Amid all the hubbub of Farina Focaccia & Cucina Italiana's opening on 18th Street in the Mission earlier this summer, we were amused but not exactly surprised to learn what's been going on behind the scenes. Just down the street from similarly shi-shi joints Delfina, Tartine Bakery and fellow newcomer Bi-Rite Creamery, Farina is the latest and possibly biggest addition to the burgeoning 18th Street "gastro corridor."
There's just one little problem: the neighbors are mad as hell.
According to SF Covers, long-brewing concerns over parking problems, drinking and noise -- to the tune of 80 complaints before the place even opened -- finally boiled over when a neighbor (a criminal attorney no less) was arrested for giving some illegally parked cars a nice new paint job, freestyle. The same guy mouthed off to SF Magazine with this little gem: "I just want everyone to know that this restaurant has fucked me."
Judging by the almost constant crowds at Farina, not to mention a great review in the Examiner a few days ago, the situation seems destined to get worse before it gets better. A word to the wise: don't park illegally, unless of course you're really into Pollack-esque splatter paint designs.
Farina Photo, From A Minor Thread On Flickr
