Kinfolk to Convert from Popup to Permanent Inside Former Pizza Express

April 17, 2014 / Todd_Lappin / 29 Comments

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.

Elsie Street Library Opens Mysterious Main Branch

April 11, 2014April 11, 2014 / Todd_Lappin / 9 Comments

Neighbor Sharon found a secret public library tucked away along a leafy portion of Elsie Street north of Cortland. She has no idea how or when it got there:

I’ve always thought of Bernal as “Brigadoon” — a small town atop a hill in a city where even San Francisco residents ask “where is that?” when we mention it.

So whether, like Brigadoon, the Elsie Street Library Main Branch has always been there, or just appeared on certain days, to certain people, I can’t say for sure.

I walk the street all the time. I’m always looking at the houses and the flowers, seeing the paint colors and street plantings. I can’t tell you for sure when the elves set up this library, but we’ve never seen it before. I love it!

PHOTO: Neighbor Sharon

Clever Map Reveals Geography of Bernal Heights Coffee Shops

April 10, 2014April 10, 2014 / Todd_Lappin / 20 Comments

Some clever data-visualization geeks at MIT have created a very cool new map that reveals the social geography of San Francisco coffee shops. A Bernalwood-enhanced look at our portion of the map reveals which parts of Bernal align most organically with each of our local coffee shops:

This map shows the location of every independent coffee shop in San Francisco and the walking-shed community associated with it.

Independent coffee shops are positive markers of a living community. They function as social spaces, urban offices, and places to see the world go by. Communities are often formed by having spaces in which people can have casual interactions, and local and walkable coffee shops create those conditions, not only in the coffee shop themselves, but on the sidewalks around them. We use maps to know where these coffee shop communities exist and where, by placing new coffee shops, we can help form them.

We applied two steps to generate the data displayed by the map. First, we used the Google Places API to locate all coffee shops in a given city. Second, for each point in the map we queried the walking route and distance to its nearest coffee shop using the Google Distance Matrix API.

In the final map the colored areas represent a region which is walkable to a specific coffee shop (within one kilometer or 0.7 miles). The intensity of color at each point indicates its distance from its corresponding coffee shop.

Cool! But not perfect. The map was created by algorithms, not humans. So it reveals the logic of physical proximity, not social preference (thought the two often and naturally overlap). Also, the data might be a little old, because the transformative Cafe St. Jorge on Mission near Cortland is not present.

Nevertheless… cool! Here’s how all of San Francisco looks without the Bernal annotations:

New Happy Hour at Holy Water Happens After the Kids Go to Bed

April 4, 2014April 4, 2014 / Todd_Lappin / 9 Comments

Happy Hour is lovely, but it’s not exactly convenient. During those precious early evening hours, you’re probably either still at work, or walking your dog, or wrangling your kids, or cooking dinner, or walking the dog while wrangling the kids while cooking dinner, or some combination of the above. The point being, there’s a lot of stuff going on during the time when most bars want you to be drinky for Happy Hour, which makes it hard to be drinky.

In recognition of these grim realities, Holy Water, the drinktastic new bar on Cortland, has hit upon a rather clever idea: shift Happy Hour forward a few hours, make it start at 11 pm, and call it 11th Hour.

Holy Water’s website brings the details:

Welcome to the 11th hour. Starting at 11pm nightly, Holy Water will be featuring a rare and unique selection of offerings. These will only be available after 11pm and won’t be on the regular menu. Offerings will rotate nightly depending on availability.

MAGNUM-IFICINT
We have sourced rare and unique beers only bottled in magnums. many of them specifically for Holy Water. We will start popping them only after 11pm and pour them off until they are gone. These won’t be your typical beers

FULL DISCLOSURE
We have been sourcing rare and exotic spirits/mixers/tinctures/etc. and this is our time to play around and experiment with them. Come down and help us try out new recipes and cocktails that won’t normally be offered before 11pm DISCLOSURE… we are experimenting here, so some things will be amazing, others not so much. customers won’t be obligated to pay for what they don’t enjoy.

BARTENDER’S CHOICE
This is your chance to stump the bartender, or try something new. Guests can pick 2 ingredients and the bartender will make you something amazing. Do you love honey and compari? tell the bartender and they will come up with a cocktail you will (hopefully) enjoy. Or just sit back and let them concoct something from their mental rolodex of drinks.

FLIGHT NIGHT
Sample a flight of single barrel selections from all of our sister bars Churchill, Bloodhound, Prize Fighter, Brass Tax. This ranges from bourbons to rums to beers.

Offerings change nightly. More selections are in the works and will be unveiled over time.

PHOTO: Holy Water

How to Have Breakfast in Guatemala Without Leaving Bernal Heights

April 4, 2014April 3, 2014 / Todd_Lappin / 9 Comments

Writing for SFWeekly, Eva Recinos shares a delicious discovery: The Universal Bakery on Mission Street right at the foot of Cortland does breakfast Guatemalan style, and they do it right. Eva writes:

Sweet bread is a ritual of sorts in Guatemala; many families stuff warm paper bags with hot sweet bread and take it home to devour with breakfast. Universal Bakery dishes up an especially stellar traditional Guatemalan breakfast. For $9, you can get a piping hot plate of black beans, cheese, sour cream, eggs, and sausage. If you don’t eat meat, you can get the same dish without sausage for $7. Each deal comes with bread or tortillas and a cup of coffee.

A few parts of Guatemalan breakfast differentiate it from your average breakfast dish. For one, the black beans are liquified until they reach a thin texture. The sour cream tastes a little more tart than the American version. The eggs should feel light and fluffy and the cheese should taste fresh.

Universal Bakery gets all of these important elements right. Each part comes together in the perfect combination. The creamy slab of cheese accentuates the rich flavor of the black beans. Dipping the eggs into the sour cream makes them even more savory. And the plate comes with enough black beans to scoop with a fork or pile onto a piece of desabrido.

PHOTO: Eva Recinos for SF Weekly

Spice Hound Relocating from 331 Cortland

March 21, 2014March 20, 2014 / Todd_Lappin / 12 Comments

Neighbor David reports from Cortlandia:

Looks like another Bernal business is packing up shop — this time the Spice Hound of 331 Cortland (I initially read their notice as saying that all of 331 was closing… nearly had a heart attack).

This closure seems to add to a recent spate of businesses on Cortland shuttering for good, which strikes me as particularly odd given that Bernal is now the “hottest neighborhood in America.” But I suppose the good news is that none of these spaces are likely to stay empty for long.

PHOTO: Jason Yashinshky

The Restaurant at 903 Cortland Has Closed

March 12, 2014March 12, 2014 / Todd_Lappin / 37 Comments

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?

Here’s the detail of the sign in the window:

PHOTOS: Teresa Aguilera

TONIGHT: Pop-Up Will Make Whoopie [Pies] Inside Little Bee Baking

March 7, 2014March 6, 2014 / Todd_Lappin / 5 Comments

If you think the thing that’s missing from your life is a whoopie pie, then you’re in luck! After Suppa is having a pop-up at Little Bee Baking on Cortland tonight, Friday March 7. Neighbor Stacy from Little Bee tells us:

After Suppa is a fledgling baking company specializing in Whoopie Pies started by one of my part-time helpers, Meredith Lee

But hold on. A whoopee pie? Sounds smutty! Meredith from After Suppa explains:

What: What the heck is a whoopie pie? It’s a wicked good baked treat that could only be described as a mini cake sandwich with buttercream filling. The pop-up shop at Little Bee will be first time selling them to the public after becoming an official business (and getting my Cottage Food Operation [CFO] permit).

Where: Little Bee Baking at 521 Cortland Ave. Friday, March 7 from 6-9 PM. Possible repeat pop-up assuming all goes well!

Why: I had just moved to San Francisco and was feeling homesick for my native New England when I spotted a whoopie pie at a little grocery store. With my first bite my heart fell. Dry cake. Chalky frosting. Definitely not like the whoopie pies my nana used to make. It was at that moment that I decided that San Francisco needed real whoopie pies. The kind with moist, springy cookies and creamy filling that you can find at mom-and-pop shops all over Maine and New Hampshire. Thus, After Suppa was born.

PHOTO:

One Year In: Foodie Blog Interviews Celebrity Chefs from Hillside Supper Club

February 26, 2014February 26, 2014 / Todd_Lappin / 4 Comments

Hillside Supper Club recently celebrated its first anniversary in its permanent location at the corner of Precita and Folsom, so the foodies at EaterSF decided to check in with HSC chefs Tony Ferrari and Jonathan Sutton to see how it’s going one year in. For example:

What’s the reception been since you opened full-time?

TF: It’s been really good. It’s still a sleepy neighborhood; it’s going to take a little bit of time for people to realize that Bernal is a great place to come and check out, and that we happen to be here serving good food. We worked extremely hard at getting people to come to Bernal in general.

How did you do that?

TF: Grassroots, guerrilla marketing. We made flyers and went house-to-house meeting people, saying, “We’re in your neighborhood—check us out.”

How have you seen the dining scene change in Bernal since you’ve been here?

JS: A lot, especially over the last year. We feel good that we were part of taking that first leap, bringing people here and putting Bernal on the map. Holy Water just opened, and they have a great following because of sharing ownership with Churchill and Bloodhound. Blue Plate has been here forever, and they’re holding it down solid. We’re friends with those guys, and they’ve given us a ton of advice and support along the way. ICHI Sushi’s opening their second location, PizzaHacker just got started…Once we get the people here, they’re not going anywhere. They’re going to come back.

JS: And all the neighbors who live here will be able to walk down to somewhere instead of having to go to the Mission to eat.

TF: People don’t realize how close we really are here. We’re blocks away from the Mission—you can walk.

It’s true. Really. You can walk!

PHOTO: Olivia Terenzio/EaterSF

Finally! All-New, Expanded Ichi Sushi + Ni Bar Set to Open Next Week

February 12, 2014February 12, 2014 / Todd_Lappin / 8 Comments

Mmmmm. This is a post I’ve been looking forward to for a long time…

As veteran Bernalwood readers may recall, in November 2012 we shared the news that Chef Tim Archuleta’s critically acclaimed Ichi Sushi planned to move into a larger location just across Mission Street. Now, at last, the new space is ready.

The new Ichi Sushi + Ni Bar will open for business next week at 3282 Mission St. at 29th, and Erin Archuleta provides the details:

It’s been 22 months since we started this project, and it feels really joyful now that it’s all coming together.

ICHI Sushi will be in the front and NI Bar will be in the back. Executive Chef Tim Archuleta will head up the two spaces, with Sous Chef Erik Aplin overseeing the constantly changing sushi menu, and consulting Chef Chris Kiyuna contributing to the hot dishes. ICHI Sushi will continue as a sushi bar, an NI Bar will specialize in Japanese bar food and izakaya.

For ICHI, the sushi bar will remain the primary focus, but the new space gave us the opportunity to lay it out a little better with tables accommodating groups and families. Assistant Manager Shasta Webb will support with the reservation and special event requests.

NI Bar’s Bar Manager, Ken Furusawa, has crafted a beverage list offering a larger selection of sake, shochu, specialty beer, and introduce low alcohol cocktails. At NI Bar, look for grilled meats and warm stews in season — traditional izakaya food changes all the time, and we will too.

The original ICHI space will only be open until Saturday, Feb 15. Then we will lightly renovate for a few weeks, and it will reopen as a Japanese-style oyster bar.

Your Bernalwood editor visited Chef Tim at the new location a few weeks ago, as he was deep in the final stages of Construction Mode. Ichi 2.0 looks terrific, with a smart design that divides the restaurant’s generous floorplan into a series of smaller, more intimate spaces, and a bold mural/etiquette guide dominating the south wall:

Erin also shared this interior photo, taken Alanna Hale:

If Ichi 1.0 is any indication, the food at the new joint will be oishii. Plus, as destiny would have it, the new Ichi Sushi + Ni Bar sits right across the street from the Pizzahacker’s new shop, so all of a sudden we’ve got a serious food cluster happening right here in the Dominion of Bernalwood. Lucky us.

Big congrats to Neighbors Tim and Erin, good luck, and we’re excited for the yum.

PHOTOS: Top, Chef Tim in the new Ichi Sushi + Ni Bar, January 20, 2014, by Telstar Logistics. Bottom photo, Alanna Hale

Starting Tonight: Beer Week Events at Precita Park Cafe and Rock Bar

February 10, 2014February 10, 2014 / Todd_Lappin / 7 Comments

What? You never got around to booking your tickets to Sochi? Which means you missed the opportunity to party with Olympians while having your smartphone hacked by Russian cybterthieves? Lucky for you it’s Beer Week in San Francisco, and two of Bernal’s finest establishments are hosting special beer-themed events.

We start at the Precita Park Cafe at the east end of Precita Park, where Miss Dana invites you to a special beer + food event happening TONIGHT, February 10:

Adam from Deschutes will be onsite giving away free swag to customers and talking about the beers. For those that need Uber rides we have teamed up with Uber and Beer Fest. Customers first ride is free up to $20 if customers use the password PPCBEER. We will be serving beer-battered fish n’chips, pork terrine, grass fed burgers, chili cheese fries. All the fun foods that go with great beer!

Meanwhile, on glamorous 29th Street, Brion from the drinktastic Rock Bar has an entire series of Beer Week events on tap:

Monday Feb 10th6pm – 2am
PABST RODEO SHOW
$4 Beer Flight PBR, Schlitz, Olympia
$6 PBR & Old Crow ALL NIGHT
Country Music will be played
Rodeo Films shown. Yeehaw!

Tuesday Feb 11th 8pm-2am
Uncommon Brewers
An evening of cocktails developed around the Uncommon Brewer’s portfolio
In addition to tasting their line up enjoy a Baltic Wood Buck – Rye, ginger, Absinthe, and Uncommon’s Baltic Poter
Other cocktails will debut – GET IN HERE & GET UNCOMMON

Wednesday Feb 12th 4pm-2am
Speakeasy Tap-TAKEOVER
At Rock Bar we have 4 handles, and we pride ourselves in our curated & rotating selection. For the evening we have given our friends at Speakeasy control! We can’t tell you what will be on TAP – only can assure a few things you have never tried before. PLUS after some time away, we re-introduce our Speakeasy CASK handle!

Thursday Feb 13th 7pm-2am
Oskar Blues & 21st Amendment
Cocktail Night & Tap-TAKEOVER
Another evening of BEER & COCKTAILS here at Rock Bar
From a simple YELLA Collins to a full throttled Spirituous BEAST with 21st Amendment’s Sneak Attack. You would not expect a Saison in the winter, but you can expect Genever and Rye to meld well with the Cardamom Pods used to brew this seasonal brew. An evening of Vintage SURF films and mellow vibes with accompany your beer forward cocktail.

UPDATE: In the comments, Neighbor Steve of the Beer by BART blog, brings news of one more Beer Week happening in Bernal Heights:

There is one other bar, Holy Water, on Cortland that is also playing. They are dedicating all their taps to Avery Brewing all week. Avery is one of the best breweries in the U. S., out of Boulder, CO. I stopped by last night and the beers are great. Several have never been poured in CA.

PHOTO: Top, courtesy of Precita Park Cafe

TONIGHT: Special First Anniversary Dinner at Hillside Supper Club

January 20, 2014January 20, 2014 / Todd_Lappin / 5 Comments

Oh, how the time flies! The fabulous and transformative Hillside Supper Club on Precita Park has been open for a year, and to celebrate their first anniversary they’re hosting a special four-course dinner, TONIGHT, Monday January 20, followed by a party later in the evening.

Chefs Tony and Jonathan write:

Wow, can you believe one year has already blew by? Its been such a great and humbling experience. We had our ups and downs, learned a lot, and cooked some damn good meals. Mondaym January 20th marks the day of our 1-year celebration of opening Hillside Supper Club inside of the old Caffe Cozzolino space. To celebrate, we are having a 4-course prix-fixe dinner starting at 6:30pm, followed by a party at the restaurant. If you can’t make it for supper please stop by later for the party.

We are currently selling tickets by clicking directly here, or by calling 415.285.6005 for more information or help on the event. We only have 50 seats available, and tickets are going fast, get yours now! Thank you all for helping us get to this day, we did it! Looking forward to many more.

PHOTO: Chefs Jonathan (left) and Tony, via Hillside Supper Club

Tonight! Seriously! FREE PIZZA from the PizzaHacker

January 16, 2014January 16, 2014 / Todd_Lappin / 15 Comments

It’s an impressive thing that Bernal Heights was just named the 2014 Numero Uno Hottest Sexiest Neighborhood in the United States, because that award was given to us before the very delicious PizzaHacker opened for business on Mission at 29th Street.

Today, the PizzaHacker is having its grand opening. That’s great news for pizza lovers, but it may also put Bernal on track to become the Numero Uno Hottest Sexiest Neighborhood in the Entire Galaxy by 2015.

And on top of all the good news, there is one more tasty tidbit to share: Tonight, January 16, 2014, the Pizza Hacker will say hello to Bernal Heights by serving pizza for free.

You read that correctly: PIZZA FOR FREE

The PizzaHacker’s Jimmy Simpson tells Bernalwood:

We just finished painting and the bar is done, so we are having an opening party tomorrow for the Bernal residents. We told a few people, but mainly we wanted to invite locals to try the pizza and introduce ourselves.

We are going to charge for drinks but the pizza will be free. Word on the street is that we are opening at 6 but any Bernal resident is welcome to show up at starting at 5.

So bold. So simple: Free pizza. Tonight. Courtesy of the Pizza Hacker at 3299 Mission Street at 29th. No coupon required, but displays of the secret Bernal Heights hand signal are strongly encouraged.

They’re expecting you.

PHOTO: A marinara pizza from the Pizza Hacker, by Telstar Logistics