Randy's Guide CCCXXXV (335)

Music

Worn out faces, hangin' on the wall

Foreign places, names you still recall

You said laugh to yourself

Why you just don't care

Say the things no one else
Will ever dare

 -- "All of Me," by Tanlines (0.4 million views, Mar '12 release)

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 (STRFKR); 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); It's a War (Blackbird, Blackbird); Man on Fire (Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros); Big Girl (Mika); Step (Vampire Weekend).

Current Event

Issue: Increasing estimates for California's high-speed rail project

"Spending a little more time and money upfront can have huge benefits.... The overwhelming majority of all funds will go toward (construction) that people can see, touch, and ride."

 - Jeff Morales, California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO

"I think we're going to just burn through the money without ever really seeing a project."

 - Assemblywoman Diane Harkey, R-Dana Point

"It's going to be very hard to hold costs down for such a big project."

 - State Senator Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord

Food

Shabusen Restaurant

1726 Buchanan St. (at Sutter St.)
San Francisco, CA 94115
(415) 440-0466
Yelp

A pleasant surprise in the heart of Japantown. On a cool spring evening, I strolled in and felt the wave of aromatic steam hit my face (and glasses). The boiling pots of either spicy miso or regular bonito broth are tasty, and the ingredients feel fresh. You're given two dipping sauces (similar to soy sauce and peanut sauce), and then you're ready to go! 3-1/2 stars - 299 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; Swan Oyster Depot; Dottie's True Blue Cafe; La Taqueria; Chez Maman; Radio Habana Social Club; Tony's Pizza Napoletana; Hard Knox Cafe.

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

The Social Study

1795 Geary Blvd. (at Webster St.)
San Francisco, CA 94115
(415) 292-7417
Yelp

Across bustling Geary sits a quiet little place. It's easy to miss actually. The lights are dim, and the scene screams neighborhood rather than destination. You've got a fine selection of beer and wine options, including cocktails with the aforementioned. Light food options, as well as Four Barrel Coffee, round out the menu. 4 stars - 104 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; Two Sisters Bar and Books; Doc's Clock; 15 Romolo; Thee Parkside.

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

Joaquin Miller(1837-1913)

Born Cincinnatus Hiner Miller, Joaquin changed his name, birthdate, and birthplace. He traveled to wide-ranging locales such as Alaska, England, and Nicaragua, and married three times. His poetry and other literary works alternated on anti-Mormon, pro-Confederate, or frontier ideology. The Hights, the home during Joaquin's latter days in life, is now known as the Joaquin Miller House, which is in Oakland's Joaquin Miller Park.

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; Thomas Starr King; Minnie Ward.

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; Anson Burlingame; William Ralston.

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).

New Charity

Congrats to Urban Tilth , the latest Randy's Guide donation recipient.

New Charity: Queer Lifespace. Reader Wes S. volunteers with this mental health and substance abuse agency. Currently, the group is fundraising to help pay for its move from 470 Castro St. to 2275 Market St. Help support this portion of the drive, which ends April 9.

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; The Coming Home Project; Urban Tilth.

Weekend Weather

Scattered showers today should give way to mostly cloudy conditions through Sunday. Things start heating up next week, with possible record temperatures anticipated for Wednesday.

Coast: upper-50s
SF: mid-60s
Bay: upper-60s
North Bay: upper-60s
Inland East Bay: upper-60s
South Bay: upper-60s

 

 

Free Activities

Now I've been to the Circus Center. Such a bizarre, lovely place.

1. Museum of Craft & Design
Saturday, 11am-6pm

Its move from SoMa to Dogpatch is complete. Food truck vouchers, MakeArt Lab activities, pinewood derby cars... sounds pretty cool.

2. AMD Video Game Day
Saturday, 5:30pm-midnight

New AMD technology will be on display at Metreon's City View using the latest video games. IGN is on hand too. So is free food. And Cyberlink software with AMD processors as parting gifts.

3. Rock 'n' Roll Half MarathonExpo: Friday, noon-6pm; Saturday, 9am-5pm
Race: Sunday, 7am

Score free samples, check out free running clinics, and pick up your race materials at the Expo, held in Moscone Center. Then, the race. It hits Crissy Field, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Fort Mason. The finish-line celebration at Aquatic Park will have live music from the Mowglis and assorted sponsor booths.

Free Promotion

Ben & Jerry's is hosting its annual Free Cone Day at all nationwide locations on Tuesday, April 9. Here in the Bay Area, it's perfect timing, with weather forecast to be in the 70s everywhere.