Local Food Pick
Walzwerk
381 South Van Ness Ave. (at 15th St.)
San Francisco, CA 94103
It's my go-to spot for hearty German comfort food. The place has been spruced up marginally since I started coming here about 10 years ago. Start with an order of the potato pancakes to share, then move on to plentiful plates of jager schnitzel (creamed mushroom pork loin), sauerbraten (marinated beef stew), dumplings, and spaetzle (egg pasta). Don't forget to imbibe well-priced imported German beers on draft. 681 reviews - 4 stars
Previous SF 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.
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).
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).
Previous North Bay picks: Bouchon Bakery (Yountville); Della Fattoria Bakery (Petaluma); Sol Food (San Rafael); Stumptown Brewery (Guerneville).
Local History
Keiko Fukuda: Thank you, reader Ramzi R., for this tip. Last year, Keiko Fukuda became the first woman, first American, and fourth currently in the world to hold the title of 10th Dan, which is the highest rank in judo. She's also 98 years old. Fukuda Sensei is the only surviving person to have learned under the auspices of Dr. Kano, the founder of judo. She currently still teaches in Noe Valley at the Soko Joshi Judo Club, with courses on Tuesday and Thursday evenings as well as Saturday mornings. She will be in person at two showings of a documentary about her: SF's Castro Theater on Sunday at 3pm; San Jose's Camera 3 on March 18 at 2pm. http://festival.caamedia.org/30/guide/program/mrs-judo-be-strong-be-gentle-be-beautiful www.sokojoshijudo.com
Local Charity
Organization: KQED (88.5 FM). Founded in 1969, this NPR-member radio station ranks nationwide as number one for listeners and number one for Bay Area radio stations as of last summer. Radio personalities such as Michael Krasny, Terry Gross, and Neal Conan deliver sharp commentaries and intellectual debates on topical issues. The latest listener-based donor drive is underway. Now is your time to contribute! www.kqed.org
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, and Lazarex Cancer Foundation (Amy C).
Bay Area Weekend Highs
It's gorgeous out right now! Clouds will roll in over the weekend, with a chance of rain on Sunday and a two-day storm beginning on Tuesday.~ Thu-Fri ~
Coast: low-60s
SF: mid-60s
Bay: low-70s
North Bay: low-70s
South Bay: mid-70s
Inland East Bay: mid-70s
~ Sat-Sun ~
Coast: mid-50s
SF: upper-50s
Bay: low-60s
North Bay: mid-60s
South Bay: mid-60s
Inland East Bay: mid-60s
Bay Area Top 3 Free Activities of the Week
1. Sunday Streets.
It's here again. The popular monthly event kicks off along the Embarcadero from 11am-4pm on Sunday. There will be free bike rentals at the Ferry Building, bike tune-ups, walking tours, live music, and a family festival at Fisherman's Wharf. Hopefully by then, the residue from the previous day's world-famous naked bike ride will be properly cleaned up. www.sundaystreetssf.com
2. Arbor Day Event.
You'll have three hours to spruce up trees, paint over graffiti, and pick up litter. Mayor Ed Lee and Supervisor John Avalos will be on hand. The Eco-Fair will have over a dozen family activities, including carnival games and truck rides. Lunch is provided to all volunteers. Meet at Brotherhood Way (near Alemany Blvd.) in the Ingleside district. www.sfdpw.org/arborday
3. Commonwealth Club.
The notoriously high-brow group opens its doors to the public for a program on patient-oriented health care services. A networking reception starts at 5:30pm, following the panel discussion at 6pm. It's at 595 Market Street, near 2nd St. in the Financial District. www.bit.ly/patientca
Bay Area Deal of the Week
Score a free seasonal turkey sandwich at the Beach Hut Cafe & Snack Bar, conveniently located along the East Beach of Crissy Field. Normally this sandwich, which features homemade cranberry-sage jam and whole-grain Panorama bread, costs $7.95! Expires March 16. www.scoutmob.com/san-francisco/deal/2179
