It's Happening: Home Prices Drop in "Surprising" Neighborhoods

OK, so it's not quite a return to affordable rent or Beatnik-era SF livability, but...it's a start, right?

SFGate is reporting that Redfin is reporting that while home prices are skyrocketing in neighborhoods that were formerly known as affordable, prices in "surprising" neighborhoods -- aka, traditionally tony Pacific Heights, Russian Hill and the Marina -- are sharply down.

UPDATE: The Orbit Room Reopens, and SF Heaves a Sigh of Relief

Great news for lovers of craft cocktails and uncomfortable seating: The Orbit Room, which abruptly closed in April, has reopened!

EaterSF has the whole story. Cow Holla will give our take as soon as we get across town to try it out.

First Look: Glassybaby on Union

New life has finally come to the old Uko location on Union. And its contents are beautiful. 

Update: La Boulangerie de San Francisco Is Open on Union

It's open!

Update: Former Republic to Open as Spaghetti Bros. Later this Month

From the Cow Holla-adjacent file: Eater SF has a nice write-up about what's to become of the former Republic space on Lombard & Scott. Apparently, it's going to be a spaghetti joint that straddles the line between high and low...kinda like how Republic was supposed to be a sports bar that elevated the concept with high-quality food and low(ish)-priced game-day suds.

Here's hoping the new team has long-term success -- and gluten-free pasta options.

1 Reopening and a Funeral: Vive La Boulange(?), Au Revoir Betelnut

While food blogs are abuzz this morning about the possible redemption/reopening of La Boulange cafes not just on Union Street but throughout our fair city, a longtime dining staple right across the street is throwing in the chopsticks.

Betelnut is closing. In 2 days.

Update: American Cupcake -- > Italian Marketplace

Well, we were partially right in our previous post about the new occupants of the former, long-empty American Cupcake location on Union Street. The place is Italian, all right. But it's got much mote than ice cream on offer.

Update: Former Osha Thai Space Finally Sees Some Action

From American Cupcakes to Italian Ice Cream on Union

Something Is (Finally!) Up at American Cupcake

 

After more than a year of just...sitting there, vacant, on one of the sweetest blocks of Union Street, the space that formerly housed American Cupcake showed some signs of life today. Fresh paper went over the windows last week, and just this afternoon, the lonely awning got a fresh coat of cherry-red paint.

So, what's going in? Too soon to tell. And I can't find any deets online. Did we scoop Inside Scoop?

Gone from Chestnut: Like All of the Other We Olive Shops, Marina We Olive Is Closed

Update: The Space Formerly Known as Hime

Construction has begun on the Lombard & Pierce lot that used to house a series of doomed eateries, most notably the late, lamented experimental Japanese eatery Hime. The foundation has been poured and the wood frame is going up on...my guess is some kind of housing. 

CLOSED: Lasan Indian Restaurant Is...Delish

As we reported yesterday, a new restaurant with an Indian Oven pedigree opened in the space that until the end of February housed the expanded, sit-down Pizza Orgasmica. Our hopes were high but our expectations muted, as the fickle winds of Fillmore were not kind to the Kasa street food concept that opened and closed quickly a few doors south a few years ago.

Instead of simply reporting on neighborhood openings and (often unceremonious) closings, we decided to put our money where our mouth is: Last night, we ate at Lasan.

The verdict: The place is delicious.

We started with cauliflower in coconut and cashew sauce. The vegetable was cooked perfectly, and the sauce was so yummy and interesting, we wouldn't let the waiter take it away when we were done with the appetizer; we wanted to try it with out the other dishes, which arrived in quick succession.

A dish of shredded cheese, peas, tomatoes and onion turned out to be fresh tasting and not at all greasy. Chicken biriyani came in a tasty, generous portion, and my companion's garlic and basil naan went well as a complement.

Our lily-gilding dish of Tandoori sea bass (pictured at the top of this post) was moist and flavorful and boasted a sprinkling of a spice neither of us could name.

Service was attentive and kind -- and surprisingly quick, given that we were there on the third night it was open. And even though we may have over-ordered, we felt like we got our money's worth. In fact, in the 90 minutes or so we were in the restaurant, no one left without leftovers.

*UPDATE* Aug 3, 2015: A return visit with additional dinner diners a few days ago, found the food just as flavorful and the wine-and-beer license in full effect. The tandoori sea bass was still a standout, and the cashew cauliflower held up very well, as well.

*UPDATE* Fall 2016: Lasan is CLOSED. We loved this place and often ate at the bar, watching Warriors games and chatting with the waitstaff. With the recent departure of Ashoka on Chestnut, the neighborhood appears to be seriously lacking in Indian options.

Artisanal Indian Opens @Ex-Orgasmica

Nearly 4 months after the Pizza Orgasmica annex served its last provocatively named pie, a new Indian restaurant with a fine pedigree -- its owners ran Indian Oven at the southern end of Fillmore Street for a dozen years -- is having its Grand opening. 

The well-priced menu boasts angus beef, Mary's free-range chicken and interesting biriyani and vegetable preparations that could give Dosa up the hill a run for its money. 

We are reminded that a casual Indian dining spot failed not too long ago just a few doors down, where Tacko is thriving today. Could Lasan find an Indian sweet spot in a neighborhood soft on salads, burgers, tacos and tequila? Stay tuned.

Shhh, Don't Tell LeBron: SF's Smallest Pub Invites Patrons to Watch "Game 7"

Spotted outside the Black Horse London Deli on Union Street, Cow Hollow gem and SF's smallest bar, today @4:30 p.m.:

Take a closer look:

Sure, the Golden State Warriors had finished their fan-lined victory parade in Oakland hours before. But those Cleveland fans can dream, right?

Belga: Replacing des Amis, Making a Name for Itself

So, 10 days in, we finally got to Belga. And in the words of one guy in the numerous groups of Cow Holla guys who came in and out around the Friday happy hour, "This is the place, huh?"

Yes, it is. Three drinks in, our group regrouped and tried to think of a next logical stop for our evening. We decided we didn't want to leave. 

Ryan Murphy's cocktails are delicious, and the frites, charcuterie and Belgian fish balls really hit the spot. 

The vibe: Super friendly with lots if low-drama eye candy of all flavors. 

Pregnant Workout Space Lotus to Open on Union

Well, here's one Cow Hollow workout space spinsters can skip:

It appears to be a gym exclusively for moms-to-be who don't feel like pre-natal yoga is challenging enough. Good thing it's right nextdoor to Roam burgers (and just down Union from the soon-to-open candy emporium Superfine). 

Restaurant Report: Plate on Pierce, Glaze Donuts & Hime Is No More

Lots of neighborhood food action to report, and though most of it's exciting, not all of it is constructive.

First, the sad news: The freestanding building on Lombard & Pierce that once housed the celebrated, innovative Japanese restaurant Hime is now a pile of rubble. 

What will go up in its place, in between a former gas station and a motel? If the lot were in the Mission, we'd guess expensive housing, obvi. But since it's northside, who knows?

Around the corner, however, the reverse is true: From the rubble of a snobby, size-ist clothing store, a welcoming eatery promising healthy comfort food is opening today. 

2000 Union Update: Belga to Open May 12

The highly pedigreed restaurant replacing Des Amis on Union is a week away from launching. 

Morning Fire Near the Presidio

From the sound of it, lots and lots of fire crews are on the scene of a fire right now, which looks to be where Cow Hollow meets the Presidio. 

We'll post more details as they become available. 

UPDATE 8:23 a.m.: Fire is at Liverpool Lil's, a longtime neighborhood hangout on Lyon & Lombard. It's under control, but firefighters are still at work. Traffic's pretty gnarly, so allow extra time and patience to/from Marin.

UPDATE 8:35: No injuries reported. 

Print? Charming! Juicy News Opens on Union Street

After a high-profile closure up the hill, former Fillmore Street fixture Juicy News has finally opened on Union Street!

Guardsmen 10 mi/10k/5k Takes the Presidio

Et Tu, Italic?: The Bold Italic Ceases Operations

Just a day after our hat tip to The Bold Italic's stellar reporting on the closure of longtime Mint Hill fixture the Orbit Room comes news that The Bold Italic, itself, is shutting down.

The site posted this message about 40 minutes ago -- >

Since our launch, The Bold Italic has strived to faithfully serve San Franciscans near and far, whether born and bred here or having just arrived in the city. We have a great passion for the Bay Area and all that it has to offer — and have had a lot of fun sharing our enthusiasm with you. Together we have built a strong community of followers, contributors, and partners. However, we have made the difficult decision to cease operations. It’s been a great run and we supremely thank everyone who has supported us along the way. 

While the news about the Orbit Room gave a lot of us -- particularly those of us with sentimental and/or beverage attachment to the place -- the sads, it wasn't a total surprise; we are getting used to everything we love, especially on the south side of town, shutting down and turning into unaffordable housing geared toward those with money to burn and little affinity for neighborhood joints run by big/odd personalities.

But the closure of a website that had been doing such a lovely job of chronicling these changes does feel like a bit of a shock. It's true that the media landscape in a post-print world is tricky. (See Gigaom.) But we felt that since the Bold Italic mostly exists online, it's not like they were sitting on some piece of hot real estate. The site recently hired a new top editor and just a couple of weeks was actively looking for "Opinionated Writers" to add to its stable.

UPDATE: SFGate has more information on TBI and its closure, including news to us that the site's launch was an "experimental" collaboration between old-media titan Gannett and experiential design studio IDEO.

The piece relies heavily on Michael Maness for quotes. He was the Gannett exec in charge of innovation at the time of TBI's launch. That he is no longer with the company but instead "innovator in residence" at the Harvard Business School could, perhaps, tell you all you need to know about how Gannett feels about media innovation. From the SFGate piece -- >

“It was smart, slightly irreverent, kind of the person that you want to have at the dinner party ... your friend that you depend on to know the next cool thing,” Maness said.

The shutdown may come as a surprise to some. The Bold Italic held a neighborhood event on Divisadero Street just two weeks ago.

But Maness said the news didn’t come as a shock to him: The Bold Italic originally planned to spread to other cities. After six years, it still hadn’t.

“It’s very hard for these types of things,” he said. And, for an experimental site with a large, bottom-line driven media company to answer to, “it’s hard to innovate in those spaces, and that’s part of what the difficulty was with the Bold Italic.”

This One Really Hurts: The Orbit Room Is No More

A few days ago, we were heartsick to learn that the Orbit Room, longtime Market Street/Mint Hill fixture and centrally located scene of countless first dates, fourth drinks, meetups, happy hours, mint muddles, and (potentially-fraught) reunions, had closed.

Seems Jay Johnson, 30-year Lower Haight denizen and impresario of the Orbit and Upper Haight's Club Deluxe, passed away in late-March without settling on new lease terms that would have allowed the storied Art Deco bar to keep serving its famously handcrafted, occasionally whimsical cocktails posthumously.

This afternoon, the Bold Italic posted an update that includes details from Johnson's sister.

I Don't Think that Words Means What You Think It Means: Chicago Media Doesn't Get SF Hipsters

The Bold Italic reports that a recent localized news pub, whose provenance is Chicago, offered a rundown of San Francisco hipster neighborhoods. If you guessed that the Mission topped the list -- and you, like we, could without even looking at the piece -- you'd be wrong.

Using methodology more suitable for measuring "Yummy Mummies" or Haight Street hippies, the service came up with its ranking by taking yoga studios and bars into account and extrapolating out from there that patrons of these places = hipsters.

All "Clear" Outside SF Sci Center Day After HBO Airs Explosive Doc

The Interweb's collective head is exploding today with outrage over "Going Clear," Alex Gibney's Sundance-worthy Scientology expose. But over on Columbus Street, in the shadow of the Transamerica pyramid, the scene outside the SF Scientology center is eerily quiet. 

Passers-by are still greeted with comically amateurish signs inviting them to come in, get a personality checkup and divulge blackmailworthy secrets.

But uncharacteristically, no one tried to engage us with promises of self-knowledge as we lingered by the windows or shoo us away when we ostentatiously took photos. 

It's not for us to speculate what's going on inside that nice piece of prime real estate. But I have a feeling the designer lady whose shop was right across Columbus from the "church" -- and went public with the hounding and harassment she endured at members' hands -- is probably smiling a bit more broadly today. 

Off the Grid Is Off the Chain

The Friday Ft. Mason Off the Grid food truck rally and eating party is a pretty great hang. While it doesn't have the Presidio's rolling green picnic lawn, the vibe is family friendly and pretty mellow, given the chaotic nature of vehicle food consumption.

Trucks ring the parking lot just eat of the Gatehouse, with chairs, heat lamps, a deejay stage and dance area in the interior. It was pretty mild tonight, but we were glad o cozy up to those lamps, as needed.

Last Call at Bin 38: April 19th

A game-changer of sorts when it opened its doors and chill (but not too chilly) patio on Scott Street in 2007 and doubled the Marina's wine bar options, Bin 38 has officially announced last call is April 19.

In a heartfelt Facebook message that went up this evening (reposted below) the owners thank longtime patrons and announce their departure from the restaurant industry.

BIN 38 - A Last Hurrah - Final Glass To Be Poured April 19th
In October of 2007 we set out to introduce San Francisco to a new style of wine bar - with a vast and eclectic wine list, a deep craft beer selection, memorable cuisine and one very special back patio. Most importantly, we were committed to providing a festive, relaxed and fun place to bring friends (new, old and soon to be) together.
We have decided to leave the restaurant business, but will be left with a lifetime of memories. We created and fostered endless friendships, hundreds of relationships and dozens of marriages...and quite a few children too!

While we sure loved our wine, beer and food, we loved YOU, our loyal customers, more than anything else. Thank you so much for enriching our lives and making our wine-fueled dream a reality.
Our last day of business will be Sunday, April 19th. We would love nothing more than to see you over the next few weeks to raise a few last toasts to a place that we really believe made a difference in the neighborhood.
We hope you'll make a dinner reservation, join us for a final brunch or just swing by for a drink at the bar, fire-pit or to lounge on the patio couches.
Thank you again for enriching our lives, helping us make a such indelible and happy memories and for making our vision a reality. Please join us during our 'Farewell Tour' now through Sunday, April 19th. And unlike the Rolling Stones, there will be no reunion and this will really be our final, fond farewell, so let's make it count!
So, let's all raise a celebratory toast to a great run. If you have any special memories of BIN 38, we'd love to hear them!
Warmest regards and the deepest of thanks,
Don, Peter, David & Shaw

Boutique Report: Ambiance Remodels, UKO Remembers

With the abrupt departure of so many nabe shops (Pincushion, Fillmore & 5th) and eateries (Osha, Des Amis, Cafe Claude, Pizza Orgasmica's expansion) lately, we were a bit taken aback when we saw empty windows at one longtime Union Street trendsetter. 

While there are no cute dresses to eyeball while out for a stroll or making a beeline for Muni or an exercise bus, -- and we can't really afford to shop at such expensive boutiques, anyway -- it's kinda reassuring to know that our local outpost of...(what? Fred Segal? Dress Barn?) isn't gone for good. (Ambiance's more downmarket sister store is still open for business during the renovation.

Less good news comes a few blocks west on Union, on the front door of the shop formerly known as UKO, which was also known for its fun, fresh windows and stylish, if more curated selection of expensive but exquisite dresses. It consolidated with its Hayes Valley branch some months back, which is sad for the 'hood. But this news about co-owner David Scott is heartbreaking:

Even Umami's Feeling Irish-ish

Fat-Shaming Sweats Store to Be Comfort Food Shop

The Pierce Street storefront that last housed City Clothing is turning into a comfort-food takeaway.

We like to support small neighborhood shops whenever possible. But City Clothing was an exception, a holdover from a less-democratic retail landscape in which it was OK, possibly even store policy, to actively turn away the "wrong" type of customer. On a particularly memorable occasion a year ago summer, we crossed its threshold to peruse the Velvet dresses interspersed with the Juicy Couture hookups that must have been the business' bread and butter.

"Those are all smalls!" the clerk bellowed in an LA-style vocal fry from her perch behind the cash register.

Was she trying to embarrass me? Send me away? Get rid of the only potential customer in the place so she could continue her very important conversation?

"I know I'm not a small," I apologized. "I'm just looking at the styles." I did a quick lap, and my disposable income and I walked out and never went back.

So, the irony is more than delicious that this once exclusive, size-ist boutique will be a home for healthy comfort food. Whereas its once ideal customers were cookie-cutter bulimics, its replacement looks like it will appreciate and enable the filling of bellies.

Stay tuned.

Au Revoir, Des Amis. Hello, Union Delaros-ish

Window sign at 2000 Union, the space formerly known as Cafe des Amis.

For awhile there, we had a mini Arrondissement going on Union Street. The shiny, short-lived Bistro Unique, petit magasin Chez Berlue triangulated with Cafe des Amis around Buchanan; Gamine, on the other side of Fillmore, served as a Left-Bank outlier.

Bistro Unique is now a sushi joint (which it used to be a couple of incarnations ago), and 2000 Union has been sitting vacant (again) since January 4. The Greenwich outpost of Cafe Claude is doing its bit to hold up Cow Hollow's Gauloise rep, and Chez Berlue is hanging on. About a week ago, we noticed these signs in the windows of the space formerly known as Des Amis. The folks who run Beretta, Delarosa and Super Duper are taking over. They've already de-Frenchified the windows.

The question remains, can a large restaurant space with rent rumored to be upwards of $25,000 a month make it in Cow Hollow, when all the dining heat these days is in NoPa, the Mission and other points south? Stay tuned.

UPDATE: Inside Scoop is reporting that Franck LeClerc is shuttering Cafe Claude's spot on Greenwich & Fillmore, after taking January off and getting lots of lucrative offers for the space. So if you have a hankering for Franch, Gamine stands alone...unless you want to cross Lombard and hit up Bistro Aix on Steiner. 

Pac Heights' Loss Is Cow Hollow's Gain

Juicy News is coming to Union Street, where a short-lived tanning and beauty-ish place was for a hot second. Can't wait to peruse the shelves.

Welcome to Cow Holla: Stories from the Other Side of SF

Welcome to Cow Holla!

The idea for this blog has been marinating in my brain and for a long time, even since before the 2008 bust saw many of Cow Hollow's chicest boutiques decamping and leaving papered-over windows in their wake, like a downmarket ghost town replica of what had been one of San Francisco's toniest areas.

The neighborhood rebounded with the general economic recovery -- though many of us still can't afford to patronize local shops without the help of a sale or a visiting relative's largesse -- and still boasts the same breathtaking vistas and easy Golden Gate access it's always had. But it has lost a bit of its snob appeal as prices and popularity have soared throughout the rest of the city, particularly in the Mission, our not-so-long-ago, not-so-bitter rival in the quaint intra-SF battle known as "Mission vs. Marina." (I once dated a guy -- just once -- who even made a movie about the supposed feud; the upshot was that Marina denizens had no ill will toward the Mish, but Mission folks hated the Marina.)

But these days, the Mission feels like it IS the new Marina. It's where people go to eat and drink too much and well without any particular place in mind, and it's where young people want to live. Much of the news about SF -- its people, coffee, facial hair, restaurants, bars and displaced artistic and middle classes -- focuses on what's going on in the southern part of town, those areas with the easiest access to Silicon Valley. That may be where the city's income inequality boasts its starkest divide, but there are other stories to tell.

While not strictly limiting ourselves to Cow Hollow and adjacent areas, this blog will take a slightly different approach. We'll take a longer view, perhaps with a dash of extra consideration of our city's nature and inherent specialness/wackiness, and whether those traits can remain or evolve in an era of $4,000 1-bedroom apartments and apps that replace nearly every kind of random human interaction.

Chronicling the goings-on, both fanciful and quotidian, of a livable 'hood possibly in some sort of relative decline could be an important exercise. Or, it might not. At the very least, I hope it will be fun.

Thanks for stopping by. Come back soon -- and often.