farmer brown

Oh my! There have been some amazing restaurants on my dining card, this year. Tonight, I finally went with my old roommate to farmer brown, a great more than soul food restaurant downtown. The ambiance was awesome, the food was brilliant, and the place supports local African-American farmers. Can't beat that with a stick!

They brought out tasty little corn bread bites that had a sweet and spicy kick to them. Then, I ordered up the amazing fried chicken and even though it came with Tillamook mac n' cheese, I traded with Shelle for her mashed sweet potatoes. And, there were some hamhock greens on the side as well that were probably my least favorite item but, I'm not the biggest fan of greens in general.

It was a tasty haven in from the rain!

Cliff's Variety

The first time I walked into Cliff's Variety was probably almost 10 years ago. Hardware stores in San Francisco are not like those in other places I've lived. And, this particular one is fantastic. It's not just that you can get a plunger (as I did), Brita filter replacements, and children's toys all in one place. It's also that there are so many delightful people ready to help!

Green 11

A few weekends ago, on my way to the new Whole Foods in Noe Valley, I stumbled upon Green 11. Apparently, Rainbow Grocery has a bulk laundry/cleaning product section that I've walked through but, never actually noticed. Anyway, this is the same idea but in a nicer neighborhood and closer to home, for me. They sell bulk refills of a lot of good natural products so not only am I supporting a local distributor but, I'm also buying organic and re-using my containers! This is one of those places that I can totally appreciate and want to support. The best part? I spent less money as I would have on new bottles of green laundry detergent and dish washing soap!

Where I Work

Frjtz and Doubt

This evening, a couple friends and I met up in Hayes Valley, ate a fine meal at Frjtz, the Belgian fry place and then saw a great rendition of Doubt at the New Conservatory Theatre. Frjtz has been around awhile and they've newly opened the Hayes Valley restaurant next door to their old location in a much bigger space. Almost too big, really. But, interestingly decorated in what one of my friends described as "Ikea throwing up all over itself."

John Patrick Shanley's play, Doubt: A Parable was really really awesome! I recently watched the movie version with Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Viola Davis and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. The actor that played Father Flynn in the play didn't do the role as well as Phil, which wasn't surprising as Phil is kind of amazing. But, the three actresses in the play were fantastic! Truly. The best scene was the one in which Mrs. Muller, a mother of one of the children at the school, is called to Sister Aloysius's (the Principal) office. I hope to see Roselyn Hallett (the actress who played Sister James) and Pamela Smith (the actress who played Mrs. Muller) in other plays. Hallett is set to be seen as Rose in Broadway West's Enchanted April. I don't know what that is but, I'm going to look into it!

Charles

There is an amazing chocolatier in San Francisco, called Charles Chocolates. And, let me just emphasize how good the chocolate tastes! I bought a 65% bittersweet chocolate bar with Mocha Java pieces and took it into work. My co-workers and I fancy ourselves kind of experts in the field of dark chocolate at this point. At any rate, there were three "oh mys!" at least one, "mm, wow," and two, "can I have another piece?" It can be purchased online and at Whole Foods throughout the City.

Cherry blossoms

The cherry blossoms are blooming already. And, I didn't notice until now but, there are so many of these trees in my neighborhood. They are truly lovely and I enjoy walking past them on my way to hitch a ride into work and on my way home from the bus, in the evenings. I often walk up another favorite street of mine called Belvedere, which is host to a wild, mostly child-focused Hallowe'en extravaganza, every October. In February, it's very peaceful and full of bright pink cherry blooms!

Ashbury Heights

One of my favorite ways to walk home is via Ashbury Street. There are beautiful homes in this area which happily was developed by a woman named Mary Fritz, in the 1880's, and her son Frederick (hence the name Frederick Street that plays a prominent role in this neighborhood). The fact that a woman may have had a hand in the beauty of my walk home makes me feel good.

Especially intriguing to me are these curving roof lines, that can be seen in the photo above, on a house right around Piedmont Street.

The Soloist

Four and a half years ago, a colleague of mine at ITVS (who happened to be from LA), forwarded me an LA Times article about Nathanial Anthony Ayers, who was recently spotlighted in the film, The Soloist. I just watched the movie and while I was at first suspect about Hollywood making a movie about a homeless man with mental illness, it receives 4 stars in my book. The movie made me think about the homeless people I try to ignore every day and the ongoing homeless issue in San Francisco. It made me think about how Mr. Ayers' life has changed and how many lives remain confused and lonely.

I also recalled a series of articles that were published the same year as the LA Times article about Ayers. Mayor Gavin Newsom started a program called Care Not Cash when he was elected back in 2004. The other day, I had lunch with one of my colleagues who passes out food with a self-proclaimed Punk Priest. There are so many people trying to help but, San Francisco's homeless population continues to rise.