Thursday, December 5, 2013

Randy's Guide 3-6-7

Music 
Change the locks
Change the scene
Change it all
But can't change what we've been
Your Trojan's in my head.
 -- "Trojans," by Atlas Genius (3.3 million views, Nov '12 upload)

Originally a conception for three Australian brothers, the band has retained two of the brothers and added a keyboardist. Their debut album peaked at #34 on the US Billboard charts. You can catch them as part of the KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas on December 8 at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium. 

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); Knock Knock (Band of Horses); Around the Block (Pretty Lights); Brave (Sara Bareilles); Same Love (Macklemore + Ryan Lewis, feat. Mary Lambert); Safe and Sound (Capital Cities); All-American Boy (Steve Grand); Entertainment (Phoenix); Your Drums, Your Love (AlunaGeorge); Garden (Lost in the Trees); Royals (Lorde); The Mother We Share (Chvrches); High School Lover (Cayuca); She Keeps Me Warm (Mary Lambert); Dyin' Bedmaker (Andrew Bird); Zombies (Radiation City); Bitter Rivals (Sleigh Bells); Tall Tall Shadow (Basia Bulat); Sunday (Crocodiles); Pompeii (Bastille); Breezeblocks (Alt-J); Sweater Weather (The Neighbourhood); Hurricane (MS MR).


Current Event 
In a partnership between Code for America and the City and County of San Francisco Human Services Agency (HSA), Promptly has launched as a mobile app designed to help clients receive an additional reminder about potential benefits disruption.

"It's proven successful. They are getting these text messages, and they are retaining their benefits."
 -- Trent Rhorer, HSA Executive Director

"They saved 50 people from embarrassment at the grocery store buying their Thanksgiving dinners."
 -- Shannon Spanhake, City and County of SF Deputy Innovation Officer

"Both HSA and our team believe that text messaging is a quick and easy way to reach people who are in danger of not receiving necessary benefits."
 -- Andy Hull, Code for America fellow 


Food 
La Mediterranee 
288 Noe St. (at Market St.)
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 431-7210 
Yelp - SF (Castro) 
or
2210 Fillmore St. (at Sacramento St.)
San Francisco, CA 94115
(415) 921-2956 
Yelp - SF (Pac Hts) 
or
2936 College Ave. (at Ashby Ave.)
Berkeley, CA 94705
(510) 540-7773 
Yelp - Berkeley 

Two Lebanese cousins founded the first location on Fillmore St. back in 1979, then opened the Castro spot in 1981 and the Berkeley cafe a year later. The pomegranate chicken, hummus, and avgolemono soup are all top-notch. I highly recommend a mixed plate for either your appetizer or main course needs to get a broad spectrum of tasty goodies. 398 reviews - 4 stars (SF - Castro); 991 reviews - 4 stars (SF - Pac Hts); 854 reviews - 3-1/2 stars (Berkeley). 

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; Mission Pie; El Metate; V-105; Kitchen Story; Frisco FriedRange; Suzu Noodle House; The Codmother Fish & Chips; The Front PorchBlue Plate; Chomp N' Swig; Piccino

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/San Jose); 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); Shanghai Dumpling Shop (Millbrae). 

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); Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe (Oakland/Emeryville); Mua Lounge (Oakland); Grand Lake Kitchen (Oakland); Shan Dong Restaurant (Oakland); Taste of the Himalayas (Berkeley); Korea House (Concord).

Previous North Bay picks: Bouchon Bakery (Yountville); Della Fattoria Bakery (Petaluma); Sol Food (San Rafael/Mill Valley); 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); La Bonne Soup Cafe (Sacramento); Snow City Cafe (Anchorage); Starling Diner (Long Beach).


Nightlife 
Eureka Lounge 
4063 18th St. (at Noe St.)
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 431-6000 
Yelp 

I can't vouch for the food, aside from the $1 tasty oysters during happy hour, but the premium cocktail specials upstairs for $7 are pretty good for the area. I ordered a Bulleit manhattan, but there are other options such as a sidecar, dark 'n' stormy, and margarita. You'll also find wine specials too. It's cozy, quiet, and spacious... a welcome respite from the noisy clatter in most of the other nearby options. 4 stars - 431 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; Tommy's Mexican; The Revolution Cafe; Trick Dog; The Hot Spot; Hi Tops; The HomesteadThe Phoenix Bar & Irish Gathering House; Fillmore Karaoke; Musee Mechanique; Royal Cuckoo; The Phone Booth; The Bitter End; Dear Mom.

Previous Peninsula/South Bay picks: Antonio's Nut House (Palo Alto); The Oasis Beer Garden (Menlo Park); Rose and Crown (Palo Alto); Fiddler's Green (Millbrae).

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); Prizefighter (Emeryville); Heart and Dagger Saloon (Oakland); Dogwood (Oakland); Bar Three Fifty-Five (Oakland); Triple Rock Brewery and Ale House (Berkeley).

Previous North Bay picks: Lagunitas Brewing Co. (Petaluma); Bear Republic Brewing Co. (Healdsburg); Tourist Club (Mill Valley); Mill Valley Beerworks.

Previous Other picks: New Deal Distillery (Portland); Stateline Brewery (South Lake Tahoe); The Garage (Las Vegas); The Shady Lady Saloon (Sacramento); Mercantile Saloon (Sacramento); 49th State Brewing Co (Healy AK); Goat Hill Tavern (Costa Mesa).


History 
John Muir 
(1838-1914)

His Scottish family moved to Wisconsin when John was still in school, and later he would spend time in the Canadian wilderness to avoid the Civil War draft. Eventually, he would find himself in California, where he would become an explorer and later an activist to protect Yosemite via the Sierra Club, which he co-founded. He met his hero, Ralph Waldo Emerson, for a day, and turned down a Harvard professorship offer from him. Following an trip to Alaska, John married into a family who owned a 2600-acre fruit orchard in Martinez. He published 12 books and hundreds of articles. Muir Woods and Muir Beach, both in Marin County, as well as the John Muir Historic Site in Contra Costa County, are among the locations 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; Frederick Funston; Shotwell's; Castro Theatre; Kezar Stadium; Nathaniel Lyon; Playland at the Beach; Edward D. Baker; Frank Turk; Treasure Island; Ella Hill Hutch.

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; Paul Trousdale; San Gregorio General Store; William Kimball; James Fair; Emma Prusch

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; Gay Nineties Pizza Co; Joseph Emery; Oakland Athletics; Frank Ogawa; Clark Kerr. 

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); James Marshall (Placerville); William Seward (Alaska); Seal Beach Pier.

 
Charity 
Congrats to Prevent Blindness for being the latest Randy's Guide donation recipient!

New Charity: Hamilton Family Center. The Hamilton Family Center started as the first family homeless shelter in San Francisco in 1985. Since then, they've added transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, children & teen services, and First Avenues (which helps to prevent evictions and provide move-in financial assistance). 

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; Re-volv, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and now Prevent Blindness.


Weekend Weather 
Record cold is hitting the Bay Area this week. Morning lows today hit 16 at Healdsburg, 21 at Walnut Creek, 25 at Stanford, and 36 at Ocean Beach. Spotty showers are expected for Friday, with snow level dropping to 1,000 feet. This means potential dusting on Mount Tam, Mount Diablo, the Santa Cruz hills, and even Twin Peaks.

High temps should stay near 50 degrees through Monday.


Free Activities 
1. Support your local artisans. 
- SFMade: Saturday-Sunday, 10am-5pm
- SF Bazaar: Saturday-Sunday, 11am-6pm
SFMade hosts 50 different vendors each day at Fort Mason. Their focus is on items solely made in San Francisco. SF Bazaar, formerly Bizarre Bazaar, brings over 200 artists to the Concourse Exhibition Center. The first 200 entrants each day receive a limited edition tote bag and an art print. 

2. Party with Valencia St. merchants. 
- Mission Holiday Block Party: Friday, 6-10pm
Paxton Gate, PUBLIC Bikes, Dandelion Chocolates, and Good Vibrations are among the 50+ businesses participating in an evening of discounts, free refreshments, and entertainment. 

3. Repeal Prohibition, now! 
- 21st Amendment Brewery: Thursday, 4pm
- Goorin Bros: Thursday, 6-9pm

March from Justin Herman Plaza to 21st Amendment Brewery in support of the repeal of Prohibition, then enjoy a Dixieland band, freshly tapped Firkin beer (for purchase), and an upstairs speakeasy complete with charity-driven casino games and free Three Twins ice cream. Goorin Bros. will be enforcing a strict Prohibition-era dress code, but once inside you'll be treated to free cocktails, food, music, and knickknacks.

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