News from the Heart & Soul of San Francisco
SALOONS | Chris Barnett A bar with a walkway to a motel might raise eyebrows. But Swank, on the corner of California and Presidio Avenue and connected to the 49-room Laurel Inn, is no dreary dive. That was its predecessor, G Bar, which tried to gussy itself up to snag the young and the restless. But…
AT THE MARKET | Kathy Lassen-Hahne The Medina family’s roots were first planted in Guadalajara, Mexico, and have now blossomed into full flower and fruit at the Medina Berry Farms in Watsonville, where three generations of Medinas grow three types of berries on three 25-acre farms. Their berries are available fresh from the fields every…
By Louise Thompson Dumplings & Buns — a new shop that opened August 29 just off Fillmore at 2411 California Street — is on a mission to satisfy locals’ comfort food cravings with simple Asian fare. Focusing on savory and sweet dumplings and buns, it also offers dim sum, soups and salads, mostly to go.…
SALOONS | CHRIS BARNETT A t the Boom Boom Room, the divey-looking 78-year-old live music club on Fillmore at Geary, the best seat in the house is off limits to customers. The tufted red leather booth, with its perfect view of the band and dance floor, is permanently reserved for legendary blues guitarist John Lee Hooker,…
SALOONS | CHRIS BARNETT So did swashbuckling blues guitarist John Lee Hooker really own the Boom Boom Room as a side gig? If you believe the sign above the door, he did. And if you listen to the current owner, Alexander Andreas, he did. But don’t bet your booty on it. Fillmore jazz genealogists Elizabeth…
A neighborhood icon with historic roots experiencing a renaissance — that was the cause for celebration in mid-July at the Elite Cafe. It was a 30th anniversary party for the Elite, held more than 80 years after its well-preserved Art Deco home first opened in 1928 as the Lincoln Grill. But the rejuvenated Elite and…
WHILE 30 YEARS can be more than a lifetime in San Francisco’s ever-changing restaurant world, Fillmore’s venerable Elite Cafe on July 14 will celebrate three decades of serving up New Orleans cuisine in its historic Art Deco home. And that’s only its third incarnation. The woody, warm and welcoming spot at 2049 Fillmore is rich…
With a vibrant design, smart graphics and an inventive menu almost entirely under $10, the Vietnamese sandwich eatery Bun Mee is ready for its grand opening today at 2015 Fillmore Street. The former ice cream shop has been transformed into a petite restaurant that promises a modern take on Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches — daily…
SALOONS | Chris Barnett Music is only one reason to go to Yoshi’s. There are five or six other “performances” most nights in the sweeping two-story showplace at 1330 Fillmore in the redeveloped jazz district. On the main floor facing the street is a 160-seat Japanese restaurant that made the Chronicle’s Top 100 list soon…
[nggallery id=10] It didn’t take a cynic to question the need for another coffee shop and cafe on Fillmore Street — especially one in the exact same spot, at 2123 Fillmore, where Bittersweet and Sweet Inspiration and several others had tried and failed — and next door to recent arrival Citizen Cake, a superstar of…