Falletti's Update

From this week's Tablehopper,

After what seems like an interminable amount of waiting and construction delays, at last, the Falletti's Foods project at Broderick Place (Broderick and Oak Streets) is looking close. How close? If all goes well, they're looking at a September launch. The Fallettis lost their lease in 1999 from their original location at the old Petrini Plaza on Fulton and Masonic, and the neighborhood wanted them to stay. Falletti's Foods will pick up where they left off, offering a quality grocery store highlighting top-end produce and a 40-foot long counter at their butcher shop. Tick Falletti and his two sons, Dominic and Jamie, will run the family business. (In case you're wondering about the name Tick, like I was, he liked clocks when he was a kid so he became Tick Tock—as time went on, he eventually lost the "tock." Is that the cutest thing or what?) The size will be similar to Mollie Stone's on California, a size that is best-situated for more of a European and old-fashioned concept of buying what you need for today and tomorrow, and not the entire week. There will also be a Peet's Coffee with seats in the courtyard, and a café for casual dining for lunch and dinner (and possibly breakfast? TBD!) that will hopefully be able to offer outdoor sidewalk seating. They are currently seeking an operator for the café—Pascal Rigo had originally considered moving in, but it was going to have too much crossover with the other star tenant, which will be the delicious DeLessio!

this from the supervisor's office:

Hello,
On January 19th, 2006, the San Francisco Board of Education (BOE) made the
decision to "merge" John Swett Alternative Elementary School in the
Western Addition with John Muir Elementary School in the Lower Haight.
There has been an ongoing effort to have this decision reversed by the
Board of Education.
Why save John Swett? Because John Swett did not meet the criteria set
forth by the BOE for closure or merger. John Swett is an alternative arts
school that serves mainly disadvantaged children in the Western Addition
and Tenderloin. It is enrolled at 81% capacity and had been generating
more interest from families before the decision to merge the school. It
is one of the very few schools in our entire city that had integrated the
arts into its curriculum. This kind of education and enrichment is not
likely to touch these children's lives outside of their education at John
Swett. Since the merger decision, it has come to light that the school
site of the merger, John Muir, can not integrate the arts and these
students will lose this valuable program.
Safety was another issue not taken into consideration. These families
face real dangers when crossing invisible turf boundaries to get their
children to a school that is more than a mile away. The children that
travel to school on their own now have to cross the Fell and Oak street
corridors alone.
In documents that were uncovered from a committee meeting of the BOE, the
initial use of the John Swett site was proposed as central district
offices for the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), located
directly across the street from Swett. Now we know why they chose to
close a school that did NOT meet the criteria! Since uncovering the
document and exposing it to the public, the BOE has backed off the idea of
using the building for office space, but refuses to admit a mistake
and let a healthy school remain in tact.
Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi and Supervisor Chris Daly have drafted and
passed an ordinance that would appropriate $660,000 to the BOE to keep
John Swett open. This is an appropriation, not a loan. The BOE can
literally take this money with no strings attached - just use it to
operate John Swett! We are uniting once again to demand that the Board of Education take this money and support these children. This issue is being taken to the BOE meeting held at 555 Franklin St., this Tuesday April 25th . We will rally for a press conference with the supporting communities at 6:00PM on the front steps and then take our message into the Board meeting
at 7:00PM.
Supervisor Mirkarimi is asking for your support!
. We need to support this school and also send a message to the current
BOE that we will not let them make these kinds of irresponsible decisions
on the backs of our children! With more school closures looming in our
near future, this is the time to act!
Thanks in advance for your support!

Restaurant happenings around the 'hood...

From Tablehopper this week...

The Western Addition is seriously on a tear: not only did ~NOPA~ open last week, and I’m hearing it’s getting high marks, (560 Divisadero St. at Hayes St., 415-864-8643), but a few doors down is ~ZIRYAB~, a Middle Eastern joint (at last—a different kind of wrap for the 'hood) from Sameer Nasser, who owns the Star-ell liquor store on Divis. Ziryab has a pretty extensive menu, serving kebabs, shwarma, falafel, salads, and there is even free-range chicken breast with sumac sauce. There's also a front patio that is recessed from the street, and hookahs (apple and strawberry). The only bummer: the hours are daily from 4pm-11pm, which means no lunch (yet)—but they plan on opening for lunch soon. 528 Divisadero between Hayes and Oak Streets, 415-522-0800. There is also a pizza joint that just opened, ~AMINA'S PIZZERIA~, right across from The Independent, which should make concertgoers happy. Granted, the unparalleled Little Star is right up the street, but sometimes you just need a slice of some thin-crust pizza, fast. 655 Divisadero St at Grove St., 415-441-4102.

Over on Fulton near Masonic in the old Storyville/1751 Social Club will be a tea café by day/performance space and restaurant by night called ~POLENG LOUNGE~. During the day, the café will serve bahn mi and desserts and snacks to accompany their tea program, which is designed to be approachable and will highlight floral and avored blends. During the evening, the the pan-Asian menu will feature Southeast Asian cuisine, with Philippine/Thai/Balinese/Vietnamese influences. The chef is Tim Luym, a former sous chef from Fifth Floor. He plans on integrating tea into a variety of the dishes, like Ceylon-encrusted duck breast, or chocolate cake with green tea anglaise. They will be putting in floor-to-ceiling glass windows to lighten the place up, they put in a water feature on either side of the fireplace, and sourced the exotic furnishings while on trips to Bali, Java, and Taiwan (which is where they went to source their oolong teas as well). The back room, called the Temple Room, will have a hand-carved statue of a deity from Java. They intend on being open in late May. 1751 Fulton St. at Masonic St.

For those that don't know her, Marcia is a NOPNA resident and kicks all kinds of blogging butt with her food & restaurant news. Check out her site and subscribe to her weekly emails!

earthquake events, stuff

SATURDAY, APRIL 15TH:

9:00 AM - 1906 EXPO OPENS on Pier 48 in buildings A & B Over 100 vendor displays including antique fire apparatus, earthquake and fire home safety products, live music, food and beverages and much more. The expo will close at 6:00 PM. 10:00 AM - Muster Events begin with a GRAND APPARATUS REVIEW passing the reviewing stand. 10:00 AM - SFFD FIREBOAT OPEN HOUSE & DISPLAY
McCovey’s Cove at the Giants' Park Ferry PierThe San Francisco fireboats Phoenix and Guardian will be open for tours and during the day will present a water display of their fire power on McCovey's Cove. The United States Coast Guard will also have vessels on display. 10:00 AM - SFFD PORTABLE HYDRANT WATER SYSTEM DISPLAY Beginning at 10AM and continuing all day, the San Francisco Fire Department will display their portable hydrant water system. This system is designed to be used in emergency situations, such as occurred during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and Marina district fire when the regular water mains were broken and found dry. 12:00 PM NOON - OPENING CEREMONIES - Muster Course outside Pier 48 (Please note: The opening ceremonies will be held inside Pier 48, shed A, at the main stage in the event of inclement weather.) INTRODUCTION OF CIVIC & NATIONAL DIGNITARIES The opening ceremonies will be hosted by Chief Joanne Hayes-White, Chief of Department, San Francisco Fire Department. The SFFD will present a 65 foot auditorium ladder raise with the presentation of colors from its apex, and more.

8:00 PM-Midnight - Firefighter's Ball, Pier 48, Building C Music by the 19 piece band of Dick Bright & SRO “The World’s Greatest Party Band". Suggested Dress: Period costume. For fire department members - dress uniform or muster parade uniforms. Cost $50.00 per person. The price includes passed hors d’oeuvres and no-host bar. Tickets can be purchased in advance. Buy your tickets early. Entrance is limited to 1,000 persons.

SUNDAY, APRIL 16TH:

9:00 AM - The 1906 EXPO inside Pier 48 Opens. The expo will close at 6:00 PM. 10:00 AM - SFFD FIREBOAT DISPLAY – Mc Covey’s Cove - Continuous throughout the day. 10:00 AM - SFFD PORTABLE HYDRANT WATER SYSTEM DISPLAY - Continuous throughout the day. 10:00 AM - Muster Events Begin.

MONDAY, APRIL 17TH:

9:00 AM - The 1906 EXPO and STATIC DISPLAY OF APPARATUS OPENS. The expo will close at 6:00 PM. 10:00 AM - SAFETY FAIR OPENS - featuring educational speakers, exhibits and activities for students. It will include historical facts of the 1906 Great Earthquake and Fire, how emergency services departments have prepared for the next quake. It will also inform you how to prepare your home and workplace for future earthquakes. The muster course will be used for children’s events.

TUESDAY, APRIL 18TH:

4:30 AM - Program Begins
LOTTA’S FOUNTAIN ANNUAL CEREMONY - “100 YEARS AFTER” -Third & Market Streets

Come early to get your place near the fountain. Over 5,000 people are expected to attend. To enhance your viewing pleasure of this event, large production event screens will be placed on Market St. (2) and 3rd St. (1) San Franciscans have been meeting at Lotta’s Fountain annually since 1908 (that event was called “2 Years After”) in memory of those who lost their lives and to celebrate the rebuilding of their city. The program will include local and national dignitaries, interviews with ’06 survivors (at least 22 survivors are scheduled to be present), the raising of the SFFD’s 65 foot ladder, and the special entrance of a horse drawn steam engine. This is an event not to be missed. The organizing committee anticipates that 10,000 to 50,000 people may be present. All visiting fire departments will take part in the event by sounding their engines sirens and bells.


7:00 AM - GOLD HYDRANT PAINTING CEREMONY – 20th & Church Streets
On April 19th, 1906, this hydrant, now known as THE LITTLE GIANT, was found to have water. A hose lead was made, and the water supply from this hydrant has been credited with stopping the conflagration from advancing any further into the Mission district. Chief of the San Francisco Fire Department, Joanne Hayes-White will begin the annual hydrant painting. Everyone present will be invited to join in with the painting of this famous hydrant. There will be civic ceremonies and a special horse drawn steam engine presentation. For the last thirty-five years, this event has been presented by the SFFD Historical Society, who is also presenting The 1906 Great Earthquake and Fire Exposition. *Please Note: The start time of this event coincides with the conclusion of the Lotta’s Fountain ceremonies. As the SFFD is involved in both events, should the fountain ceremonies extend longer than planned, the Gold Hydrant painting ceremony will begin later than the scheduled 7:00 AM.

10:00 AM - The San Francisco Firefighters' Union Local 798 is presenting the 1906 Great Earthquake and Fire Parade. The parade will begin in front of City Hall at Civic Center Plaza, travel down Market St. and conclude in front of the Ferry Building at Justin Herman Plaza. A concert will follow. Anyone interested in participating may contact the Union office at 415-621-7103.

Divis planning: how you can get involved

This is a reminder for the FINAL COMMUNITY PLANNING WORKSHOP April 19, 2006 6:30 PM CPMC Davies Hospital Auditorium
45 Castro Street (enter at Duboce) North Tower B Level near the Cafeteria
At this meeting we will:
* Review Streetscape Design Concepts
* Review Draft Community Action Plan
* Prioritize Business Types for Filling Vacancies
* Implementation Next Steps
Please spread the word to your friends, neighbors, merchants, and neighborhood email lists A flyer for the meeting is attached for your reference.
The Divisadero Community Planning Process is convened jointly by:
The San Francisco Mayor's Office of Economic and Workforce Development in partnership with nonprofit organizations Bay Area Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), and Asian Neighborhood Design. Planning meetings will be conducted in coordination with Supervisor Mirkarimi's office, the Department of City Planning, The Mayor's Greening Initiative, Department of Public Works, and the Metropolitan Transportation Agency.
For more information or to request interpretation assistance, please contact
MOEWD Deputy Director Rich Hillis at 415-554-4082, rich.hillis@sfgov.org
LISC Project Manager Desirée Sideroff at 415-397-7322 x20, dsideroff@lisc.org

Another Gabin update...

This is a bit belated, but I paid another visit to my new favorite neighborhood 'bar' last week (Wednesday, I think)... It was early in the evening, with a couple of friends, on our way down to pick up some Little Star Pizza...

This time (at about 9pm), there was nobody in the place, other than two bartenders/waitresses. Their english was horrible (which is not a crime, by the way), making it very difficult to get any straight answers out of either of them.

We ordered beers from their selection of about 6 different bottles. They have no beer on tap. We also received two nice baskets of roasted peanuts to go with our beers.

Then I began my onslaught of questions...

I started by asking them if the four of us could get our Karaoke on in one of the private rooms... "No," she said... The machine is broken. "Broken?" I asked... You don't have much liquor, and nobody who comes in here is ever buying drinks... so having broken karaoke machines is going to make business difficult...

She just nodded. As if she really understood what I was saying.

We asked if we could come back after dinner. If the machines would be 'fixed' by then.

She said no. Her answer, "one week, two week"...

And with that, I will return this weekend or next week... just as she told me... one week, two week....

If they are a karaoke bar, I feel like I should patronize my local businesses... even if I might scare their other customers away with my attempt at singing. Eventually they might tire of me showing up every week to see if the machines are 'fixed' yet.

Perhaps the key is to go in around/after midnight as I did the first time. There was plenty going on at that time. And there was one bartender who spoke perfect english, too...

P.S. if they can't do any karaoke for a couple of weeks, perhaps we should seriously consider having our NOPNA meeting there... They might 'need' the money that our meeting attendees would bring in by purchasing a drink or two... :-)

Park Histories

The Neighborhood Parks Council website features a long list of park histories, including Alamo Square Park. Worth a visit!

http://www.sfneighborhoodparks.org/parkhistories