Mission Mission

Tim League, of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, posted this update today:

Last night the City Planning Commission voted to approve the project, so we are off to the races. That said, we still have a long road in front of us. Seismic upgrades and the historic nature of the renovation we make this a challenging project. Nonetheless, I am ecstatic about finally being able to march forward on the New Mission. Expect many more updates here as we make progress.

The $10 million renovation will convert the dilapidated furniture storage room / roach crash pad into a 5-screen, 348-seat theater that will serve you beers. In addition, approval was granted for a 114-unit condo development which will replace the beloved neighboring GIANT VALUE building.

Opposition was light but, as expected, you can’t get through a community meeting in the Mission without some folks speaking up against gentrification and high rents. More over at SFGate.

This morning, I found the Higgs Boson. Didn’t have to collide any particles or anything. Suck it, CERN.

[29th and Mission]

Every time I order a michelada I end up regretting it. There are just not many situations that are well-suited for 20 oz of beer, salt, and hot sauce, and nursing a hangover is certainly not one of them. However, my losing streak was broken when I tried Mission Bowling Club’s take on the classic.

They start with Negra Modelo, which is clearly the ideal michelada beer – bold enough to stand up to the hot sauce and other add-ons, but without any conflicting bitterness or fruitiness. They solve the volume problem by preparing the drink in a small glass and giving you the rest of the bottle to top it off with, so your first sip in strong, spicy, and pungent enough to jolt you out of your morning haze. The additional ingredients focus on smoky, chipotle flavors, and I’m not sure how they get that frothy little head on top, but it’s similarly full of flavor. Oh and also, they put a fucking shot of mezcal in it.

So thanks, MBC, for revealing the beauty of the michelada to me, even if you did have to bastardize it a little.

Drink of the week is brought to you by Poachedjobs.com.

Reader Tom asks:

Hi,  I live over by Jack’s on 24th.  The place has been closed since the new year, it was a shock to see it dark on a Friday night.  No sign or notice stating that they are on holiday.  Does anyone know what’s up?  I hope the closure is temporary, no updates on their Facebook page either.

Website is still up, but it has no updates.

Anyone have any ideas? Did they fall into financial ruin after DJ Purple’s departure? Did the city outlaw the sale of single-serving drinks out of mini-pitchers? Is the Jack’s crew at a 2-week a team-building ropes course retreat? We must know!

Update: Kevmo fills us in:

It was sold over the summer (I think, it might have been more recently). New owners are most likely just getting ready to gut the place for whatever renovations they have planned.

Let’s go break it in!

[via Dear Mom]

Apparently tomorrow is National Hot Toddy Day. Where in the Mission shall we celebrate?

Furthermore, maybe we should do a big official hot toddy crawl?

[Photo by Olivia]

In this new series about coffee in San Francisco we will highlight worthy new shop openings, lesser known spots, restaurants that make an effort to brew a decent cup, and maintain a curated map of the best places to get the black stuff.

Stanza Coffee recently opened its doors on 16th Street in the mission, across from the Roxie. This is the second Stanza in the city and appears to emphasize coffee more than its sibling in the Haight.

The Mission shop will host a rotating selection of various small roasters from around the country.  They haven’t completely settled on which brands you are most likely to see, but Counter Culture (Durham, NC),  Herkimer (Seattle, WA), and Augies (Redlands, CA) were mentioned as potential regulars. We’ve also seen PT’s (Topeka, KS), Madcap (Grand Rapids, MI), Olympia (Olympia, WA), and Doma (Post Falls, ID) coffees on visits here. What great roasters! Beans are available for retail and you can order v60 pours or espresso drinks at the bar.

The diverse rotating selection of non-local roasts makes Stanza unique among the coffee places in the city. Indeed, there are only a handful of similar such shops in the area, such as Ma’velous (SF), Bica (Oakland), and Modern (Oakland).

We recommend that you check this place out next time you need to pick up a cup before hopping on BART.

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This picture has been whizzing around the internet all week, gaining all sorts of predictable (and merited) criticism, including the great honor of a stream-of-consciousness smackdown on Gawker. Although Gawker assumed the prickish missive must have originated in L.A., Inside Scoop reports that it came from a $37 check at a restaurant in the S.F. Westfield Center called “Cupola.”

Although the Bay Area might be a tough place to pull this kind of bullshit, I think the stingy little fucker is missing an opportunity to ride this viral news story to fame of Joe the Plumber proportions. I would gladly tune in to see this guy flesh out his political and economic theories on Fox & Friends. So how about it, buddy? Time to take the plunge and stand up for what’s right? I can’t imagine an anonymous note to an unsuspecting server in the mall is the extent of your thirst for social justice.

Our pal Lizzy spotted this delightful-sounding, bitterly cool treat all the way over in Ferndale, Michigan (where apparently nobody knows what Fernet is)! And just earlier this week, Eater reported that new neighborhood bar Trick Dog is serving up Fernet ice cream. I’m expecting that Humphrey Slocombe will roll out a Fernet and Froot Loops-flavored popsicle any day now.

This is a smiling turd. Because how could your loved one not think of a turd when he or she is presented with this.

A headstone with a sweet message. Nothing says I love you like presenting someone with a nice little grave that reads “My love for you is here to stay”.

This is [sic].

Ahh, Walgreens. At the corner of Love & Happiness.