Back in January the the new local ordinance (or law, not sure) which mandated that local eateries provide a health care option for their employees went into effect. Maybe you have noticed new surcharges appearing on your tabs, as many eateries are complying with this law already.

Today, on the WSJ’s blog, they make note of the fact that this new ordinance is taking effect. Not that notable, but the comments are pretty obnoxious. E.g.

Great posting. It seems that the communists got what they wanted. How sad. I moved from New York City to Texas. I considered moving to CA, but could not bring myself to life with all that red tape, high taxes and nanny state. It is a pity, though. The nature in CA is stunning.

A pretty complicated issue no doubt, curious as to whether people think it’s the right thing to do, that is mandating that businesses provide healthcare for employees?

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Nothing seems so decadent as a 1 1/2 hour Friday afternoon lunch in North Beach. Just sayin’. Is it the weekend yet?

Pictured: from La Gondola at Columbus & Jackson

We have a follow-up to the news about Bourbon and Branch’s Todd Smith stepping down from his management position…

Smith’s successors are Joel Baker and Yanni Kehagiaras (pictured above), a couple of local comptetion-winning bartenders (or as B&B calls them, “Bar Chefs”), both who have been working at B&B for a while now.

As mentioned previously, Smith remains connected with Bourbon and Branch’s Beverage Academy, participating in upcoming classes Cocktails 101 and A Taste of Absinthe.

Rumor has it that Bourbon and Branch is polishing up a new “secret” room dubbed “Russell’s Room”, occupying a space that was formerly J.J. Russell’s cigar shop during prohibition in the 1920’s. Hm, how many secret rooms can a speakeasy have?

Photo courtesy of Bourbon and Branch

I was pretty excited by Eater SF’s ongoing commentary about the bright new future of Ghirardelli Square. Needless to say, the purported wi-fi here wasn’t very strong at all. And I was standing right in front of the sign.

I walked around it with my Mom, who remembers it “back in the day,” which could either be the 50s when her girlfriend Martha lived on Nob Hill, and she would take the cable car here to visit my mom and listen to beatniks play the guitar- that was a vivid memory- but otherwise, she kept saying it was “pretty much the same.” So what does rejuvenation mean?

As a neighbor, I’ve only been here a handful of times. The shops don’t appeal, but then again, I noticed Lola of North Beach, the best stationer’s store I’ve ever been to, now has a branch in the Square. Also, found Waterfront Bakery, my new favorite European cafe (note: technically Cannery not Ghirardelli). If there’s any discernible reason for the Russian Hillers to come down and enjoy Ghirardelli Square, and not just for oversweet ice cream (they do have Swenson’s) a gourmet grocery is it. There’s Safeway and Trader Joe’s nearby, but nothing like Bi-Rite in the Mission or Whole Foods Deli. The spread of Danko-ism is something exciting, and I’ll be sure to report back here if anything else pops up that’s neat & noteworthy.

So journalist Karen Solomon wrote a review of the review site Yelp in San Francisco Magazine, and how it’s a one-town biz, and all of the other reasons that have been stated before about the online recommendation system. Well, with a lot more muscle, and from a journalist (vs. blogger, mea culpa). The response? Eater SF gets their bunchie in a wad, and Valleywag gets all huffy that K. Sol has some kind of conflict of interest- as she writes reviews, and SF Mag is in competition with Yelp. SF Eater gets response quotes that are interesting, but… So let’s see, they’re not happy that someone used to reviewing restaurants has taken on the job of writing about a restaurant review site. Let’s go back to the article… was anything actually wrong with it? Lord knows I’m Over Yelp. I’m wondering if the myopic blogger world can’t grasp that 100 reviews of a restaurant in tweener SMS speak is *not* useful in finding a good late night Chinese restaurant. From the front page, I didn’t have to look far: “san-francisco-white-chicks-dating-asian-guys-how-often-do-you-see-it”- join that thread now! Sigh.

So, Luisa’s on Union St. is closed by the health inspectors. Her new restaurant- she took over neighborhood bar Barleycorn, and her revamp of the adjoining Front Room- Pompei (sic)- is on Eater SF’s Deathwatch. Word is she’s replacing Barleycorn with a “neighborhood Irish bar.” Wow, that’s really gonna rake in the bitter locals.

On Luisa’s flagship restaurant, Luisa’s on Union St., is closed due to, (quoting health inspector via EaterSF)

High Risk: Rodents/Roaches/Flies/Other Animals (Rodents – Immediate Risk)
High Risk: Food in Poor Condition; unsafe/adulterated (Any food is adulterated if it bears or contains any poisonous or deleterious substance that may render it impure or injurious to health.)

Can 1,000 Yelpers be wrong? Choice quotes on Luisa’s restaurant
“I could care less if they announced free eats here for me until the day I die. ” – Julie A
and oddly,
“I can’t forget the Risotto alla Pescatore, even though it tasted of amnesia.” – John McdM

I sat at friend’s friend’s restaurant (Cav- rocks, check it out), drinking a great Italian wine, polishing off an excellent ravioli, and discussing Yelp with the staff. Fellow patron, who is a bartender in Oakland, talked about how her boss’s bar doesn’t quite work the Yelp right. In usual digerati showoff mode, I got my iPhone out and we reviewed each one of her reviews. Her bar had 35 reviews, and the first one, where she was called the c-word for cutting off someone who was drunk, was accurate, and she even remembered said patron. So we agreed, if there was a critical mass of serious reviews in general it sustained the project of a user-based review site.
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After eight years, Frjtz on Hayes St. has closed down, for the building’s landlord has bigger and better plans. But not to fear! They will be re-opening right next door in a few months. For now, Frjtz fans will have to venture to the Mission or Ghirardelli locations to get their fix.

Click to embiggen the note from Frjtz’s owner, Santiago:

Just down the block on Hayes Street at Octavia, the former location of Oxenrose Salon (now located on Grove St.), the building has turned green!

Coming soon? A cafe/bakery named “La Boulange de Hayes”. I assume this is along the same lines of Boulange de Polk, Boulange de Cole Valley et al (subsets of the Bay Bread group)? I can’t wait to follow the scent of fresh baked bread wafting through the neighborhood, ultimately to purchase a fresh baguette.

Spare the Air day means that the 30-Stockton through Chinatown is even more intense. The driver had a good attitude, she was laughing and joking with folks. I asked her if it was any different than pay-days. She said it was all the same. She can’t keep track of who comes on without a fare anyways. I stepped off before the tunnel to hit You’s Dim Sum. The shark fin dumpling and pot sticker were barely a dollar, and they threw in a meatball dumpling. Dinner for under a dollar, in such an expensive city.

A co-worker who lives in Half Moon Bay told me this story. She was at the Three-Zero Cafe at the little airport there — evidently a hangout even for non-aviating locals. A couple of tourists were loudly talking with each other — “broadcasting,” as my co-worker put it — in negative tones, all the usual stereotypes about northern California — the liberals, the gays, and so on, as if someone had suddenly turned on one of those conservative radio talk stations. After everyone in the place had endured this for a time, the owner came over to their table and asked, “You’re not from around here, are you??” and when they proudly said no, he slapped the bill on their table and said he was sorry they weren’t comfortable there but hoped they’d soon find someplace more to their liking.
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