Neighbor Teresa was very sad to discover that 903 Cortland, the restaurant operated by Matsumi Takhara of Sandbox Bakery, has closed:
With the weather so delightfully spring-like today, I decided it was a prime time to spend lunch on the 903 parklet. Fully expecting that every one else would have the same brilliant idea, I was surprised to find the parklet deserted and the stools missing.
A quick glance at the storefront explained why: They closed down, for good, a week ago! According to the sign in the window, they’re now planning to focus on catering. Despite the promise that 903 faves would be showing up at Sandbox, the good people behind the counter didn’t seem to know much about when that would happen in full force, saying they had received “a few more sandwiches today,” but those were all gone by the time I tried to snag one around 1pm.
I consoled myself with a nice patio lunch at Liberty, but it’s a sad day nonetheless, especially since I didn’t get a chance at a farewell meal. And I’m full of questions! What will happen to the parklet? And Kinfolk? And my fried chicken sandwich craving?
A wise comedian once said: Comedy is not pretty. That’s apparently as true in Bernal Heights as it is in Tinseltown, because there was a some commotion yesterday at the Lucky Horseshoe’s new stand-up comedy night. Neighbor Leander tells it like he saw it:
There was big drama at the Lucky Horseshoe Bar on Cortland tonight. During a stand-up comedy night, a female comedian got into an argument with a bar patron and called 911 onstage.
The drama unfolded during the weekly Comedy at Dusk stand-up night, which features 15-minute sets from several local entertainers. During the third act, the woman comedian got into a heckling match with some customers at the bar. They barged into the bar during the middle of her act and oblivious to what was going on, they rudely disrupted her show.
Then the bartender — who appeared to be friends with the customers — got involved, escalating the situation. Meanwhile, the owner of the bar was playing a noisy PacMan arcade machine that is located in the middle of the bar, distracting the woman onstage. It was noisy, chaotic and slightly crazy. The female comedian’s act became a total circus. She spent the rest of her act yelling at the bartender, the rude customers, and whoever walked in through the door.
Eventually, she grew tired of battling everyone, left the stage and went outside. But one of the customers she had yelled at — a slight Asian man — followed her outside and — allegedly — spat in her face on the sidewalk. I saw him come flying back into the bar. It looked like one of the women’s companions shoved him.
The woman rushed back in and grabbed the microphone from the next comedian, who was in the middle of his act. She announced to everyone that she’d been assaulted and started to dial 911 on stage. The fourth comedian and several others tried to get the microphone back to continue the show, but she refused to give it up. The bar owner got up from her PacMan game, but instead of dealing with the situation, went to the back of the bar and turned the music up very loud. Shortly, three squad cars of cops showed up. Two cop cars pulled up in front with their lights flashing and one around the corner. The first two cops on the scene started interviewing everyone as the other cops realized they weren’t needed and left.
The two cops stayed for about 30 minutes. The Asian man had left the bar and was nowhere to be found. His rude friends assumed a low profile at the bar, laughing and joking with the bartender. After the cops left, the female comedian said the cops were classifying the incident as battery and were planning to pull the bar’s security footage to identify the alleged assailant. People started making jokes about putting up wanted signs around the neighborhood.
As we left, one of the comedians joked we should return again soon. “Come back next week,” she said, “there’ll be blood!”
UPDATE 13 March, 2014: Bernalwood reached out to Eric Embry, co-owner of the Lucky Horseshoe, for comment about the incident. Eric shares these thoughts:
Thanks for letting me know about the post and for the opportunity to respond.
Our goal at The Lucky Horseshoe is to be a cozy, welcoming neighborhood bar that folks in Bernal Heights can call a home away from home. We hope that the live music and other entertainment we schedule will enhance that experience and typically we’ve been pretty successful with what we book. However, what happened Tuesday night at the bar was a very regrettable series of events which, although an anomaly for us, is something we don’t take lightly. Whether it was specific to the people involved or simply just that our bar’s atmosphere doesn’t fit the needs of a comic, by all accounts it was a dreadful few minutes that I imagine all parties involved must regret. We certainly do; this is the first incident of it’s kind in the almost three years we’ve operated The Lucky Horseshoe.
Our policy at The Lucky Horseshoe is simple: all are welcome as long as they respect our business and the neighborhood. We’d like to extend our apologies for the discomfort our patrons must have felt Tuesday evening. We’ve made what we hope are the necessary adjustments to our entertainment calendar to avoid situations like this in the future.
Performers have a responsibility to their audience. The best thing an entertainer can do when losing an audience is take a deep breathe and keep the cool. Perhaps the worst thing to do is to turn the intensity of such a moment into anger at the audience you hope to entertain. And to the alleged spitter I’d say there is no worse way to handle an insult comic than to be personally insulted, and especially to react. You are not welcome at The Lucky Horseshoe.
As if living in Bernal Heights wasn’t comedy enough, there’s a new stand-up comedy night happening at the Lucky Horseshoe on Cortland every Tuesday this month, starting TONIGHT, Tuesday March 4.
The evenings are called Comedy at Dusk, and co-host Neighbor Clara Bijl does the intro:
Ian Williams and I (both Bernal Heights locals) will bring stand up comedy to Cortland every Tuesday in March, 7pm to 9pm.
Speaking of which, Neighbor Ian wants to explain …
Just so you know, most of my material is geared for the north-slope crowd, who are my people. I have recently taken the time to interact with south-slopers like Clara, and find them to be decent people, although Redfin might disagree. Clara and I have become bi-slopal and hope our show can bring the community together. We hope that one day, there will be no slope, which currently only exists in algebra (and I couldn’t explain it to you.)
Last year, the bookstore long known as Red Hill Books was briefly shuttered, then refocused and reopened with a new name: Badger Books. Alas, it seems the transformation did not succeed in reversing the store’s fortunes. Now there are For Rent signs in the windows, a sale is underway, and Neighbor Karen has learned the sad news that Badger Books will be gone at the end of the month:
Badger Books is closing for good at the end of February. The owner is transferring books and employees to her other stores. She hopes to rent the space (see sign in window) either to a business or individual. The employee I spoke to said, “We’re just not making enough money.” Bernal can support fancy restaurants and umpteen nail salons and multiple hardware stores but not a single independent bookstore? So depressing.
When Bernalwood’s Cub Reporter (age 6) was informed about the planned closure she said, “Whaaat? Oh poop. I love that place.”
Neighbor Brandon has an update on the new artwork that’s in development for the southern, playground-facing side of the fashionable Bernal Heights Library:
The second phase of the library mural is moving ahead. We have a design (viewable on our site, Tumblr, etc.) and also in hard copy form at the library and Heartfelt. We welcome comments on cards available at the library. Those comments will be shared with the library and art commission meetings which are coming up soon. Funding is at about 90 percent, and we’re looking for a few headline donors to put us over the top. If all goes well with the commission meetings, Johanna Poethig will begin work in early autumn.
The “Story Cloud” is a cloud form created by the overlapping of wires to evoke connectivity. The cloud hovers at the top of the Bernal Library wall overlooking the playground and can be seen from the ground and from a distance. It is a place to tell the story of the neighborhood, conceptually and visually integrating with the site, architecture, playground and functions of the library. This form also references the digital “Cloud” holding information and linking together old and new ways of storing and accessing information. The cloud, fabricated out of glass mosaic, digitally designed and produced to have a pixelated look. Ceramic tile inlaid into this composition holds the pictures collected by the community. Binoculars will enable viewers to explore the cloud in a fun interactive element. This evokes the position of Bernal Heights, the views of the hill and then out over the landscape that surrounds it.
“Story Cloud” meets the criteria of the participating Bernal community to combine compelling and dynamic visuals, preserve the aesthetics of the building, express the values of the community, enhance the experience of the programs and resources offered by the library, identify with Bernal history, present and future. The “Story Cloud” integrates with the other artwork on the Library by adding a third natural element. The wave form unfolds on the front of the building, the tree is rooted and branches out on the side and the cloud hovers over the playground bringing our attention up to the sky. Children in the playground can enjoy the cloud form, elements of discovery and story telling.
It’s not clear at this point who now controls the space formerly occupied by the lost, lamented Deli Pub. But over the weekend several neighbors grumbled to Bernalwood about the huge mess left on the street during the current Deli Pub clean-out.
Neighbor Jean, who shared the photo above, writes:
In this day and age of public airing – we neighbors on Bocana are disgusted. Since the new owners took over the Deli Pub, they have been leaving garbage out for hours at a time. But this last dump from clearing out was over 24 hours, and during the night folks added to it and broken glass and old food – a real health hazard in so many ways. The worst part of it is actually behind those bins. It finally got cleaned up mid- morning (Saturday) after being there since Friday.
Rent a dumpster like everyone else and do it the right way.
May your pastrami sandwiches NEVER taste as good as Imad’s.
Breakfast with Enzo is a weekly show of children’s music and storytelling created and performed by Enzo Garcia. Held at the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center for the last 11 years, Breakfast with Enzo was much-loved by local children… and their parents.
Last week, however, Breakast at Enzo’s long run at BHNC came to an end. In a note to his mailing list, Enzo Garcia alleges that the closure stemmed from a significant increase in the rental fees BHNC charges to use the space:
This year a new housing director was hired by BHNC. The housing director is my contact for the rental of BHNC’s dining room. In February I received notice from the housing director that the rent I pay to use the space would go up 50%. Since I had never been subject to a rent increase in my tenure at BHNC, I made no waves and agreed to pay the increased rent and continue to use the dining room.
On December 2nd, I received an email from the housing director that my rent would increase an additional 66%, up from the 50% increase beginning January, 2014. I can not sustain the increase without passing the cost along to you, the patrons of the show. I am terribly concerned that attendance will be negatively affected.
Breakfast with Enzo is a live music performance for families in the San Francisco bay area. Although I consider the show to be a performance it is routinely referred to as a class by parents who attend. Most organizations offering music classes for infants and toddlers here in the bay area require pre-registration, cost over $20 per class and are taught by underpaid teachers (I speak from experience). At $6 per person and no pre-registration, Breakfast with Enzo is a more affordable service for the community.
Having been at the BHNC for many years now I have seen personnel there come and go. Breakfast with Enzo has remained. I would like to continue serving families with live music at the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center.
In a note to Bernalwood, Neighbor Christina vented:
A weekly tradition, Breakfast with Enzo has been an incredible resource to the neighborhood, not just because young kids are getting a social outlet and musical education at the incredibly reasonable rate of $6 for 2 hours of super, jump-around, mind-enriching, fun. But Bernal businesses are benefitting by having families from other neighborhoods come in to see Enzo, and then spend the afternoon having lunch, going to the library, and shopping in Bernal.
The BHNC is a City subsided space, which is supposed to be supporting the surrounding community. Their main focus is at-risk teens, and low-income elderly, so apparently they don’t value what has been happening there on Saturday mornings for the last 11 years. Egos, miscommunication, and who knows what is at work here, resulting in Bernal kids are no longer getting to have their music time. And guess who’s moving into Enzo time slot — no one. They’re booting Enzo out for no one.
It’s really sad.
Bernalwood reached out to BHNC to get their perspective on the closure of Breakfast with Enzo. BHNC housing director Amy Beinart writes:
Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center is a neighborhood-based nonprofit organization that provides services for low-income seniors and youth, organizes members of the community to advocate for their needs, and develops and operates affordable housing for low income people. We support this work through extremely constrained funding sources, including fee-for-service contracts, foundation grants that are restricted for use to serve our programs, and membership and donations. We stretch these dollars as far as we can to support the programs that address our core mission. We are able to supplement our budget in a very small way by renting our space for community uses and private events. This is one of very few options we have to secure the money we need for upkeep and repairs to sustain this valuable community resource.
Many evenings and mornings, the downstairs multipurpose space and the upstairs conference room are used by 12-step recovery groups. Periodically, private individuals reserve the space for birthday parties and baby showers. Additionally, we have been happy to have Enzo rent the room on Saturday mornings.
As Enzo has described to you, for many years the rent rate was flat; he paid $30 per Saturday, or $10 per hour. Last year, he agreed to an increase to $45 per Saturday morning, or $15 per hour. This year, in considering our budget for the year ahead, our ever-increasing overhead costs, and need for repairs to the building, we recognized that we had to look carefully at all possible sources of income to support BHNC. Earlier this month, I sent Enzo an email proposing a new rate of $75 per Saturday, $25 per hour. The proposed rate is lower than our standard private event/business rate; and well below the $70 per hour charged by SF Rec and Park to rent the center behind the library.
In my email, I asked him to contact me to discuss if he had concerns about the amount. He emailed me back that this rate would be too high, and I responded that it was not our intent to price him out and invited him to suggest an increase that he could support. It is clear, however, that we cannot keep rates for private events flat while our expenses continue to rise. While we agree that Breakfast with Enzo is a fun event, it is not a program of BHNC, and we are not able to raise funds to subsidize his use of the space.
This is an evolving situation. We’ve been in conversation with Enzo about a workable compromise, and continue to be open to finding a solution.
Bernalwood hopes that a way will be found to keep Breakfast with Enzo on Cortland, and we will update this story accordingly.
Many many many moons ago, in the time of our Bernal ancestors, a joyous tribe of elves lived in the Dominion of Bernalwood. Each year, during the run-up to the winter equinox, these proto-Bernalese would gather on the street we now call Cortland to celebrate the arrival of the rains and the season of lights.
Today, many tens of thousands of years later, the Bernal Business Association has revived this ancient ritual, in the form of the Cortland Holiday Stroll. The 2013 Stroll happens this Thursday, December 5, from 6 to 9 pm, and in addition to the neo-traditional sidewalk merriment, there’s also a new Holiday Marketplace happening inside the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center.
Neighbor Michael Minson tells us all about it:
Our annual Winter Stroll is on Thursday, December 5th this year. Thousands of our neighbors (both in Bernal and beyond) will come to Cortland to kick off the holiday shopping season, Bernal-style!
This year, in addition to all the excitement on Cortland, the Bernal Business Alliance (BBA) is hosting a Holiday Marketplace in the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center.
Shoppers and their children will be entertained with music and food in the Neighborhood Center (BHNC) and along Cortland, while they check out what local merchants and artists have to offer.
The Bernal Heights Holiday Marketplace is open from 6p to 9p on Thursday, 5-Dec. It’s free to attend.
PHOTOS: Images of Holiday Strolls from years past, by Telstar Logistics
If you are of the opinion that what Cortland Ave. needs is more places to buy warm drinks west of Bennington Street, then the gods have heard your prayers, because that stretch of Cortland will soon be home to two (2) new purveyors of fine warm drinks.
While walking on Cortland on Saturday, I noticed that the door was open at 317 Cortland, just west of the 331 Cortland food marketplace. Inside I met Joe, who let me snap some photos of his new shop specializing in the sale of loose Chinese tea. Joe hopes to open for business in the next few weeks.
A little farther west on Cortland, Neighbors Alex and Alexei tell Bernalwood that Pinhole Coffee, a new coffee shop, is preparing to open at 231 Cortland, on the corner of Bonview near Avedano’s. Pinhole Coffee already has a thriving Facebook page, and this note is posted in the window:
PHOTOS: Top, 317 Cortland, by Telstar Logistics. Middle, Pinhole Coffee interior renovations, by Pinhole Coffee. Bottom, note by Alexei Oreskovic.
903 Cortland decided to end dinner service recently, but a new chef, Neighbor Greg Lutes, has stepped in to fill the void. Neighbor Greg has launched a bumping new pop-up dinner restaurant called Kinfolk that’s open Thursday to Saturday from 5:30 to 10 pm. Bernalwood asked him to tell us all about it:
I moved to California 7 years ago from Chicago. I’ve lived in Bernal for 18 months over on Bronte street. Kinfolk is all about local ingredients, interesting wine and community.
I most recently was chef at a now closed Lot 7 in the Mission. I have worked with chefs Daniel Boulud, Jean Joho, Gerard Parrat, and my culinary focus has a French lens as a base. I focus on seasonal produce and then work from there.
I shop the farmers markets for my weekly menus and source out all natural meats, organic chicken and sustainable seafood that is mostly locally caught. The menu has some unique items like Uni Creme Brûlée.
I am also proud to be pouring Bryan Harrington’s wines — he lives in Bernal — with blend of variables called Secateur on the list.
One of the things that makes my restaurant unique is that I can ‘t get into the space until 3pm when lunch winds down at 903 so its a race against the clock to make it to the 5:30 opening. I am on OpenTable, to make it easier for diners to get a table.
The Bernalnet was abuzz yesterday after several neighbors spotted a glamorous film shoot taking place on the western side of Cortland, around Wool Street. What was happening?
We asked John from Holy Water for the dish:
Laura, one of our Bernal locals, works for a production company and picked up a job from Uber Cab. Uber wanted a series of different shots from around SF, and Laura, being local, decided to use Bernal business. She filmed a scene in Holy Water, Liberty Cafe, and somewhere else in the Mission.
Later on in the day we did a quick shoot for a gin and vodka company.
Nice work, Neighbor Laura, for upping our Glamour Quotient!
PHOTO: Fliming in front of Holy Water, by Alex Bankoff
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, canines and felines, it’s that festive time of the year on Cortland this Sunday as our main drag is transformed into an urban playland for the 2013 Fiesta on the Hill!
VoicesPlaces stole my photo for their write-up about the Fiesta, so I’ll steal their text. Fair trade!
Bernal Heights celebrates its 25th annual Fiesta on the Hill street festival, bringing together the neighborhood’s diverse residents to enjoy the collective culture of the area. The neighborhood is known for its many young families, and home to generations of Latino, Filipino, African-American, and Chinese families. The all-day, family-friendly festival will include live music from Orquesta Borinquen, varieties of Latin food, face painting, pumpkin carving, salsa lessons, and even a petting zoo with pony rides for the little ones. 20,000 local participants are expected. The festival also serves as a fundraiser benefiting the local Neighborhood Center.
Also, As director of membership and development at BHNC I would be remiss if I didn’t say Fiesta is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and if people want to make a gift in honor of this awesome event they can do so right here.
PHOTOS: 2011 & 2012 Fiesta on the Hill by Telstar Logistics
Bernalwood 