Thursday, February 28, 2013

Randy's Guide CCCXXXI (331)

Music
The sun coming clear
It's a war, it's a war, it's a war
Where do you go where nobody knows
 - Blackbird, Blackbird (63 thousand views)


Current Event
Issue: Decreasing sales tax revenue on Berkeley's Telegraph Avenue.
"Students are not going there. It's not a regional draw. We need to make it a welcoming, comfortable, and fun place for everyone to visit."
 - Tom Bates, Berkeley Mayor
"I know Berkeley's big into local businesses, but the fact is they're overpriced. I hate to say it, but I'm a chain store girl. I like Target. That's what I'd like to see on Telegraph."
 - Jael Cook, 23-year-old Berkeley resident
"Everything around here costs too much, including tuition. Here's the best way to reinvigorate Telegraph: We all need to be younger."
 - Julia Vinograd, "Bubble Lady" and Cal alum from the '60s

Food
401 Gough St. (at Hayes St.)
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 355-9067
or
1453 18th St. (at Missouri St.)
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 824-7166
I was so discouraged by a recent unsuccessful attempt to dine at Potrero Hill's Chez Maman. The wait exceeded an hour for the tiny French bistro serving up quality French Onion soup, croque madames, and burgers. An idea struck this week: its outpost in Hayes Valley, which opened last July, is larger and less busy. The moules mariniere, baked camembert with garlic, and creamy veal with mashed potatoes did not disappoint. No wait either! 4 stars - 130 reviews (Hayes); 4-1/2 stars - 1122 reviews (Potrero Hill)
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; Swan Oyster Depot; Dottie's True Blue Cafe; La Taqueria.

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/Roseville); Bakesale Betty (Oakland); Zachary's Pizza (Oakland/Berkeley/San Ramon); Gregoire (Berkeley/Oakland); Val's Burgers (Hayward); Homeroom (Oakland); Jong Ga House (Oakland); Cheese Board Pizza (Berkeley); Vik's Chaat (Berkeley); Wat Mongkoratanaram (Berkeley); Phnom Penh House (Oakland); Luka's Taproom & Lounge (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); 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).


Nightlife
Two Sisters Bar and Books
579 Hayes St. (at Octavia Blvd.)
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 863-3655
Yelp
Down a block from Chez Maman West is this intimate bar tucked into the old Frjtz space. You'll find four domestic crafts on draft, ten wines by glass, and clever takes on classics such as a pumpkin manhattan and a chamomile old fashioned. I haven't tried the eats yet - offerings range from deviled eggs and housemade pickles to beer-braised short ribs and butter bean salad. 4 stars - 130 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; Amsterdam Cafe; Aunt Charlie's Lounge; Latin American Club.

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); Make Westing (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).


History
Anson Burlingame(1820-1870)
The New Yorker grew up in Ohio and Michigan, and later graduated from Harvard Law School. His activism in Massachusetts on behalf of the Free Soil Party, Know Nothing Party, and Republican Party landed him in Congress for three terms. He famously defended Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner on the Senate floor after a physical attack by South Carolina Congressman Preston Brooks. Mr. Burlingame accepted an offer to duel in Canada with Mr. Brooks, who then cancelled. He later served under President Lincoln as a foreign minister, and helped craft the Burlingame Treaty with China, as well as other accords with Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Prussia. Land he purchased in San Mateo County later became the city of Burlingame.

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; George Moscone; Jack Early.

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; Samuel Merritt

Previous North Bay history: Cotati; Charles Fairfax; Luther Burbank; William Richardson; Oscar and James Shafter; George Guerne; Frank Doyle; Samuel Taylor; Harrison Standley; Helen Putnam

Previous Other history: Francis Pettygrove (Portland).


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.


Weekend Weather
A bit cloudy on Saturday, but otherwise we're looking at continued sunshine. Friday will be the warmest day; Tuesday is our next chance of rain.
~ Thursday ~
SF: low-60s
Bay: mid-60s
South Bay: upper-60s
Inland East Bay: upper-60s
North Bay: mid-70s

~ Friday ~
SF: upper-60s
Bay: low-70s
South Bay: low-70s
Inland East Bay: low-70s
North Bay: upper-70s

~ Saturday ~
SF: mid-60s
Bay: upper-60s
Inland East Bay: low-70s
North Bay: mid-70s
South Bay: upper-70s

~ Sunday ~
SF: low-60s
Bay: mid-60s
South Bay: mid-60s
Inland East Bay: upper-60s
North Bay: low-70s
 
 
Free Activities
1. National Day of Unplugging
Friday sundown (6:04pm for SF) - Saturday sundown
No Facebook. No iPhone. No TV. No tablet. No e-mail. Can you do it for 24 hours? Broadway Studios in North Beach is offering a party from 7pm-midnight with live music, typewriters, board games, bracelet making, hand-drawn portraits, and a device check-in station.

- Thursday A: Bender's Bar, 5-8pm - Francisco the Man, Kitten, Beach Party
- Thursday B: Tiny Telephone, 7pm - studio tour + celebration
- Friday A: Bender's Bar, 5-8pm - Golden Void, Wild Moth, DSTVV
- Friday B: Public Works, 6-9pm - Iranian Art Show opening
- Friday C: 1015 Folsom, 10pm-4am - Washed Out, Toro Y Moi, Young Magic, Sweatson Klank, Yalls, Push the Feeling, Star Eyes, MPHD, DJ Dials, Hard French vs. Motown on Mondays, Joaquin Bartra, GoldenChyld, DJ Balance, VNDMG, DJ Theory, Co-Yah Ladeez, Green B, Daneekah
- Saturday: Bender's Bar, 5-8pm - White Barons, Pins of Light, Wild Eyes, Owl
- Tuesday: Brick & Mortar House, 9pm - PAPA, Carousel, Rin Tin Tiger, DJ The Bay Bridged

3. Art & History Museums

 
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); The A Team (Ed Sheeran); Hold On (Alabama Shakes); Don't You Worry Child (Swedish House Mafia); Lonely Boy (The Black Keys).

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