Pixel Vision

Snackin's: A shout-out to Sprinkles

2009-07-03T22:30:21Z

Cuckoo for chocolate coconut. All photos by Kimberly Chun.

Sprinkles describes its cupcakes as a "deliciously sophisticated update on an American classic," but that doesn't stop founder Candace Nelson from offering frosting shots at her mini-chain (mini 'cause there are just a handful so far in upscale enclaves like Beverly Hills, Newport Beach, Scottsdale, and now Palo Alto - though cupcake boutiques are in the works in Tokyo, London, Vegas, NYC, etc.).

From where I was sitting, happily scarfing Ritual's and Kara's cakes in SF, there seemed to be little fanfare when the shop opened last fall at Stanford Shopping Center, but man, that hasn't stopped the hordes from lining up outside the pale frosted doors of the Palo Alto Sprinkles for a lil' cake on a recent hot summer day.

Nelson says her French culinary-trained great-grandmother who made deserts for her SF restaurant in the 1930s was her original inspiration for Sprinkles. If so, her great-grandmere must have been a whiz with pastry. A pal and I picked up the chocolate coconut and the seasonal lemon blueberry that steamy day and both were superb - light yet rich cake with sparkling flavors with a healthy topping of not-too-sweet yet satisfying frosting.

I particularly liked the array of flavor combos: chai latte, chocolate marshmallow, cinnamon sugar, ginger lemon, peanut butter chocolate, pumpkin, and, of course, red velvet, among them. Keep in mind that not all the flavors are available every day of the week - the Sprinkle site lays out the sked. Mixes for red velvet, chocolate peppermint, and the much-loved lemon cupcakes are on sale, as are yogurt-frosted doggie cakes (a poochy treat that looks more than a little tempting to this human). And don't be daunted by the line - it moves fast. All the better to get to the cake.

SPRINKLES CUPCAKES
Hours are Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sun. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
393 Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto
(650) 323-9300

Spanish Street Threads: Look of the Day

2009-07-02T18:52:17Z

SFBG photog Ariel Soto just returned from Spain with a glimpse at the street fashion there. See the previous Look of the Day here.

Today's Look: Flavia, Rambla del Raval, Barcelona

More Pride pics than you'll ever need!

2009-07-02T01:27:34Z

Photos by Neil Motteram

Ahem. So, we kind of just "came to" from Pride -- we seem to have lost our pink bunny slippers, and also pants and innocence, at Juanita More's Pride pool party -- and boy/girl was it all a blur. Fortunately, rad photog Neil Motteram was wide-eyed and bushy-tailed enough to snap some pics, which we're now posting days late. Because we're cool that way. -- Your editrix, Marke B.

PINK SATURDAY

DYKE MARCH

PRIDE SUNDAY

Top 10 reasons to move to Spain -- right now

2009-07-01T21:26:44Z

Text and photos by Ariel Soto -- hey, we're Spain crazy!

I'm addicted to Spain. I've been there three times and I still want to go back to explore every single corner of what I consider to be one of the most unique and exciting countries I've ever visited. Here are some reasons why Spain is so amazing and why we should all pack our bags to move to the land of sangria and tapas.

1. Pintxos The Northern Basque regions version of the tapa, these two bite snacks cover every surface of the bars at all hours of the day. For the true pintxo experience, you're supposed to have one or two (they cost about 1 Euro each) with a glass of vinegary sidra, then throw your napkin on the floor and head on to the next bar and repeat.

2. Bachelor Parties Instead of the usual bar hopping, men in Spain dress up in drag and then parade around town taking photos with people, while their friends blow away on whistles. Awesome!

3. The Markets The food markets, especially La Boqueria in Barcelona, are magnificent. Everything is fresh and delicious and reasonably priced.

4. Antonio Gaudi Probably the world's most quirky and imaginative architect, whose work like the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, is worth going back to see time and time again.

5. Biking Naked While we have Critical Mass, the Spanish do a similar bike outing called "Desnudos frente el trafico" (naked in front of traffic) to promote bike safety and car speed limits in the city.

6. The Beach The water is warm, people stay lounging for hours and no one leaves without a gorgeous golden tan.

7. Free Music There's always an impromptu concert going down, whether it's a salsa/reggae band in Parc Guell, or a Beatles's cover band posted on the corner of San Sebastian.

8. Picnics The Euro is still going strong, so to save a bit, go to the early morning markets, get some amazing fresh grub from one of the adorable old women selling veggies from her garden, and head to a lovely park bench to gorge on fatty jamon, sumptuous olives and sun-warmed tomates.

9. Beach Towns The lazy coastal towns, like Cadaques on the Costa Brava, are totally picture perfect and really only require that you walk their cobbled streets and then sit on the beach to watch the sunset.

10. Spanish Time What I love best about Spain is the pace. Siesta (a midday nap) is actually honored, and the Spanish really value taking things a little more slowly. They enjoy spending time with their friends, taking leisurely strolls along the beach, and just gazing out over the world and absorbing all it has to offer.

Spanish Street Threads: Look of the Day

2009-07-01T18:03:28Z

SFBG photog Ariel Soto just returned from Spain with a glimpse at the street fashion there. See the previous Look of the Day here.

Today's Look: Montse, Riera Baixa, Barcelona

Writer's Block: Graffiti News

2009-06-30T22:52:13Z

By Michael Krimper

Modern graffiti practice -- born out of New York’s behemoth subway system nearly 40 years ago -- has diffused across the globe arguably faster and further than any other subculture of our time. Many thought the prohibitive end of New York subway graffiti in the mid-1980s might mark the death of the movement itself. But the phenomenon has instead grown vibrantly, evolving in imaginative and cunning ways while unexpectedly inspiring thousands of offspring movements worldwide. Regional mutations of graffiti now prosper in urban centers from São Paulo to Tokyo, as well as the sprawling suburbs spanning Paris and Phoenix, and even in small town America.

Photos by Michael Krimper

San Francisco was one of the earliest cities outside of the East Coast to contribute heavily to graffiti’s development. Young writers painted on freight trains in attempts to mimic their eastern counterparts’ love for subway cars, but they also brought the medium to life on the more stationary public spaces; walls, rooftops, billboards, and street furniture all gained color in rhythm. To this day the city is a hotbed for the creative evolution of style, approach, and placement. Graffiti tattoos the skin of our city, breathing vivaciously yet ephemerally in the rapid changing visual landscape.

During my morning routine in San Francisco’s SOMA district I come across hundreds of graffiti pieces. The moment I step outside my flat, vibrant names call forth on the neighboring walls, twisting and swinging frenetically in with an incandescence that is brighter than the fog-smothered sun rays. A school of simply stenciled koi fish meander curiously along the concrete sidewalk, snaking up the side of a storefront’s iron cage that is painted with a woman’s statuesque face locked in distant meditation. I jaunt over to the newspaper dispensers and reach for the daily only after appreciating any new stickers and wild, hand style lettering or drippy, dirty tags and rotating wheat paste prints, all competing equally for my attention. And I take a moment to imagine the people out there who took the time to get up, the thrills they must have felt, the inspiration that brought them out to the streets to write a shadowed name or post up a devilish cartoon character.

Is the newspaper vendor not the prime placement for graffiti -- both literally and metaphorically -- in this post-subway train era? Covering the pervasive street furniture are the etched names of hundreds of locals. Some invent complex calligraphy and craft intricate geometrical balance to stylize their nom de plumes. Some choose the course of improv for the signatures and let the muses of the moment guide their ink-saturated markers. And still others invest countless hours of preparation to the act of clandestinely posting up ready made stickers during the dead of the night or even the grind of the day.

A writer’s obsession with the news dates back to a now infamous article published by the New York Times in 1971 on the city-wide popularity of Taki 183 and his many pen pals. As soon as the article hit the streets circulating around the boroughs, young people quickly realized just how famous Taki had become. It spawned even more imitators and helped catalyze a movement. The irony of Taki’s expanded notoriety is that he refused to provide his last name in the article. Even though roughly the whole city discovered that “Taki 183” referred to a Greek 17-year-old named Demetrius who lived on 183rd Street in Washington Heights, nobody knew a thing about him beyond his omnipresent signature.

The writer’s signature is not an autograph in the traditional sense. The graffiti autograph is the mark of an alter ego coming into being. And that alter ego is the work of art itself, just as Calvin Broadus Jr. creates the living artwork known to many as Snoop Dogg (or in comic art, just as Bruce Wayne offers the performance piece Batman). Rather than a mark of ownership over another piece of work, the graffiti signature is a disjointed movement towards self-ownership. Instead of glorifying the originator of the artwork, the writer’s signature celebrates its own existence in a self-referential movement leaving the creator of the work anonymous. The writing of the autograph affirms an identity, its personality shaped through the stylization of the letters. And though graffiti puts emphasis on an individual’s yearning for self-affirmation, the practice is ultimately not an indulgent or egotistical project. The graffiti signature takes place in the context of a city’s public space, an environment that provides a vehicle for developing a social identity and facilitating collective dialogue among all people as free and equal citizens. The signature is a coded cry for both personal and social recognition.

While writers rarely make the news in all-out Taki 183 glory, the graffiti-strewn surfaces of newspaper dispensers distribute the news to the people. Each piece tells an intricate story saturated with drama, intrigue, and mystery. Every day we choose whether to make the effort to read these encrypted tales, whether to participate in the dialogue. We choose our responses from indifference to engagement and enthusiastic appraisal to vehement disgust. Some people challenge their underlying assumptions about the stigma of graffiti whereas others stubbornly adhere to their beliefs about its devastating harm to our quality of life. But I suggest at the least to pay attention. Otherwise you might just miss out on some of the most compelling, awe-inspiring stories that San Franciscans tell each other every day all over the streets, all over the news.

Interview: Shohreh Aghdashloo of "The Stoning of Soraya M."

2009-06-30T21:52:53Z

By Louis Peitzman

Iranian-American actor Shohreh Aghdashloo first gained international success when she earned an Oscar nomination for her performance in The House of Sand and Fog (2003). Since then, she has continued to win critics over in a variety of eclectic roles. Now she stars as Zahra in The Stoning of Soraya M., based on the true story of an Iranian woman unjustly convicted of adultery and killed. Aghdashloo spoke with me about her background, the film's political implications, and its ultimate message.

San Francisco Bay Guardian: Were you familiar with the story of Soraya M. before you did the film?
Shohreh Aghdashloo: No, I’m afraid I wasn’t, although I had seen a real (stoning) on tape. But it was a different one. The one I saw on tape involved two young men who were being stoned for being homosexuals. I had no idea about this story until (the director and co-writer) Cyrus Nowrasteh approached me with the screenplay.

SFBG: Why was it important for you to take on this role?

SA: It’s like all the other roles I pick up with a pair of tweezers. It was a very, very meaningful story, and a very meaningful role for me. The way I have lived and worked in the Middle East, Europe, and the U.S., whether I like it or not, has turned me into an actress with a mission. And this one was right up my alley. It only took me a few hours to read it twice and then call back early morning and tell him that I was in.

SFBG: You’re probably the most well-known Iranian actor in the U.S. Do you worry about typecasting, or do you just continue to take roles that you feel are important?

SA: No, to be honest with you, I don’t believe in typecasting. I think it’s as we say, that there are no small or big roles but there are small and big actors. It’s the same. Stereotyping — I don’t believe in stereotypical roles. I believe it’s the actors who turn them into a stereotypical kind of role. But there are times, methodically speaking, actors use it — they pull it out and use it and they’re aware of it. Like how Clint Eastwood is doing it in Gran Torino (2008). He’s playing a typical stereotyped racist. If you know the sound he makes, I’ve heard that before, every time he sees his foreign neighbors. I’ve heard that before in real life when I have run into people who did not like the color my skin or my background.

But what I’m trying to say is it’s us, actors, who turn it into a stereotypical role, sometimes when it’s not necessary. I have seen actors who are trying to portray bad men, bad people, and they make such faces that even before opening their mouths, you would make the judgment as to, this is a bad man. So that’s how I feel about being a stereotype. In House of Sand and Fog, I portrayed a stereotypical woman, but I’m aware of that. I did it on purpose.

Aghadashloo in The Stoning of Soraya M.

SFBG: I had another question about your background. You studied International Relations. When you do a more politically-charged movie, does that come into how you play the character?

SA: Well, not my character, but it helps me a lot with the question and answers part. (laughs)

SFBG: About the politics of the movie, were you concerned that people could construe the movie as anti-Muslim in any way?

SA: Of course. Yes, of course, I was an I am concerned, because there are thousands of people who have no idea that stoning is not a part of Islam, that stoning has been happening since the Stone Age, and it’s been happening throughout Judaism, Christianity, and so on and so forth. Other religions, other nations, and unfortunately in some rural areas in the Islamic world, they’re harboring the same barbaric backwards method of punishment. Of course, I am worried about those who are not familiar with the holy book and would take it as an attack against Islam and not a superstition. Stoning is categorized under “sonat,” which means “superstitions and traditions.”

SFBG: What do you hope the audience will take away from the film?

SA: I would hope it would touch their hearts in a way that they would go online and leave commentary on the stoning site, www.thestoning.com. And that way, when we put the information out, when people are aware of what is going on, the problem will find its remedy.

SFBG: There were many scenes in The Stoning of Soraya M. that were very hard to watch. What was the hardest scene for you to film?

SA: The hardest one, of course, was the stoning scene that took six days. Day after day after day watching these angry men pounding their fists on the ground, hearing their angry voices calling for a stoning and “Allah Akbar” — “God is great." To the point that one day I was ever so tired and I cried so much, and of course the villagers participated in the movie and played the extras. They were playing the part and so they were appropriate for the part. The dust in the air and the angry voices. At one point I opened my eyes, thinking, “It is so difficult to tell the difference between reality and cinema.”

SFBG: Why do you think it’s necessary to include that really brutal scene in the movie?

SA: Well, I’m afraid there’s no way of making this thing beautiful in order to be able to bring it to people’s attention. And I have to tell you that it’s a lot, lot milder than what we see in reality. The real one I saw on tape took an hour and a half. One hour of stoning. Because the idea is this tedious death; it should be slow. That’s why the stones cannot be small and they can’t be large. They should be medium-sized so they won’t kill the person at once. It has to take a long time, and she or he has to be tortured first, for hours, so the real one I saw was an hour and a half. This one was intended to be a universal depiction of stoning rather than the actual one that takes place in reality.

The Stoning of Soraya M. is now playing in Bay Area theaters.

Spanish Street Threads: Look of the Day

2009-06-30T20:50:49Z

SFBG photog Ariel Soto just returned from Spain with a glimpse at the street fashion there. See the previous Look of the Day here.

Today's Look: Pepi, Riera Baixa, Barcelona

A blast: Kathryn Bigelow talks about 'The Hurt Locker'

2009-06-30T04:46:04Z

By Kimberly Chun

How does a director like Kathryn Bigelow vault from 1991’s Point Break - still applauded for its camp values at Point Break Live!, SF’s theatrical tribute to bank-robbing surfers - to the closer-to-real-life heroics of the recently released The Hurt Locker? Highly entertaining and unafraid to reach for the throat-clenching terrors of a very specific war - and gaze empathetically on the very specific warriors who sign up to risk death and dismemberment as bomb squad technicians - The Hurt Locker is a departure of sorts for the director of Strange Days (1995), K-19: the Widowmaker (2002), and one of my favorite vampire flicks, Near Dark (1985). It’s a short leap from the imagined, long ago, and far away toward the knuckle-gnawing present day, though in the director’s effort to bring journalist and screenwriter Mark Boal’s story to life, she’s managed to keep the harrowing tension and gallows humor of her characters intact. I chatted with Bigelow briefly while she was in SF on press tour. (Spoiler alert: at least one plot twist dissected.)

SFBG: This is probably your most grittily realistic film, though it has ties to your other movies.

Kathryn Bigelow: For sure and perhaps the most topical. That’s really due to the fact that it’s based on the observations of a journalist who’s on an embed, named Mark Boal. When he came back he had these extraordinary stories and observations, and I wanted to protect the reportorial nature of his observations and basically transmit that to the viewer - so that we could have a boots-on-the-ground, you-are-there, day-in-the-life look at probably the world’s most dangerous job.

SFBG: He wrote the screenplay for you specifically?

KB: I was, I think, very persuasive. [Laughs] I just thought it would make an extraordinary film, and I convinced him that it would make an extraordinary film. I think there was a moment of hesitation, having worked in journalism - though he had worked on the story of In the Valley of Elah because that was based on one of his articles, with Paul Haggis. He hadn’t written a script from beginning to end. So I was, um, capable of convincing him that he could do it, and he did. And I think he did a magnificent job.

SFBG: How did you meet each other?

KB: Actually an agent we share in common sent me some of his articles, and one of them - this was before he went to Iraq - was about a very young female DEA agent that I set up with Fox and Imagine as a television series - that was a short-lived project. Then he went off to Iraq, and that’s how I became familiar with his work.

SFBG: Would you say you’re particularly focused on men’s work and a kind of machismo, a kind of male culture?

KB: No, not at all. Really, these are very pretty complicated heroes, and you realize as you get to know them and move into the movie, you realize that degree of courage comes with a real price. That kind of paradox was interesting to me.

SFBG: Did you feel a huge commitment to tell the story with accuracy because soldiers are still in Iraq?

KB: Yeah, you feel a responsibility not only to the observation, but there’s the fact that it’s still an ongoing conflict. So wanting to be faithful to Mark’s reporting - he was there every day on the set, every day of production at every juncture, wanting to vet. “Was this how it was like? Is this accurate?”

Jeremy [Renner, who plays Staff Sergeant William James, the leader of a small bomb squad in Iraq] did so much homework. He actually did an accelerated training course with DOD at Fort Irwin in Southern California. Every detail, like what hold, what movement, or what wire you’d cut, and how you’d honor the ordinance. The fact that, instead of bending over, you’re actually laying down. The degree of authenticity and reality was extremely observed, with tremendous rigor.

I don’t know how many people notice, but [the character of Specialist Owen] Eldridge, in his flack vest, there’s an empty Tabasco bottle. One of the soldiers [actor Brian Geraghty] met in training had an empty Tabasco bottle - it was full at one point. But I think he needed it because the MREs tasted so bad - that was the only way he could make it taste better. That degree of detail and specificity was so important to us.

SFBG: Had Mark Boal written a lot of that detail into the script?

KB: That detail was in the script, and it became more site-specific as we found a location. Say, the scene with the car bomb was scripted as taking place at one location, but we found this incredible location, with the mosque and various layers, so he rewrote that sequence to fit that location, predominantly because when he was over in Bagdad, any environment where you can be observed by any vantage point can be a threatening situation. You don’t know if the gentleman on the third-floor balcony is hanging out his laundry or palming in your coordinates for a sniper hit. It’s just, obviously, a very volatile place.

SFBG: Did you have any brushes with danger?

KB: No, we shot in Jordan, and it’s an incredible, hospitable, generous, film-friendly environment, though a couple of our locations were close to the Iraqi border. The cinematographer and I wanted to go across, but they couldn’t guarantee our safety, so we stayed in Jordan. But the great benefit of shooting in Jordan - and this was just a pure bonus - was all the refugees from the occupations - Iraqi refugees - many of whom are living in Amman, Jordan. So all the extras and speaking parts are actually played by Iraqis. At least you’re providing an opportunity... In some cases there were actually many actors because there was quite a cultural community in Bagdad before the occupation. That was one of the great, great surprises shooting there. Not to mention, the architecture and location, but on top of it, every Arab face there was Iraqi.

SFBG: Was there a struggle to find financing for the film?

KB: I always intended it as an independent and I wanted to cast unknown or lesser-known actors. So that always creates a different point of departure. For some reason, it’s a shame, there’s a bit more resistance, but we found financing independently and shot it in the Middle East and sold it to a domestic distributor when we premiered in Toronto last September.

SFBG: Was there a fear on studios part that people weren’t interested in real stories and were looking for escape?

KB: I hope not! I think there’s room for all types of material, but I think one of [the movie’s] great strengths is that it provides tremendous amounts of entertainment along with substance, almost in equal measure. Countless times I’ve had people come out of the theater saying, “I’ve had no idea that’s what it’s like. You’re also offering a window into a war zone that’s fairly murky and underreported. It’s underreported because it’s just so dangerous.

When Mark was over there, he was aware of one or two other embeds and that’s it - unlike Vietnam, which was crawling with press. So there’s an access to it and also consequently a reaction to it. A lot of it has to do with IED and roadside bombs - it’s just too dangerous and unpredictable. In fact, there’s that line when Jeremy says, “The green zone isn’t even off limits.” When Mark was there - I don’t know if it’s that way any more - but many soldiers would sleep in flack vests because mortar rounds would come through the ceiling, even if there were barriers just outside your trailer. Your survival depended on your observational ability.

SFBG: You worked so closely with the writer, which is unusual since according to what people have always told me about the film industry, the writers are considered the lowest of the low.

KB: It’s such a shame. Yeah, Chris Kyle, a phenomenal writer who wrote predominantly the script for K-19, sadly he wasn’t able to be on the set for the shooting of that. For this I wanted complete creative control, final cut, the ability to cast the film, and I wanted the writer there. So I had [Mark] be a producer on the film, too, to ensure his prominence. He ended up not only being a phenomenal screenwriter but a really extraordinary producer. It was his first experience as one. So I don’t know - I’m not sure what I’ve created. [Laughs] But he’s wonderful.

I think it’s all about the material. In my humble opinion, I think it’s to the filmmaker’s detriment if the writer is not actively involved especially if the piece was originated by the writer or the director and writer. I think the industry would really benefit from great storytelling, and great storytelling comes from great writers. Call me crazy. [Laughs]

SFBG: I have to say that the moment when the little boy’s dead body is found implanted with a bomb - that was the climax of this war’s horror. Was it based on anything that Mark actually saw or experienced in Iraq?

KB: It’s an unthinkable atrocity. It’s part fact and part fiction. There was certainly dialogue about some supposed incidents, but he didn’t visibly encounter that. But again the whole piece is reportorially based though there’s definitely some fictionalization. Certainly a compositing of characters he met. That’s kind of the translation from fact to drama. He calls it “true fiction,” where you virtually everything in the film is either observed or gotten through here say, but kind of fleshed out.

For instance the car bomb sequence, when the Jeremy Renner character takes off his flack suit, because there were to many bombs in there nothing’s going to protect him, so he might as well be comfortable - that wasn’t something he observed. But it was a situation that had happened and had been told to him.

SFBG: Since you’re so good at tackling everyday heroism, can you see yourself ever doing a superhero movie?

KB: Well, I kind of think of them as superheroes. Oh, yeah, I definitely would, if the material is smart and surprising. I’m open to any venue and genre, any landscape. Smart, surprising material. I don’t think that’s too much to ask. [Laughs]

SFBG: What’s next for you?

KB: I’m actually working on one with Mark, and he’s writing away and hopefully that will be the next project. Another grittily realistic opportunity to feel incredibly tense for a couple hours! But perhaps with pockets of humor - so we’ll see. [Laughs]

Appetite: Honeycomb coladas, Italian wines, French prix fixe, and more

2009-06-30T02:46:26Z

Every week, Virginia Miller of personalized itinerary service and monthly food, drink, and travel newsletter, www.theperfectspotsf.com, shares foodie news, events, and deals. View the last installment here.

NEW OPENINGS

The Plant Cafe Organic's second location with Bay views
The Embarcadero goes organic with The Plant Café Organic's second (and much larger) locale on Pier 3. Stunning Bay views, Blue Bottle and smoothies in the morning (in the cafe side of the space), lunch and dinner (restaurant side) with Spicy Fava Bean & Cherry Tomato Bruschetta or Chicken (organic, of course), Caramelized Onion, Point Reyes Blue Cheese & Fennel Pizza. If breezes kick in, there's heat lamps outside, while inside the air is fresh with a wall plant installation. Watch the sky turn shades of pink and blue at sunset with a Honeycomb Colada (coconut milk, pineapple juice, rum, honeycomb and toasted coconut garnish) in hand.
Pier 3, The Embarcadero
(415) 984-1973
www.theplantcafe.com

Donato Enoteca debuts in Redwood City
Take a Michelin-starred chef from Italy, place him in the Peninsula and you have Donato Enoteca, Redwood City's newest destination restaurant. Chef Donato Scotti highlights his Northern Italian roots in a menu using farm-fresh produce and Italian ingredients, like imported burrata, prosciutto and olive oils (the latter available in sampler tastings). While choosing from more than 100 bottles of (mostly) Italian wines, dine on handmade pasta, hand-pulled braised wild boar, octopus carpaccio, or spicy sausage/broccoli rabe pizza from the wood-burning oven. The place soothes in white and brown tones, with wine cellar, and a wrap-around patio replete with couches and chairs - an ideal Summer evening setting from which to sip an apertif.
1041 Middlefield Road, Redwood City
(650) 701-1000
www.donatoenoteca.com

EVENTS

7/14 - Bastille Day at Grand Cafe
Let them eat cake.... and eat it for free at Grand Cafe's Bastille Day celebration. Exec chef, Mauro Pando, prepares special French dishes for the occasion, which you can order a la carte or as an optional three-course prix fixe menu ($58 with wine pairings), featuring beloved French classics like Coquilles San Jacques (scallops) or Duck Coq Au Vin. As you sip on flutes of champagne, French wines (some half-priced) or seasonal cocktails, a vibrant Marie Antoinette graces the ballroom to rousing tunes played by an accordionist. Then there's cake, glorious cake. Celebrate France's independence and storm the bastille!
July 14, 5pm
501 Geary, SF
(415) 292-0101
www.grandcafe-sf.com

CONTESTS

Calling all Mixologists to compete at SF Chefs.Food.Wine
"SKYY's the Limit": a cocktail competition open to all bartenders who want to compete for "Best Cocktail 2009" at August's upcoming SF Chefs.Food.Wine bash in Union Square (and thereabouts). The spirit to be used? Campari, Italy's delightfully bitter, rose-tinged apertif. Submit your own Campari creation to David Nepove himself (at davidnepove@southernwine.com) by July 6 and the top 15 recipes will be selected on July 21st, with the overall contest including judges the likes of H. Joseph Ehrmann, Martin Cate, Victoria D'Amato Moran, Scott Beattie and Marco Dionysos. Semi-finalists make their own creations during the festival on August 7 and 8 using Skyy Spirits and one secret ingredient revealed each day. With semi-finalists narrowed down from these competitions, two finalists compete August 9th for a grand prize of two round trip air tickets in the US with Virgin Airlines.
Deadline for recipe entry: July 6
www.sfchefsfoodwine.com

Blissful Bites: the Richmond’s secret portal to confectionery delight

2009-06-29T22:23:11Z

By Susan White

Bliss by way of chocolate walnut cookies.

Not many are aware of the existence of Blissful Bites, a quaint bakery café tucked away in the Inner Richmond. I have to admit, I’m almost reluctant to divulge its whereabouts – the last thing I want is competition for what I’ve come to regard as MY tasty treats.

But I know it’s wrong to keep such delightful confections to myself. Blissful Bites is located near Clement and Arguello, right next door to the corner minimarket. Owned by chef Seungho Yoo, the establishment is known for its wide array of freshly made pastries, ranging from succulent croissants to mouthwatering cheesecakes. Yoo himself can often be seen in the back of the shop, designing new recipes that he occasionally tests on his customers. I once had the privilege of trying a caramel cupcake, which nearly paralyzed me with its earth-shattering sweetness. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to Yoo’s standards, and I have yet to see it on the menu.

Graced with cute decorations and cozy furniture, the charming café has both outdoor and upstairs seating, where customers frequently read newspapers and nibble on their desserts of choice. The staff is warm and inviting, and always up for a conversation. And they usually refrain from mocking me when I come back for seconds.

While the bakery makes cakes to order (at least 48 hours in advance), “bite”-sized portions seem to be their specialty. From miniature tortes to dainty little cookies, Yoo’s brilliance in the kitchen never fails to astound me. Try one of his exquisite cupcakes ($1.50-$5.25 each), which come in a variety of flavors, including mint chocolate chip. Or buy a handful of Russian tea cookies (only 80 cents a piece), each coated with a soft and delectable layer of powdered sugar. My favorite is the chocolate walnut cookie – possibly the greatest cookie on earth (again, only 80 cents). It somehow manages to achieve the perfect blend of chewy walnuts and magnificent milk chocolate, something I cannot continue to describe without desperately wanting to go buy one.

Just don’t eat them all, please. I still want the option of ordering seconds (and possibly even thirds) on a regular basis.
Blissful Bites
397 Arguello, SF
(415) 750-9460
www.blissfulbitesbakery.com

Meg + metal + mallets = MPR fine jewelry

2009-06-27T22:13:57Z

By Mayka Mei

It couldn’t have been easy for artist and animator Michael Daley to choose a ring when he proposed to jewelry artist Meghan Patrice Riley. The woman is remarkably learned about the history of her craft. She talks vintage eras the way Guy Fieri talks grease.

Meghan Patrice Riley working under quite the curly inspiration board.

We chatted in her corner of a shared studio space on Wednesday morning. The visit flowed into over an hour and a half of conversation and dress-up, the space between us filled with household names like W and Women’s Wear Daily, industry leaders like Lynne Christiansen, and respected resources like Dianne’s Estate Jewelry.

Incidentally, Dianne’s is where Riley found her second engagement ring, the vintage 1960s diamond in a Victorian setting that she wears on her left ring finger. Fiancée Daley custom designed a peridot and gold band down to the detail of Riley’s preferences in metals and minimalism. (She wears that one on her right hand. She said yes.) Soon to round out the trio of pieces to adorn her digits, her own stacking ensemble which will probably turn out to be the most sophisticated, architectural puzzle ring you’ve ever seen.

“I have one old, one new, and one more I’ll make for myself,” Riley said excitedly about the future for her fingers. “That’s just what happens when you’re a jeweler!”

Designer lifestyle
Like so many young girls, Riley started her foray into jewelry with beading at the age of seven. She even started sculpting her own designs. Riley became more invested in jewelry when her mother was diagnosed in cancer. Riley was in high school, and she turned to jewelry when she needed an outlet.

Now, over a decade later, you’ll find anything but beads in Riley’s lookbook. Currently, Riley’s collection shows off her mastery of metal and wire. Riley apprenticed after getting her Bachelor’s in Econ at Berkeley, perhaps surprising her parents with her life choice but ultimately refining her metalsmith and design skills.

Recently she’s been playing with the cogs and wheels of vintage watches, putting a nouveau spin on what has otherwise been reserved as a steampunk staple. Unlike other jewelers who just jump onto trendy bandwagons, Riley puts as much research and planning into her pieces as would any product developer.

“Successful design is not a replication but a combination of different influences, plus your personal take on it,” Riley explained.

As in the case of watch parts, Riley researched the history of steampunk culture. She researched steampunk designs. She researched the different styles of specific watch parts. She tinkered with jewelry blueprints on Illustrator. Then she brought the fine, layered pieces to life.

Gears of glamour.

”It make me think a lot more about process.” –Riley
And bringing them to life is no small feat. From the rivets to the links, Riley twists and pounds her way to her original vision. Taking a look at her workspace gives a small glimpse into the labor and forethought that goes into what we so casually categorize as “accessories.”

Surrounded by a kiln (for firing enamel), a tumbler (They’re not just for elementary school rock polishing!), and an intimidating collection of hammers and mallets, Riley and her collection both benefit from having a devoted workspace.

A girl can never have enough pliers.

Riley’s been working in her studio on Valencia since February, and the separation of work from home has forced her to focus and plan more. Plus it probably saved Daley from having to listen to pounding metal (of the non-music kind) whenever Riley’s creative streak hit.

If ever you wondered what this difference is between $18 chains at Urban Outfitters and anything legitimately handmade, it’s quality of material, craftsmanship, and the amount of appreciation it deserves.

MPR for the masses.
While Riley’s collection has so far been on the higher end of design, she is developing styles to be more accessible to everyday accessorizers. She’s been working the Bay Area independent maker circuit including an appearance at Chillin’ Productions the other weekend, and hopefully you’ll get a chance to try out her fibulas (super elite safety pins) at August’s Indie Mart.

Meghan Patrice Riley
Handmade fine jewelry
mpr@meghanpatriceriley.com
www.meghanpatriceriley.com

Spanish Street Threads: Look of the Day

2009-06-26T19:39:19Z

SFBG photog Ariel Soto just returned from Spain with a glimpse at the street fashion there. See the previous Look of the Day here.

Today's Look: Livia, c/ Ample, Barcelona

Shop talk: The Good Shop makes it all better

2009-06-25T22:29:20Z

Goodies at the Good Shop. All photos by Kimberly Chun.

By Kimberly Chun

I got a new Good Shop on my mind - and fortunately it’s right around the corner from Chez Chun.

Ideal for those moments when a gal needs a little low-priced, high-thrift-style pick-me-up, the Good Shop got off the ground less than two months ago, with a bash showcasing Hawnay Troof, and I gotta say it’s a welcome addition to the hood. It’s a bit off the old beaten from the exploding 24th Street corridor (yes, all we need is that creme brulee-taco-latte-bacon dog stand to make the bonanza of trendy eats complete).

The vivid, fantasmic monster paintings of Brandon Wisecarver hung on the walls when I dropped in, and the small store’s racks were filled with plenty of choice thrifted offerings: super-snazzy new wave heels and Devo footwear, burly ‘80s sweaters, modest plaid blouses, and flower-sprigged frocks. The Good Shop denizens obviously have an eye for cool - also on display via their online store. Browsing through the racks I stumbled over a Francophile score: an art deco geo-mio ‘70s poly top - awesome enough to make me forget my disavowal of artificial fibers.

Owner Ria Leigh Rabut was busy making a pattern for a cute, floral-blocked customized stretch skirt, and she told me she happily takes special orders and make alterations. Sounds like she’s got the right fit for the revolution - and I’ve found a promising alternative to Painted Bird that’s very close and extremely friendly.

THE GOOD SHOP
2590 Folsom at 22nd Street, SF
(415) 285-GOOD

Spanish Street Threads: Look of the Day

2009-06-25T19:58:48Z

SFBG photog Ariel Soto just returned from Spain with a glimpse at the street fashion there. See the previous Look of the Day here.

Today's Look: Juliette, Rambla del Raval, Barcelona