Neighbor Rusty reports that a runaway van rolled down the 1600 block of Treat Street, just south of Precita Park. Fortuitously, a heroic PG&E electric pole sacrificed itself by halting the vehicle’s progress moments before it slammed into a house. *whew!* Close call:
https://twitter.com/SomaFmRusty/status/458091582357389312
PHOTOS: Neighbor Rusty
The Easter Bunny left us a cool present on Sunday morning, sometime between the time when I grabbed the newspaper after waking up and when I walked outside a short while later to run an errand.
The gift arrived in the form of a fun chalk drawing on the street in front of the driveway I share with my next door neighbors. The image showed a secret agent driving a custom Easter Bunny Egg car, and the details were rather wonderful.
Thank you Easter Bunny!! Very much appreciated.
PHOTOS: Telstar Logistics
Shhhhhhh! There’s word on the street that the Easter Bunny may hide some eggs in Holly Park tomorrow morning:
Bernal’s unofficial, unauthorized, unorganized, nondenominational EGGZELLENT Hide & Hunt in Holly Park
WHEN:
Date Sunday, April 20
9:00 for hiders.
10:00 for hunters.WHERE:
North steps of Holly ParkHIDE:
9:00 am. Meet at the top of the north steps of Holly Park for the hiding parent. (rules and chatter until around 9:15 and then 30 minutes of hiding. NO Kids until 9:45am please…)HUNT:
Around 10:00 am we’ll go over the rules (quickly) for the kids and then start. The rules will be made up on the spot. They depend on how many people show up, the age range, and the weather.BRING:
– at least 12 nicely colored eggs; chocolate or plastic. Also, there have been multiple requests for more stickers/plastic dinosaurs/ikea finger puppets/whathaveyou and less candy!
– a basket for your kid to carry eggs.Notes:
– eggs with candy, crackers, tattoos, toys, confetti– what ever you like as long as its safe.
– there will be separate areas designated for toddlers and bigger kids so hide eggs accordingly.
– In previous years the outer areas were for the older hunters and the baseball field was reserved for the younger hunters (toddlers, babies,etc).– watch your kids when they open the eggs. Make sure what is inside them is appropriate for your kid.
– If hiding eggs in the baseball field, please try to make sure they are more age appropriate
– ***please do not take more eggs than you came with***RAIN DELAY:
– Light rain or shine… we hide and hunt…. same time same place.
Downpour, forget about it.WHO:
This is a word of mouth event that is open to the community, but at risk of losing it’s charm and appeal if it gets too big. All welcome, but it doesn’t need to be majorly publicized. Thank you.
PHOTO: Hunting for eggs in 2012, by Bronwyn Ximm
Bernal Heights is already, and officially, the hottest neighborhood in the entire solar system. Now we are an order of magnitude more hot, because Eater National just anointed the tasty new Ichi Sushi + Ni Bar on Mission Street as one of the Hottest Sushi Restaurants in America.
Hotness.
Truth be told, this comes as no surprise. Your Bernalwood editor has eaten at the new Ichi Sushi + Ni Bar many times since we first announced its glamorous re-opening in the new space in February. We haven’t written about it since, however, because (shameful confession) we didn’t want to have to compete with you for a table. In true Samuel Brannan style, the hypertastiness of the new Ichi+Ni is just a little something we’ve been keeping to ourselves.
Well, now the word is getting out.
Anna Roth at SFWeekly said:
The new [izakaya] space is still coming into its own, but once it establishes its own identity, Ni Bar is bound to become not only a staging ground for the sushi bar’s omakase, but a destination in its own right.
Critic Jonathan Kaufman reported that the sushi remains amazing as always, while the new izakaya-style zone in the back of the new space takes things in a rather delicious new direction:
Your resolve to hold out for sushi may be whittled away by the sanbaizu sunomono ($7.50)–pink commas of shrimp with pickled cucumber and frilly, crunchy tremella (white fungus)–and crisp-skinned fried chicken wings ($9.50), first cooked sous-vide with yuzu juice until the flesh is as tender as a ripe peach.
If you want to preserve your omakase aspirations, don’t order the clams ($8.50), which come with ground pork in a ridiculously savory miso broth swirled with black garlic oil.
Because you may have to order seconds.
I’ll second that. The Miso Asari Clams & Pork are mind-blowing. In fact, yes, I actually do get two orders of it, because it’s just that insanely good.
We’re in good company, because the Michael Bauer says the miso clams are one of his favorite dishes as well.
More of this sort of gush is likely to follow, because this week Eater National added Ichi Sushi + Ni Bar to their list of The 19 Hottest Sushi Restaurants In the US Right Now:
ICHI SUSHI + NI BAR
Already a favorite on San Francisco’s sushi scene, ICHI Sushi only got better earlier this year when it reopened in a new, bigger space. Eater SF took a look inside the new 30-seat sushi bar with an omakase counter, table seating, and an izakaya named Ni Bar serving booze and other izakaya-style plates.
Big congratulations to Ichi owners (and Bernal neighbors) Tim and Erin Archuleta.
If you haven’t already eaten at Ichi Sushi + Ni Bar, get thyself there quickly, because it won’t be long before you’ll have to compete with every foodie in the United States to get a table. You have been warned.
PHOTOS: Top, Neighbor Chef Tim, by Telstar Logistics. Below, Miso Asari Clams & Pork at Ichi Sushi + Ni Bar; photo by Inside Scoop
As a general principle, it should not require much coaxing to persuade you to attend a simple, old-fashioned afternoon of Lucha Libre Mexican Wresting right here in Bernal Heights this Saturday. Especially when you consider that the event is a benefit for a medical clinic at San Francisco General Hospital. And especially especially when you throw in the fact that the event will happen at the glamtacular Farmhouse Mansion at the top of Folsom Street on Bernal Hill.
But just in case you need even more reasons why you really shouldn’t miss this simple, old-fashioned afternoon of Lucha Libre Mexican Wresting right here in Bernal Heights, Neighbor Orlando wants you to know why the money that will be raised on Saturday really matters:
My buddy Rick across the street who is a doctor at SF General, and he is putting on a fundraising event for the hospital. Well, his is clinic anyway. The clinic is for folks of lower income. It’s worth every penny of the $20 donation he kindly asks of us to attend.
San Francisco General for years has served an array of different communities from all over the City. Dr. Rick has been at General since he left medical school, and he’s been respectfully serving us since. He’s a man of integrity, with one of the kindest hearts you will ever meet in a lifetime. His clinic has been giving back to the community for years, and especially to non-affluent families. This is one big reason I have come to grown close to Rick over time; I respect what he has dedicated his life to.
So at this point, no further convincing should be required. All you should need are the exciting logistical details about Neighbor Dr. Rick’s Lucha Libre Mexican Wresting benefit, and when and where you should go Saturday afternoon, April 19. Dr. Rick himself seals the deal:
¡oh Dios mío!
You are invited to the rarest of events.
Lucha Libre Wrestling at the Farmhouse Mansion.¡a lo grande!
It took a lot to arrange… this is an afternoon event, all VIP, private benefit, with professional wrestlers, the full ring, opinionated announcers, 10-piece mariache band, referees, tasty margaritas, taco trucks, beer, juice, two other bands, pinatas, gente apasionada, baile apasionado, you get the idea.
All to benefit a trio of hardworking volunteer and vocational rehabilitation programs at:
San Francisco General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry
Westside Community Services
SFSMILESSee you at the Farmhouse Mansion
3340 Folsom Street, SF
Sat. April 19th at 3pm (wrestling at 4pm)What? You still have questions?
Here are some answers:
1) Yes, kids can come, but parent/guardian must be present and responsible.
2) Suggested donation is $20 per person (child or adult) or whatever you can give.
3) Yes, this is the real deal. The Lucha Libre Wrestlers you would see on TV, Cow Palace, or where ever such events occur.
4) No, I will not be wrestling… I think. Then again, anything is possible, probable, we’ll see.
5) No, you will not be wrestling either… I think. Oh, heck. Bring your mask and we’ll see.In addition, just down the hill at Precita Park, on that same day, Sat from 11am – 2pm is… EASTER in the PARK where there will be Easter Egg Hunt, gift giveaways, 27 foot slide, jumper houses carnival games and much more for the kiddos prior to the below.
See you all soon!
Dr. Rick
Well, the rumors turned out to be true. Our foodie fwiendz at Inside Scoop confirm that Kinfolk, the Cortand popup restaurant launched by Bernal neighbor Greg Lutes, will open a permanent location inside the former Pizza Express space at 919 Cortland:
For the last several months, Kinfolk has been popping up regularly for brunch and dinner at 903 Cortland. Well, it’s moving up.
The chef-owner behind the project is Greg Lutes, and he’s finally found a permanent location — and as it turns out, it’s just a few doors down from 903.
Lutes has inked a deal to take over 919 Cortland Avenue, which was most recently home to Pizza Express, though it’s currently home to a dirt floor. After a full build-out, Kinfolk is hoped to open this summer, with 40 seats — double the size of its set-up at 903.
KQED has obtained and released recordings of SFPD dispatch radio activity surrounding the officer-involved shooting of Bernal resident Alex Nieto on March 21:
The radio chatter started about 7:11 p.m. on March 21. Dispatch relays a call to Ingleside Station police, describing a man “in bright red jacket, 6’1, 200 pounds, black pants, has a gun on his hip.”
Police said after the incident that Nieto never had a gun, but that the caller might have mistaken his hip-holstered Taser for a handgun.
About one minute, 15 seconds later, more information comes over the radio.
“He’s got a gun at his hip and is pacing back and forth on the north side of the park near a chain-link fence.”
Another minute passes and a police officer asks for an update on the call about a person with a gun in Bernal Heights.
“He’s eating chips or sunflower seeds,” dispatch responds, apparently relaying information from the person who called police.
At about 7:17 p.m., an officer spots someone:
“Hey there’s a guy in a red shirt way up the hill walking toward you guys.”
Then another officer responds, “I got a guy right here.”
And 25 seconds later, an officer shouts, “Shots fired! Shots fired!” Another two officers also tell dispatch that shots have been fired, and one announces an emergency “code 33.”
More police officers radio that they are responding to an incident that quickly changed from a code 221 (person with gun) to 217 (shooting).
Police closed off the north side of Bernal Heights Park and cleared the way for an ambulance. They also transport two witnesses, one who they refer to as the “original 909″ (code for a citizen requesting interview) to Ingleside Station and begin canvassing the park for other people who may have seen the shooting. Police are repeatedly requested to switch to a different radio channel to discuss the shooting, so this audio may not include all of the chatter about the incident.
Audio files of the scanner activity are available for listening at KQED.
Thanks to Brian Christensen for sharing this awesome Bernal Hill labyrinth photo in the Bernalwood Flickr group.
Clearly, someone needs to get this doggie a drone!
Well, if we have to report on crime, at least this is the sort of crime that’s somewhat titillating. Vivian Ho from the Chronicle reports that for one Bernal Heights resident, a recent evening of hookup and bondage went rather wrong:
The 63-year-old victim believed he was going to have sex with the man when he invited him back to his apartment on Elsie Street at 3 a.m. April 7, according to police.
But he quickly learned that his purported paramour was into bondage, and in a bad way.
While bondage is a fetish some enjoy, in this case the victim found himself tied up against his will to his bedpost with neckties, said police spokesman Officer Gordon Shyy.
As he struggled in this compromising position, the suspect took off with his laptop, cell phone and tablet.
The victim was able to free himself and file a police report at Ingleside station.
Bernal resident Alex Nieto was killed on Bernal Hill following an officer-involved shooting on March 21. Yesterday, attorney John Burris filed a lawsuit on behalf of Nieto’s family seeking to compel the City to provide additional information about the circumstances surrounding his death. The SF Examiner reports:
Alejandro Nieto, 28, a San Francisco resident, was killed in Bernal Heights Park after being asked to show his hands but instead drawing a stun gun that was mistaken for a real gun, according to police.
On the steps of City Hall on Monday, about 30 people held a banner asking for justice as a lawyer for the family announced the claim filing with the City Attorney’s Office and called on outside agencies to investigate the incident.
“The version of the story that the police have trotted out, we have concerns and frankly skepticism,” said Adante Pointer, one of the family’s attorneys.
The City has 45 days to respond to the claim, after which the Nieto family can sue for what it says was an unjustified killing.
However, well-known civil-rights attorney John Burris, whose firm is representing the Nietos, said any questions about the incident will never be answered under the current system, therefore the family must sue to find out what really happened.
That system of police oversight, from the Office of Citizen Complaints to the District Attorney’s Office, rarely finds police in the wrong, Burris said. Yet at least three recent incidents — a federal indictment of six officers for allegedly violating constitutional rights, a police-involved shooting that ended with a wounded officer and Nieto’s death — show they do in fact mess up and even break the laws, he said.
“It’s always justified,” said Burris of the findings of most investigations into police shootings.
Some of the questions that remain unanswered include how many times Nieto was shot, the names of the officers involved, and why police questioned the Nieto family and searched their home before informing them of Alejandro Nieto’s death.
Alex Nieto’s friends and family have created a website for him at justice4alexnieto.org. In addition, they plan to hold monthly Burritos on Bernal tribute walks on the 21st of each month, starting this Monday, April 21 at 5 pm. The walks will begin in Precita Park, and proceed up to Bernal Hill.
PHOTO: Nieto’s father (wearing 49ers cap) and John Burris (at microphone) yesterday at City Hall. Photo by Steve Rhodes
Neighbor Phil Pierce live on Tompkins Street. By day he works as the community outreach coordinator for Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF), the greentastic group that organizes sidewalk greenery plantings here in the City.
Neighbor Phil is spreading the word that Friends of the Urban Forest is planning a tree-planting in Bernal Heights, so if you want one in front of your house, you should sign up now:
FUF has green ($$) to make your block green!
Do you want to get a tree in front of your property?
We are coming to the Bernal Heights, and now is your chance to be a part of it!Friends of the Urban Forest has funding to subsidize 75% of the costs to plant trees, with a Community Planting Day planned for June 14, 2014.
You only need to pay $135 and choose what species you want — then FUF will handle all of the prep work, remove the cement, provide the tree itself, and do three scheduled tree care visits over the first three years of the tree’s life to help it thrive!
For more information, visit the Bernal Heights page.
or
Contact Caitlin@fuf.net, (415) 268-0772Deadline for forms is 4/30
PHOTOS: Friends of the Urban Forest
Check out this insanely wonderful selfie drone video created by FOBernalwood Amit Gupta.
PRO TIP: Go full screen!!!
Wow.
Hat Tip: Vic Wong
Once again, a street-facing security camera has captured detailed footage of an infuriating crime in Bernal Heights. This latest incident was non-violent, fortunately, but also terribly common.
A neighbor on Elsie narrates the security camera video [Dropbox-hosted] that shows a would-be thief breaking in to her family’s car:
My husband’s car got broken into [during the week of April 7, 2014] in front of our house on Eslie, and we have it on video. It’s not as riveting as the recent robbery video that Bernalwood posted, but it’s interesting to see how they do it.
This happened at about 2am. You see a car driving slowly along the street, close to the parked cars. I am guessing they are looking for Hondas/Acuras, because they have shaved keys. They then stop in my neighbor’s driveway, and two people get out.
The first guy works on my husband’s car (black Honda) for a while, apparently not noticing that the rear passenger window (the small panel behind the main window) had been knocked out in an earlier break-in. The second guy starts working on other cars on the street. It’s hard to see because the windowframe is blocking him, but you can see him start to work (unsuccessfully) on my visiting mother-in-law’s Prius behind the Honda, then you can see his shadow as he goes across the street.
The first guy eventually gets in through the driver’s door and gets all the way into the car and shuts the door. He was rifling through stuff on the inside (everything was all over the place in my husband’s car this a.m.), and then he pops the trunk and looks inside. My husband’s car has been broken into so many times that he doesn’t leave anything – even pennies – in there. Eventually, the first guy gets out and goes back to the waiting car, and the second guy comes running up and hops in, and the car drives off.
