During a recent break in my KGO Radio gig on the “Cooking with Ryan Scott” show, one of our guests, Chris Wanner, approached me. Wanner is the state manager for Sidney Frank Importing Co., Inc., in northern California and Alaska, representing brands such as Jägermeis... Read More
Get ready for a shock. A jaded reviewer prone to cynicism is about to recommend an earnest dock-drama about a sad sack who enters a reality-TV talent competition. To be fair, I did more than just tolerate One Chance, which is based on the true story of a timid, working-class shop... Read More
The largest exhibition of Mike Kelley’s work will take up the entire space that is the Geffen Contemporary at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, from March 31 to July 28, 2014. Kelley’s body of work isn’t easily categorized — he was a visual artist who utilize... Read More
Harlan is going to be moving at some point; he doesn’t know when or where, but he’s not stupid — he can read the writing on the wall. Harlan, of course, is not his real name, but he is a real person. He has lived in a nice apartment with a bay view for a couple decades an... Read More
One thing that most people who have traveled to Vietnam have in common is an enthusiastic appreciation for the country’s street food. Long before the food-truck craze hit the United States, enterprising chefs had set up shop along the sidewalks of some of Vietnam’s busiest ci... Read More
The old saying, “you are what you eat,” is true, but it is arguable that you are actually what you absorb. Eating a healthful diet is imperative to disease prevention, but how we eat our healthful diet is equally important. For example, the person who eats plenty of calcium-r... Read More
Though Skylar can be shy, she has never been camera shy — which is a good thing because I take so many photos for this column. When it came time for her My Mutt poster, Pet Food Express sent photographer Mark Rogers to my house. Sky warmed up to Mark quickly, and he was amazed ... Read More
This month, in re-sponse to numerous requests, we answer your cat behavioral questions. Luckily for cat owners, the answer is usually the same. Dear Cathouse: My cat, Fooshes, likes to bite my hand when I reach down to give her dinner. How can I make her stop? — Bitten in Bern... Read More
Spring is an ideal time to paint. But if you’re going the do-it-yourself route, keep these hazards in mind. Exposure to lead-based paint is the primary cause of lead poisoning in children. Before 1978, lead-based paint was commonly used on interior and exterior building surface... Read More
If your dog loves treats with a smoky flavor like Skylar does, it won’t be able to resist these. Ask the Meatman owner Craig Meyer uses only bones, shanks, and tendons from beef raised in the United States for human consumption. Each piece is trimmed by hand then smoked in Meye... Read More
How did you get involved with rescue and how long have you been doing it? I accidentally became a pit bull guardian and realized that all of the myths I had believed were untrue. I found them to be the dogs most in need of help and one thing led to another. I’ve been involved f... Read More
In homage to San Francisco winter 2014, I needed to sonnet-ize: It’s all too true: into my brain did float Small-minded thoughts, as winter’s snowy ice Did frost the East, I couldn’t help but gloat, Since liveth I now in a West Coast paradise. East Coasters swear they love ... Read More
A name has been revealed for Traci Des Jardins’s new restaurant in conjunction with the Presidio Trust that’s due to open this spring: The Commissary (101 Montgomery Street), paying homage to the Presidio’s military history. The menu will be Spanish-inspired Californian wi... Read More
What will San Francisco look like in 10 years? City planning officials spend a great deal of time and expertise trying to get a grip on that, local politicians spend a great deal of time trying to look like they’re shaping it, and the average person spends almost no time think... Read More
As we move toward spring and the busiest real estate season, it is a good time to awake from your winter slumber and begin making a game plan to buy a home in 2014. Location, price, con-dition, contingencies, loan preapproval, mortgage payments, and moving: Ahhhhh, the mind ree... Read More
The crimes below are a small snapshot of what the officers of Northern Station are doing. For a more comprehensive list, visit www.sf-police.org; under Compstat, there is a link to CrimeMAPS. UNWANTED HOUSE GUEST Thursday, Jan. 2, 9 a.m. 2800 Block of Filbert Street A man retur... Read More
Art is where you find it, and I usually know where to look. In fact, both San Francisco and Los Angeles offer some marvelous fine art museums that allow one to drink one’s fill of beauty and provocation. THE DRAW OF GALLERIES Considering its expanse and population, Los Angeles ... Read More
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Angel’s name says it all — she’s truly a sweetheart of a dog. She is 1 year, 7 months old, a mix of Staffordshire terrier and possibly border collie (which would make a lot of sense based on her looks, her love of learning, and her prowess at playing fetch). Angel is friend... Read More
San Francisco is full of treasures. There is the ever-majestic Golden Gate Bridge, the perfectly crooked Lombard Street (a.k.a. Not the Best Street for Playing Kick Ball), and the wild parrots of San Francisco doing what they do best: waking up everyone from the Presidio to Tel... Read More
San Franciscans detest change. There’s a constant drive for things nostalgic. I suppose I am one of the worst offenders with my nattering on about how San Francisco was a sparkling clean city in the 1970s with plenty of parking spaces and great French restaurants. When it w... Read More
I get this question from time to time: “Why do we need a real estate agent?” The answer, put simply, is that transactions and compliance with regulations are becoming more and more complicated. Real estate agents are trained on the latest requirements for the sale and purcha... Read More
Books Inc. best-seller list 1. City of Thieves: A Novel, by David Benioff 2. Fingersmith, by Sarah Waters 3. The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt 4. This is San Francisco, by Miroslav Sasek 5. Glitter and Glue: A Memoir, by Kelly Corrigan 6. Season of the Witch: Enchantmen... Read More
In the last few years, there has been an emergence of mom entrepreneurs, or “mom-preneurs.” There is even a group called S.F. Mom Entrepreneurs that meets regularly to support moms who want help launching their small business idea. For the next few months, I am going to mix i... Read More
This is a column about saloons — where they are, who frequents them, and why. The philosophical question that occupies us here is this: Are the saloons that we have come to know and love a dying institution? We fervently hope not. In fact, we see a resurgence of the saloon cult... Read More
I love a good cocktail. Waxed mustaches, overwrought ingredients and subsequent Portlandia parodies have done nothing to dissuade me from the city’s current cocktail craze. The boozy alchemy of taking a set of ingredients, coaxing new flavors from them, and creating something ... Read More
People often ask for my favorite chicken recipes, but truth be told, I didn’t eat a lot of chicken growing up, mostly seafood, pasta and vegetables, which is what my mom was partial to. I do make her succulent whole roasted chicken with root vegetables often in the winter (... Read More
The Loma Prieta Earthquake that struck San Francisco on October 17, 1989 had a profound and lasting impact, not only on San Francisco as a whole, but in particular, our Marina neighborhood. I still remember driving back to the Marina that evening, and seeing homes crumbled into t... Read More
I always found the diner ambiance, retro neon sign and Embarcadero locale of Fog City Diner charming. At one time the food was also a draw, but I hadn’t been in years, as the menu had grown sadly forgettable. That has changed under the experienced eye of Bruce Hill, one of ... Read More
The nineteen sixties — if your personal history allows you to remember back that far — gave us the golden age of Broadway, that southern boundary of North Beach. At least that’s how I remember those times through my fog-covered glasses. I have lived in San Francisco sin... Read More
FOR PEET’S SAKE There were numerous people reading the Marina Times when one of our editors showed up at the grand opening last month. As proud of that as we are, we know that that wasn’t the main attraction of the festivities. Instead, the folks who turned out for th... Read More
Not too many serious gold-prospectors are left in Calaveras County today, but what you will find are avid golfers and grape growers. With springtime just about to pop, it’s the perfect time to plan a visit to this historic area. Known for Mark Twain’s “The Celeb... Read More
