Bernal Journal snapped this pic of a wedding that took place last weekend on Bernal Hill. So tasteful! Such a lovely backdrop! And what a cute couple! Congratulations and best wishes to the newlyweds, from all the denizens of Bernalwood.
Author: Todd_Lappin
Piroshkis Are the New Empanadas at 331 Cortland
First, the bad news: El Porteno Empanadas is moving on from its cozy nest inside the gourmet grotto at 331 Cortland. Now, the good news: El Porteno will be replaced by another fine purveyor of savory stuffed pastry, brought to us from Russia with love.
Bernalwood pal Erin Archuleta from ICHI Sushi introduces the new lineup at 331 Cortland:
Anda Piroshki will take over our ICHI Lucky Cat Deli’s former space, and Big Dipper Baby Food will move into the former Wholesome Bakery kiosk. Paulie’s Pickling and Bernal Cutlery are both expanding into the former El Porteño space. I know that Anda’s been working with La Cocina.
So what’s on the menu for Anda Piroshki? Owner Anna Tvelova — that’s her up above — emailed Bernalwood with the details (TIP: The following is much more fun if you read it with a Russian accent):
My name is Anna and I make piroshki. Thank you very much for your interest to my business. I would love to share the biggest news: I am planning my Grand Opening at 331 Cortland on May 25th.
I make Russian homestyle piroshki what are usually baked (they can be panfried sometimes). Yeah, we traditionally do not deep-fry them at home, I guess those are more local commercialized version of it.
So Anda Piroshki are baked and my everyday bestsellers are:
Beef, Rice & Cheese
Cheesy Potato & Onions
Creamy Mushrooms & Rice
Apple, Cranberries & Almonds.Also I will make seasonal piroshki, will see what is up on farmers’ markets. Will have couple vegan options. Planning to make Piroshki Light too (made with whole wheat flour and super healthy and nutritious fillings).
Super excited to have my own place and have opportunity to shape piroshki in front of my customers and serve them freshly baked from the oven.
Seeing as how I have been known to venture out to the avenues in The Richmond just to buy piroshkis from the Russian delis along Geary Boulevard, this comes as exciting news. See you on the 25th, Anna, and Добро пожаловать to Bernal Heights.
PHOTO: Anna Tvelova by Anda Piroshki
Nomenclature Update: Introducing “The Spaghetti Bowl”
The East Bay has The MacArthur Maze, and North Bernal has The Hairball. Now reader Vizetelly has put forth a proposal for the 101/280/Alemany junction in South Bernal:
I nominate the name “Spaghetti Bowl” for the Alemany-101 interchange.
The Bernalwood Nomencature Committee reviewed this proposal, and it was heartily endorsed. Let it be The Spaghetti Bowl from this day onward.
Oh, and if you happened to get stuck in that particularly nasty traffic this morning — caused by a horrible accident on southbound 101 near Candlestick, and photographed below by chuck b — you had some time to get to know The Spaghetti Bowl all too well:
PHOTOS: Top, chuck b, Agus Sutano, Troy Holden, Below, chuck b
Bumbling Burglar Plagues St. Mary’s Park Home
A bad burglar has been disturbing the peace on Arnold Street. Mike Aldax at the SF Examiner has the story:
Police are hunting a persistent burglar who has twice tried to bust into a woman’s home near St. Mary’s Park in Bernal Heights.
In both attempted burglaries, the suspect tried to break in when the resident was home. The home is on Arnold Street.
The latest attempt was Sunday. At 9:45 a.m., the woman called cops saying she heard noises outside her home and saw the man trying to pry open her window in the backyard. She hit the home alarm, and he hopped the fence and fled down a pathway, police said.
The suspect was described as a light-skinned black or Hispanic man in his late 30s, just over 6 feet tall and weighing around 180 pounds, police said. He has a distinctive afro-style haircut
PHOTO: Telstar Logistics
Bernal Hill Does a Safeway Peekaboo
How does a 400-foot hilltop play hide-and-seek? It happens when you least expect it — like, say, at the checkout line in the Mission Safeway. As you stand there, fumbling with the credit card swipe-thingy, you look up through the windows and notice Bernal Hill sunbathing overhead. Peekaboo!
PHOTO: Telstar Logistics
Time Lapse Film Makes Bernal Hill an Art Star
There’s a lot to love in this brand-new and (until now) undiscovered video by Stefano Caprile and Alejandra Cano announcing the opening of a Lomography gallery in San Francisco, but hats off to the location scout for making Bernal Hill look so good. (PS: Loved the ending.)
Amsterdam on Mission Street? Proposed Cannabis Club and Coffee Shop Creates Concern
The Bernalwood reader hotline went ring-a-ding-ding over the weekend, and when we picked up the line this message greeted us:
We received a permit application the other day for a new Cannabis club near Mission St. and Precita. (3139 Mission Street to be exact). And to be even more specific, they want to open a “coffee shop/cannabis dispensary.” It will be directly across the street from Roccapulco, Nap’s and El Rio.
I want to know if other Bernal folks are aware, and if they’re not, I was wondering if you could help spread the word.
I’m sure there will be supporters for the club and the anti-supporters. Either way, I think neighbors should know.
It’s slightly disturbing to hear that they want to couple a cannabis shop with a coffee-shop (Does that mean teens can go in? Does that mean they can have extended hours?). Do we really need another cannabis club? There’s already a cannabis club three streets away (at 29th and Mission).
Really?! A proposal to create a combination cannabis club and coffee shop?! Is Bernal Heights having its Amsterdam Moment??!! Bernalwood dispatched our satellite truck to 3139 Mission to investigate.
Turns out, 3139 Mission was most recently used as an administrative and billing center for St. Luke’s Hospital, and there is a Planning Department permit application notce affixed to the front gate. Sure enough, the notice says the structure is proposed for use as a medical cannabis dispensary and retail coffee store:
The building itself was built in 1969, and it has one of those unfortunate facades that were common during the period, when architects adapted to Vietnam-era protest movements (and/or the arrival of the Planet of the Apes movie franchise) by creating bunker-like structures with few street-level windows to smash during civil unrest. Which is to say, it’s unlikely that the new cannabis will ever offer a warm, welcoming Socha- or Starbucks-style entrace.
It seems clear that our tipster (who asked to remain anonymous) is not a fan of the proposal. Fair enough. But in reference to the specific questions:
Does that mean teens can go in? Does that mean they can have extended hours?
Almost certainly not. The permitting framework that governs all medical cannabis dispensaries in the City would supersede the retail coffee part of the business, and those permitting regulations explicitly prohibit persons under 18 years of age from entering a dispensary, prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages, and require cannabis dispensaries to close by 10 pm nightly. Likewise, the City Planning Department’s Letter of Determination established that, per code, the proposed facility at 3139 Mission is not within 1000 feet of any primary or secondary schools.
That means there’s no need to press the usual NIMBY hot-buttons of protecting the children and safeguarding the night — regardless of whether or not you think the neighborhood needs another dispensary.
Inevitably, however, the cannabis dispensary/coffee shop will impact local businesses. For example, the proposed facility is just a few doors down from Baby Blues BBQ, which happens to be delicious. It is reasonable to assume that Baby Blues BBQ would profit handsomely from the arrival of the dispensary/coffee shop, as a steady stream of munchie-afflicted patrons from the latter will drift down the street to satiate their cravings for hearty grilled meats.
Indeed, the combination of cannabis, coffee, and BBQ could turn this stretch of Mission Street into a Vortex of Vice, not least because the storefront that today houses Baby Blues BBQ was once home to Disernia’s Pharmacy — and to this day the building retains much of its original drug store signage.
Which brings us to the biggest bombshell of all…
If you stand right in front of the proposed dispensary location at 3139 Mission and look up at the signage left over from the pharmacy days, two of the signs align *perfectly* to conflate DRUGS and LIQUOR in a subliminal acrostic that could play havoc on the weed-addled minds of future dispensary patrons. See for yourself:
Subtle? Yes. Clever? Extremely. Diabolical? Very!
Bernalwood will keep you posted on this cannabis/coffee proposal as it develops.
PHOTOS: Top, illustration via Hocus Locus. All other photos by Telstar Logistics.
Epidemic of Abandoned Bras Besets Bernalwood
Anna Pulley keeps finding discarded bras during her walks around Bernalwood, and she’s wondering WTF:
I found another bra on my way to the bus in Bernal Heights! One more and it’ll be an epidemic. What’s going on here? I know San Francisco likes to be naked, and the weather has been rather glorious as of late, but there’s something disconcerting about it.
PHOTO: Anna Pulley
The Cesar Chavez Hairball = Electric Avenue
The Cesar Chavez/101 “Hairball” is not one of the more lovely corners of Bernalwood, but a few of our favorite photographers have nevertheless managed to make it look beautiful. They’ve been having some fun lately shooting the Hairball at night, so plug in and check out the buzz:
Around The Corner by Troy Holden
Pit Stop by Bob Horowitz
Hairball S-Curve Split by Troy Holden
Light Trails on Ceasar Chavez by Matt Granz Photography
Cesar Chavez At Highway 101 by Bob Horowitz
Thanks to you all for sharing your shots.
Visual Memo: What Bernalwood Needs Now…
Especially coming on the heels of the sad news about Sherman Brown, this photo, captured by Bernalwood’s own Troy Holden at Paul Revere School, seems particularly apt.
Thanks Troy.
PHOTO: Troy Holden
RIP Sherman Brown, Prentiss Street Beating Victim
This is very sad. From the SF Examiner:
Sherman Brown, 59, passed away at a hospital Tuesday, according to the San Francisco Medical Examiner’s Office.
Brown was badly beaten, his face covered in blood, when cops found him in the 400 block of Prentiss Street [near Cortland] just after 7 p.m.
He had gotten into a fight and was beaten until he blacked out, police said.
A witness pointed out the attacker to officers, but arresting him wasn’t easy. The suspect, 32-year-old Anthony Pacrem, allegedly swung at a cop, then began “flailing his arms around,” which caused him to lose balance and fall to the ground, police said.
Even while on the ground, the man fought off police. Cops used pepper spray to finally halt the fighting and handcuff Pacrem, police said.
Brown was rushed to the hospital. Police initially said doctors feared he had lost his right eye in the fight. Less than two months later, Brown was dead.
UPDATE:
Reader Richard Modolo weighs in with a remembrance:
Sherman and I grew up together, and in fact he and his family lived next door to our family on Prentiss Street, and my mom still lives in the same home. I remember the day Mr and Mrs. Brown, Sherman and Fred moved in next door. Sherman was about 5 years old then. Sherman was a good guy, a hard worker, and he would not hurt anyone, it is very sad.
PHOTO: Courtesy of Alan Cleaver
Savvy Street Fashion in the Safeway Parking Lot
The Dapper Diner reports:
The Bernal Heights Safeway is a center for fashion… it’s the matching shoes that make it.
Totally agree.
PHOTO: @thedapperdiner
Does David Campos Do Graffiti?
Reader Nate sent us this photo he took recently on Precita Avenue near Mission Street, adding:
All this time I had no idea that David Campos was a tagger!
Either that, or perhaps he has established a new North Bernal field office? Either way, Bernalwood applauds Supervisor Campos for taking such an intimate interest in this portion of our community.
