Shalimar.
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); Alana's Cafe (Burlingame); Sushi
Sam's Edomata (San Mateo).
Previous East Bay
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); The Pelican Inn (Muir Beach); Garden
Grill (Guerneville); Buckeye Roadhouse (Mill Valley).
Previous Other
picks: Shoki Ramen House (Sacramento); Built to Grill (Portland); Freshies
(South Lake Tahoe).
Bay
Area Nightlife Pick
937 Geary St. (at Polk St.)
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 409-1111
Just down the block from Swan Oyster is this compact bar with over 350
beers to offer. A good dozen-plus (including a cider) are on tap, not to mention
a charming front patio and a pub menu. 4-1/2 stars - 135 reviews
Previous San
Francisco picks: Blackbird; El Rio; Rickhouse; Southern Pacific Brewing; The
Hidden Vine; Vesuvio; The Pig & Whistle; Biergarten; Martuni's; Tosca Cafe;
Toronado; The Alembic; Trad'r Sam; Sugar Lounge; Speakeasy Ales & Lagers;
Lucky 13; Hotel Biron; Bottom of the Hill; Blackthorn; Local Edition; Magnolia
Pub & Brewery; Whiskey Thieves; Bourbon & Branch; The Monk's
Kettle
Previous
Peninsula/South Bay picks: Antonio's Nut House (Palo Alto); The Oasis Beer
Garden (Menlo Park); Rose and Crown (Palo Alto).
Previous East Bay
picks: The Trappist (Oakland); Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon (Oakland);
The Turf Club (Hayward); Jupiter (Berkeley); St. George Spirits (Alameda);
Drake's Barrel House (San Leandro); JC Cellars (Oakland); Dashe Cellars
(Oakland); Room 389 (Oakland); Beer Revolution (Oakland).
Previous North Bay
picks: Lagunitas Brewing Co. (Petaluma); Bear Republic Brewing Co. (Healdsburg);
Tourist Club (Mill Valley).
Previous Other
pick: New Deal Distillery (Portland); Stateline Brewery (South Lake
Tahoe).
Bay Area History
Helen Putnam
(1909 - 1984)
Ms. Putnam served on the Petaluma School Board before becoming
mayor of Petaluma (1965-79) and a Sonoma County Supervisor (1979-84). Sonoma
County's Helen Putnam Regional Park was dedicated in her honor in
1985.
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; Warren Hellman; John McLaren; Dogpatch; Thomas Larkin; Nancy
Pelosi; Levi Strauss; John Sloat; Jose Sarria; William D.M. Howard; Edwin
Bryant; George Davidson; William Alvord.
Previous Peninsula/South Bay history: Millbrae; Tanforan
Racetrack; T. Jack Foster; Leland Stanford; Milpitas; Donald Tresidder; Josiah
Belden; Hiram Morgan Hill; Simon Mezes; James Forbes; Henry Coe, Jr.; John
Gilroy; Joseph Grant; Henry Naglee.
Previous East Bay
history: Charles Tilden; William Hayward; John Fremont; Mariano Vallejo; Ygnacio
Martinez; Henry Kaiser; Anthony Chabot; Thomas Caldecott; Laurentine Hamilton;
Joel Clayton; Edson Adams; Robert Crown.
Previous North Bay
history: Cotati; Charles Fairfax; Luther Burbank; William Richardson; Oscar and
James Shafter; George Guerne; Frank Doyle; Samuel Taylor; Harrison
Standley.
Previous Other
history: Francis Pettygrove (Portland).
Bay
Area Charity
401 1st Street
Suite 215
Richmond, CA
94801
Such a cool idea.
For seven years, Urban Tilth has worked to bring agriculture to urban areas of
Richmond and San Pablo. The program has partnered with schools, nonprofits,
corporations, and government and now coordinates 12 small farms and three
churches. The Greenway Community Garden, in the heart of the Iron Triangle, and
the Kennedy High Farm and Garden are two great examples. Earlier this month,
Richmond High hosted a student-run salad bar for lunch by using harvested
lettuce and lemons, and student-made salad dressings.
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),
FabMo Creativity Center; Duboce/Valencia Fire Relief; and The Coming Home
Project.
Bay Area Weekend Weather
Another sunny
day caps off the third-driest January for San Francisco on record since 1849. No
rain is in sight for the next week - in fact, record highs may be set in the
near term. Snow levels are now below normal in the Tahoe area.
Mid/upper-60s
everywhere.
Bay Area
Free Activities of the Week
Saturday, 6pm-midnight
Fifteen locations play host to live bands, guest
lecturers, poets, and DJs. Many of the home sites are near 23rd or 24th St. in
the Mission District. MAPP events will happen every other
month.
2. Lunar New Year
- Chinese New
Year Flower Fair: Saturday, 10am-8pm; Sunday, 9am-6pm
- Lunar New Year Celebration:
Saturday, noon-6pm
Stock up on flowers for the Lunar New Year
holiday in Chinatown, and enjoy festive music and cultural displays while there.
Multiple blocks of Grant and Pacific will be closed to traffic.
Saturday, 1-4pm
The old-school Union Square bar lost its
landlord battle, but has reemerged in an equally busy area of town: Fisherman's
Wharf. RSVP for the free kick-off party!
Bay
Area Freebie of the Week
IHOP
will be providing free short stack of pancakes from 7am-10pm at all Bay
Area locations - plus the 1000+ other restaurants nationwide. It's a fundraiser
for the Children's Miracle Network.
Spread the Word!
- forward the Guide to friends, family, and colleagues
Previous songs: Down to the River to Pray
(Alison Krauss); Three Rounds and a Sound (Blind Pilot); Chicken Fried (Zac
Brown Band); The Story (Brandi Carlile); Lucky One (Pure Bathing Culture); Easy
Way Out (Gotye); Hell or High Water (William Elliott Whitmore); Hymn #101 (Joe
Pug); Midnight City (M83); So American (Portugal. The Man); Carry On (Fun.);
Remembrance (Balmorhea); Miss Atomic Bomb (The Killers); Take a Walk (Passion
Pit); Closer (Tegan and Sara); It's Time (Imagine Dragons); Higher (Matt
Nathanson); Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second (Starfucker); So Many Details
(Toro Y Moi); Ho Hey (Lumineers); Winter Winds (Mumford & Sons); Wanted
(Hunter Hayes); Levels (Avicii).
