Randy's Guide 3-4-4

Music

If better things come to those who wait
Then bitterness left for all too late
Greatness achieved, and darkness defeated
Ramshackle crew with something to prove

And a truckload of believing.

 -- "Knock Knock," by Band of Horses (0.5 million views, Aug '12 upload)

* August 9-11: Outside Lands

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); All of Me (Tanlines); King and Lionheart (Of Monsters and Men); Celestica (Crystal Castles); Angels (The xx); Out of My League (Fitz & the Tantrums); If I Know You (The Presets); Dumb Disco Ideas (Holy Ghost!); Even If I Could (Rachael Yamagata); Tired Eyes (The Trophy Fire).

Current Event

The gourmet donut craze hit new heights with the foie gras donut giveaway today from the South Bay's Psycho Donuts.

"We're planning on doing 100 of them, depending on how much foie gras mousse I can get."

 -- Ron Levi, Chef at Psycho Donuts

"How dare you tell people what they can and cannot eat. These are the same kind of people who are against same-sex marriage."

 -- Charlie Ayers, former executive chef at Google

"A PR stunt that makes a mockery of anti-cruelty law."

 -- Paul Shapiro, spokesman for the Humane Society of the U.S.

Food

Shanghai Dumpling Shop

455 Broadway (at Taylor Blvd.)

Millbrae, CA 94030
(650) 697-0682
Yelp

The soup dumplings (xiao long bao) are probably the main reason to come here. The pan-fried noodles, mu-shu pork, and green-onion pancake all tasted great too. Be prepared to wait during prime weekend hours. 3-1/2 stars - 628 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; Shabusen; Ragazza; Morty's Delicatessen; Hawaiian Drive Inn #28; Just For You Cafe; Woodhouse Fish Co.

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); First Street Ale House (Livermore).

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); Mon Ami Gabi (Las Vegas); Fox & Goose Public House (Sacramento).

Nightlife

Fiddler's Green

333 El Camino Real (at Hillcrest Blvd.)

Millbrae, CA 94030
(650) 697-3419
Yelp

Guinness is poured perfectly here, and the Irish accents are strong from the barkeeps. You'll also find traditional pub fare such as fish & chips, shepherd's pie, and bangers & mash. 4 stars - 136 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; The Social Study; The Page; Rye; Bloodhound; Azucar Lounge; The Residence.

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); Altamont Beer Works (Livermore).

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); The Garage (Las Vegas); The Shady Lady Saloon (Sacramento).

History

Paul W. Trousdale(1915-1990)

The real-estate tycoon started modestly in Tennessee and dropped out of USC after one year. He founded the Trousdale Construction Company, and developed tract housing in the Los Angeles area.  Doheny Ranch became the home for celebrities such as Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles. In the Bay Area, Mills Estates split in 1954 under his company's guidance, and sprouted the Burlingame Plaza shopping center, Cuernavaca Park, and hundreds of homes. Trousdale Drive, which runs from Highway 280 to El Camino Real in Millbrae, 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; 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; Rosalie Stern; Carlton Goodlett; Phillip Burton; Jose de Jesus Noe.

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; Joaquin Miller; Robert Livermore.

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); Betty Willis (Las Vegas); Esteban Munras (Monterey); John Sutter, Jr. (Sacramento).

Charity

Charity: Re-volv. Quite simple, really. Individual donors contribute to a solar funding pool. The pool then helps build solar energy projects at community centers. The community centers lease the solar equipment, with the payments reinvested into the solar funding pool.

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; Queer Lifespace.

Weekend Weather

Inland heat advisories for today and tomorrow.

~ Friday-Saturday ~

Coast: mid-60s

SF: upper-70s

Bay: mid-80s

South Bay: upper-80s

North Bay: mid-90s

Inland East Bay: mid-90s

~ Sunday ~

Coast: upper-50s

SF: mid-60s

Bay: mid-70s

South Bay: upper-70s

North Bay: upper-70s

Inland East Bay: low-80s

 

 

Free Activities

1. Cultivate Festival
Saturday, 11am-7pm

Check it out: quality indie acts such as Mayer Hawthorne and The Walkmen, a relatively easy way to score free Chipotle food, and chats with top chefs including Michael Chiarello (Bottega) and Sarah & Evan Rich (Rich Table). It should be gorgeous out in Golden Gate Park's Hellman Hollow, too.

2. Bike Time!

- SF Bike Party: Friday, 7:30pm

- World Naked Bike ride: Saturday, 10:30am
- Oaklavia: Sunday, 11am-4pm

- Sunday Streets: Sunday, 11am-4pm

Meet in Civic Center on Larkin St. for the monthly bike party - this week's theme is "Musical Icons." With temps forecast to hit the 80s downtown, the nude cyclists participating in the global event will be out in force around town. Starting point is Justin Herman Plaza. Oakland hosts a car-free event around Lake Merritt, with free bike rentals, tune-ups, and valet for the various events. Not to be outdone, the Bayview/Dogpatch area hosts the monthly Sunday Streets with free bike rentals, tune-ups, and washing station. You'll find the 4th annual Bayview Music Festival, a shrimp-n-grits cook-off, and free admission to the Museum of Craft and Design.

3. Free Folk Festival
 Saturday-Sunday, noon-10pm

Over 60 live musical acts, 14 stages, and 100+ workshops ... my pick is Anne + Pete Sibley, whose "The Road Song" is so enchantingly delightful. Presidio Middle School is the venue. Several thousand attend. Go!

Free Bay Area Giveaway

Krispy Kreme is offering free doughnuts on Friday as part of National Doughnut Day. Bay Area locations include Daly City, Mountain View, Union City, San Jose, and Concord.