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.
For someone who lives in the downtown corridor — all right, the Tenderloin — the idea of going to Ocean Beach for pizza is rife with potential pratfalls: high Uber fares, lengthy Muni trips, ever-present fog, jet lag.
The island trend of Hawaiian-style poke, or raw fish/seafood dressed with a variety of sauces and fresh toppings, has been kicking around the West Coast mainland for a while, particularly in Los Angeles, where its lean protein-rich nature is a big hit with the diet and camera conscious.
Typical scene at American Grilled Cheese Kitchen. Do you deserve to be here?
Our favorite morsel from the blogs.
At Bits + Bites, 7x7 food editor Sara deseran ponders the psychology of lines ― that is, the act of standing in one of the city's notoriously slow-moving food queues. Deseran:
I often wonder if people in San Francisco might actually revel in the whole waiting game. Whether we're on the sidewalk outside Mama's on a Sunday, biding our time in the Bi-Rite Creamery queue or salivating at the aroma of porchetta wafting our way at the Roli Roti truck, I think there's something to the anticipation--maybe even the just slightly degrading act of almost begging for your food--that might make it taste all the better.
Opening gala at last year's SF Chefs. Food. Wine. fest.
It's back, only with a clipped name and a populist new image. Last year's inaugural SF Chefs. Food. Wine. festival took over Union Square for four days in August. Organizers tried to wrap the fest in Aspen-grade Food & Wine Classic glamour, but the public largely stayed away. (By contrast, 70,000 flocked to the street-food-focused Eat Real Festival in Oakland that same month.)
No surprise, then, that this year's SF Chefs 2010 ― scheduled Aug. 9-15 ― has slightly lower ticket prices to go along with its shortened, de-punctuated moniker. The 2010 event's most expensive ticket is $125, down from $150 in 2009. If you have a Visa Signature card (Visa's the sponsor), the price dips to $95. Like last year, there'll be Grand Tasting Tents featuring bites from local starred chefs, seminars, and assorted shameless foodie-isms.
Comstock's Dutch headbutt, a shot of genever with a Trumer back, $6 before 6 p.m.
Happy hours are like pizza and sex: Even when it's bad, it's still pretty good.
SFoodie's weekly happy hour pick presents some of the best places to nosh and drink for cheap, but some drink specials are so distinctive that they're worth taking a closer look at.
Comstock Saloon has added an interesting twist to the classic shot-and-a-beer combo by offering a Dutch-style kopstootje (or "little headbutt"): a shot of Bols genever served in a tulip glass with a pilsner back. (Genever, of course, is a type of gin made from an unaged whiskey base instead of a neutral spirit ― i.e., vodka ― commonly found in the London dry styles. It is distilled with juniper berries and a combination of herbs, finished with malt wine for sweetness and additional malty character.)
What's the story behind the little headbutt? Tal Nadari, Bols' U.S. managing director and a Dutch expat, was able to break it down for us.
"I already know I'm the cheapest," says Maldonado, who's been using the carbon footprint pricing for about a year now. Rather than charge a flat $35-$40 hourly rate based on a vendor's use of square footage (standard in other San Francisco catering kitchens), Maldonado asks potential renters: What is your (carbon) footprint? Where do you cook? How much storage and refrigeration do you use?
Bruno's general manager Anna Gaebe says she's is in talks with chefs interested in taking over the kitchen at the Mission Street bar and nightclub. Chefs Ryan Ostler and Katharine Zacher wrapped up their eight-month run last weekend. Inside Scoop had quoted Zacher saying that Bruno's "wanted to focus more on the nightclub aspects." This morning, manager Anna Gaebe disputed that.
"It was always a partnership between them and Bruno's, and it was a mutual agreement to move on," she said, suggesting that, despite racking up sparkling reviews, Ostler and Zacher's food just wasn't bringing in the business. "It just wasn't sustainable, didn't produce enough interest on their side or on our side."
Still, Gaebe said, she's proud of what the chefs accomplished.
It looks like Ike's Place has dodged a huge bullet in its ongoing eviction threat. This morning, the hearing for summary judgment went in favor of the Castro sandwich shop, meaning that Ike's worst-case scenario ― eviction within three days ― isn't happening.
"It was the outcome we were hoping for," owner Ike Shehadeh said, giving a nod to supporters who showed up at this morning's hearing. "At this point there's no way we can be evicted without a trial."
What's the next step? Ike's landlord will have to decide whether he wants to take the case to trial, or engage in some kind of settlement. Shehadeh says that, so far, landlord Denman Drobisch has rebuffed the notion of negotiating a settlement, but ― who knows? ― with this morning's news, that might change.
Follow us on Twitter: @SFoodie. Contact me at John.Birdsall@SFWeekly.com
Stuck in the city this weekend? At least the Fillmore Jazz Festival is going down Saturday and Sunday, July 3-4, with daily chef demos and booths from local food slingers. The chef talent: 1300 on Fillmore's David Lawrence (Sun. 2 p.m.), Citizen Cake/Orson's Elizabeth Falkner (Sat. 4 p.m.), Michele Wilson of Gussie's Chicken and Waffles (Sat.-Sun. 3 p.m.), and Pizzeria Delfina's Anthony Strong (Sat.-Sun., 1 p.m.). Chef demos are free.
Meanwhile, food offerings encompass shrimp and grits from 1300, sliders and corn-on-the-cob from Fat Angel, cookies from newly launched yet-to-launch Bumzy's, and the debut of Jubili Frozen Yogurt's Velveteen Sweets baked goods (cookies, brownies, cupcakes). Booths are slated to be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both festival days. Gorge accordingly. Details after the jump.
Maybe the fact that the vegans chose a butterfly in flight as their clip art was basically begging for the Velociraptor parody? In any case, we've certainly seen less creative ways to say say "Coworker, your eating habits are lame."
PostedByTamara Palmer
on Tue, Jun 29, 2010 at 9:00 AM
crunkenergydrink.com
Energy drinks are tired, so Atlanta's Crunk!!! has introduced Energy Stix. We're thinking of it as a cross between cocaine and Pixy Stix, with nearly the same effects, although Lil Jon and company would probably prefer we adopt the official description: "the next generation of energy."
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.'"
