Eats and Beers

The Summit Runs Out of Oxygen

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

I always found this place to be appalling, so please excuse my reluctant smirk, but the overly tech-centric Valencia coffee shop The Summit can no longer afford to pay their rent and are moving on to new things, says Mission Local.

From a message posted to their website:

After a year and half, THE SUMMIT SF will close it’s operations at 780 Valencia to re-open at a soon to be determined location. During this time, we’ve received press and accolades from Food and Wine to Business Week, created a community of entrepreneurs/digital thinkers/and creative like minds, helped launch many start-ups, hosted several culinary pop-ups, produced buzz worthy art shows, and threw some legendary parties. We could not have achieved such accomplishments without our amazing community of managers, staff, and of course, our patrons. We are proud of our time at 780 Valencia, and excited to take The Summit to the next level: a social enterprise spreading entrepreneurship and innovation around the world.

We are thankful for the opportunity to launch The Summit SF at IO Ventures and we wish them the best of luck on their future endeavors. We are hopeful the next tenants of 780 Valencia will carry on our spirit and become an asset to the vibrant Mission community.

Our doors are scheduled to close on 1/28/2012.

Should you be worried, the landlord (i/o Ventures, some nerdstuffs) is doing just fine and intends on finding a “new vendor” for the space.

(I should note, I don't quite know why I hate The Summit, seeing as though I enjoy buying a beverage I don't particularly like or want so I can thieve internet access.  But, yeah, something about that place makes you feel like an asshole.)

(Also, I sincerely apologize for that horrible “they're fucking dead” pun; I recently read Krakauer's Into Thin Air and I can't quite shake the image of a frozen, dying Nepalese Sherpa partnering up with a cup of Blue Bottle to found a social network and exchange warmth.)

[Photo by Indra Kupferschmid]

How Bad Can Medjool's Brunch Be?

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

TK has put together a compelling guide to New Year's Day brunching, and the brunch at Medjool is bringing out the morbid curiosity in us all:

At first I was all HA HA BIG JOKE I'LL PUT MEDJOOL ON THERE AND WE WILL LAUGH AND LAUGH and then I looked at the brunch menu and guys, it's a brunch buffet for $10.99, and the mimosas are THREE DOLLARS. It can't be THAT bad for brunch, right? I mean, the spiky-hair/shiny-shirt crowd will be at Circa, not here, right? Somebody talk me down. UNKNOWN STARS.

Uhhhhhhhhhhh, see you there?

[40 going on 28 | Gangsta photo by TJ DeGroat]

Previously on Uptown Almanac: 

New Farm-Fresh, Local Supermarket Coming to the Inner Mission

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

Grub Street brings us word that the folks at Local: Mission Eatery (where I've tried to eat lunch at like a million times but they never seem to be actually open) plan on expanding their “empire” this summer with a breakfast-centric cafe at 23rd and Bryant and a market on Harrison between 22nd and 23rd:

Then there's Local Mission Market, an 2700-square-foot space with 70 feet of street frontage which will be moving into a former industrial space on Harrison between 22nd and 23rd. The plan there is for a full-service market, with cheese counter, butcher, dry goods, and fresh produce, all either made in-house or sourced from Northern California farmers and producers. This of course means no bananas or pineapples, ever, but it also means they'll be the only market in San Francisco who can boast this kind of purely local ethos. (The only exceptions will be coffee, chocolate, and sugar, which will still come from Northern California-based companies.)

Also, [owner Yaron Milgrom] wants to set a new standard for sustainability in the way the market runs. “Supermarkets throw out fifteen to twenty percent of their unsold perishables,” he says. “So with a full production kitchen doing all this canning and preserving, nothing will be thrown out. It's going to be about finding efficiencies to reduce waste from common supermarket practices.”

Construction on said market is slated to kick-off this February with the anticipated opening date penciled in for sometime mid-summer (although, these things never seem to go as planned).  They also plan on having an open-kitchen, so you can watch cooks “take a bunch of perfectly ripe peaches off the store floor” and “go back into the kitchen and start turning them into peach mostarda”—which means none of that fun, Anthony Bourdain-level 'hijinks' one might expect from an inner-Mission kitchen will be going down.

While some people will assuredly, ahem, “point out” that Local Mission Market is ripping off Bi-Rite and not serving the everyday needs of Mission residents, remember that Bi-Rite Market earns eight times more money per square foot than Safeway and needs a bouncer to keep the throngs of weekend traffic at bay.

[Grub Street]

Previously on Uptown Almanac: 

New Mission Brewery "Southern Pacific Brewing" Opening Their Doors NYE

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

Tablehopper alerts us to the terrific news:

After many months of permits, construction, and all kinds of headaches, SOUTHERN PACIFIC BREWING is opening for a private preview party of sorts on New Year’s Eve. The Facebook post announces: “New Years Eve @ Southern Pacific Brewing 8pm-2am. Be the first to see the space and taste the beer, Champagne toast at midnight, $3 house drafts all night long! $20 private party get on the list now!” (For those who want to attend, the link on their main website seems to work.) You will be able to taste the brewery’s IPA and pale ale that evening.

Southern Pacific Brewery is also going to be open on New Year’s Day, playing the football game and serving beers—follow their Facebook page for upcoming details on that party.

According to Tablehopper, this is a preview only—the official opening of the big Treat Street brewery (at 19th) won't be until mid to late-January.  But considering they'll be selling all their local brews for $3 a pint, I'm sure we can all give them a pass.

(You can also see a sketch of their interior design here)

Previously on Uptown Almanac: 

Are Food Trucks 'Punk Rock'?

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

It's the project of the “dirty sex rock” band Flexx Bronco, it's got a quasi-sinister name (“Voodoo Van”), and it's slogan is “No forks, No knives, No mercy.”  They even serve a vegan seitan sandwich along with their fried potato-cream cheese balls, “p. b. n' j. balls,” and shrimp po' boys.  But in an age where food trucks are trendier than $50-per-person meals on Valencia, could a food truck ever be considered “punk rock”?  According to an interview with founder Phil Stefani on Eater, that's a yes:

What prompted you to start a food truck? I love this question cause people are always saying to me “Dude I had no idea you were into cooking?” And I'm always like “I'm not, I don't cook buuut my friends do.” And thats the truth. I'm a wizard with a microwave. Being in a touring rock band, as well as a bartender, I love love love street food or late night food on the go. I love touring. I love traveling. I can't stand that static feeling of standing still. I always wanted to open a bar or venue, but the thought of “location, location, location” frightens the shit out of me.

I come from a very punk rock, DIY background and I have always veiwed these food trucks as kind of a wild wild West. It's us against them (brick n' mortars, The City, permitting process, rent). I like that I can design the Cosmic American Voodoo Van like a band would design an album or shirt, and that I can use my knowledge of marketing a band and apply it to something else—in this case, kind-of-gourmet street food. I get to work, move around and experience something new everyday. Fuck it, we'll come to you!

Read on for some more pics, additional insight into the whole project, and background on the band.

Gentrification Watch: Carlos Club to become 'coffee shop'

— By Zach Perkins |

It appears that Carlos Club, the predominately latino bar outside the 24th St Bart station that was known for its 'bar maids' (tequila-pushing under-paid female employees,) is being turned into a 'coffee shop'. You might remember this establishment from its six month ABC investigation that ultimately lead to it's closure in July. The investigation uncovered “unsavory [labor] practices” that preyed on both its patrons and the unfortunate women who were employed there.

Hopefully we'll see them retain the original business model so the laptop crowd can enjoy 'barista girls' hustling them to purchase another round of espresso shots in exchange for their continued company and WiFi access. 

Previously on Uptown Almanac: 

It's Always Cold Beer Weather in Dolores Park

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

Our buddy John, whose Friday afternoon is clearly way better than ours, just sent us a pic of Dolores Park's PBR sasquatch out in the wild.  In December.  Which begs the question: if Cold Beer Cold Water comes out of his hole and sees a suntanning stoner, does it mean we're going to get an early spring?

Previously on Uptown Almanac: 

Progressive Grounds' Future Involves BEER

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

As most anyone on the Mission coffeeshop circuit can tell you, Pro Grounds is pretty much the best place to overhear pure crazy while pretending to get work done in the entire 94110 zipcode (their berry buster smoothie is pretty good too).  And come January, you'll be able to enjoy the sights and sounds of 21st and Bryant while sucking back cheap beer and house wine.

According to the woman manning the counter yesterday afternoon, they're extending their hours until 9-10pm every night, helping fill that much-needed late-night caffeine/complimentary wifi void in the neighborhood.  Mind you, these things tend to (unexpectedly) take a while (The Roxie has been waiting to get beer since May), but, beer!

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