When the ancient Polynesians invented surfing, they often used a paddle to help them navigate. Fast-forward a few millennia, and Stand-Up Paddleboarding, or SUP, finds itself trendy again. Part of its increasing popularity is that standing upright allows surfers to spot waves more easily and thus catch more of them, multiplying the fun factor. Paddling back to the wave becomes less of a strain as well. The ability to cruise along on flat inland water, surveying the sights, is another advantage. Finally, it’s a good core workout. If you’re sold on the idea, schedule an intro SUP lesson, free with board and paddle rental, and you may find yourself riding the waves like a Polynesian king.More
Many of us remember coming home from our elementary schools with freshly glazed pinchpots, cups, or whatever else our young imaginations could conjure up. Saturday mornings at the Randall Museum can bring that memory back, or create a new one for the youngsters. Ceramics make great gifts — especially on Mothers' and Fathers' Day. Hop on board for the Randall's once-weekly class, and for $6 and two weeks to have your work fired and glazed, you'll have all the materials you need.More
December is almost over - the New Year is coming up and everyone is busy drying off from the rain or holiday shopping. Let's take a look at what's happened this month.
When employees at a store asks if they can help you find anything, it's usually a meaningless gesture, or at worst, a threat of surveillance, but when Dick Vivian asks you what you're looking for when you walk into Rooky Ricardo's Records, he wants to help you find the funkiest, silkiest tunes he has — of which he has a lot.
Sub Pop recording artists 'clipping.' brought their brand of noise-driven experimental hip hop to the closing night of 2016's San Francisco Electronic Music Fest this past Sunday. The packed Brava Theater hosted an initially seated crowd that ended the night jumping and dancing against the front of the stage. The trio performed a set focused on their recently released Sci-Fi Horror concept album, 'Splendor & Misery', then delved into their dancier and more aggressive back catalogue, and recent single 'Wriggle'.
Opening performances included local experimental electronic duo 'Tujurikkuja' and computer music artist 'Madalyn Merkey.'"
Afternoon tea may or may not be the sign of a civilized society, but it certainly is a welcome oasis in the long stretch of hours between lunch and dinner. The noshable food helps, of course -- it's enough to…
Babying the Baguette There's a new entry in the city's boutique-bread derby: It's an authentic baguette from the Noe Valley Bakery and Bread Co. "It's our first true baguette," says Mary Gassen, who owns the bakery with her husband, Michael.…
A yabbie is an Australian crawfish that resembles a small blue lobster. So I learned from a brief conversation with the host at Yabbies Coastal Kitchen on Russian Hill, a glorious new seafood restaurant whose menu does not, as yet,…
Open ... The local restaurant business can be unsentimental and even brutal, but it also spins webs of continuity that can seem nearly like family ties. Example: the Moa Room, a restaurant opening April 23 in the storefront space at…
A lot of restaurants have atmosphere, but no restaurant I've ever been in -- here or anywhere -- can match La Traviata's gorgeously obsessive ambience. In a city mad about opera, the place is the ultimate theme restaurant. Its walls…
Little Bites Maybe one reason tapas have become so popular -- too popular? -- is that the word is easy and fun to say, even for Anglophones. Bocaditos, the title of Reed Hearon's new cookbook (Chronicle Books, $15.95) is more…
The worst thing about Garibaldi Cafe, on the northern shoulders of Potrero Hill, is its entryway. It's like a coat closet with a menu posted opposite the door. To the right, a bar; to the left, through curtains, the dining…
There are 99 bottles of wine on the wall at PlumpJack Cafe, and then some. Although the restaurant is quite snug by the standards of its gastronomic peers (such as Hawthorne Lane and Mecca), the interior design -- a seductive…
Tasting Menus The fourth annual Taste of San Francisco, staged in the Empire Ballroom of the Sir Francis Drake Hotel on Feb. 6, tasted largely of the Mediterranean. And Union Square. Of the nine contributing restaurants (Scala's Bistro, Grand Cafe,…
Foaming at the Mouth If the microbrewery-restaurant phenomenon is something of a runaway train lately (witness the recent openings of Thirsty Bear and the Beach Chalet), one reason must be the beer. It's better. And that's largely because it's fresher,…
Rasoi, with its high ceilings, lethargic overhead fans, and dreamy soundtrack of sitar music, seems like the sort of place that should be hot and dusty, like much of India itself. (The name means "eat" in Indian.) Instead it's yet…
Sub Pop recording artists 'clipping.' brought their brand of noise-driven experimental hip hop to the closing night of 2016's San Francisco Electronic Music Fest this past Sunday. The packed Brava Theater hosted an initially seated crowd that ended the night jumping and dancing against the front of the stage. The trio performed a set focused on their recently released Sci-Fi Horror concept album, 'Splendor & Misery', then delved into their dancier and more aggressive back catalogue, and recent single 'Wriggle'.
Opening performances included local experimental electronic duo 'Tujurikkuja' and computer music artist 'Madalyn Merkey.'"
