Mission Mission

Just Frida being Frida.

I suppose this explains those colorful stencils we noticed earlier.

Here‘s a blast from before the bust of ’01. When Slanted Door used to be on Valencia and places like Mangiafuoco on Guerrero used to offer basic Italian grub and grog (“It has chianti and what else do you need in an Italian restaurant”).

Benders was Sacrifice, serving up rum ribs and voodoo pasta in a tiki setting (“Don’t ask about how this purgatorial “tiki lounge” fits in, it just does”).

Booze was referred to as liquids and Amnesia charged a whopping $2 for live shows. Over at The Uptown a good jukebox was defined as one stocked with Dylan and Morphine, but beers were $3 and the dude next to you could probably tip you off on a well priced nitrous tank.

The current de-gentrified Club Veintiséis on Mission near 26th was the gentrified 26 Mix, a “sound bar” offering up a high quality listening experience while you sipped on your suds à la Tokyo style bars which feature a premium soundsystem and choice djs.

Bonus interview with dj Spesh aka “dj Special K” of club QOÖL fame right here, who will surely get a kick out of this decade old frosty picture we’ve unearthed.

Spotted by The Tens.

Local bartender, musician, DJ, and all-around rad guy Josh Yule was recently interviewed in the SF Examiner, and he had some fairly interesting things to say:

I’m from Florida. I don’t want to piss off my Florida friends. Florida has a different way of thinking. Most people there aren’t forward-thinkers, they’re backward-thinkers. And that’s why I came out this way. I wanted to get as far away from the South as possible. I think I’m a San Franciscan now. I think after 10 years, I have my residency — I hope. I’ve been told by a friend who grew up here that after 10 years, I am a citizen of San Francisco.

I hope he’s right, because that means I’ll be an official citizen soon too!  There are plenty more poignant tidbits, like how to make a French 74 and whether or not the Knockout is haunted, so read on.

[Photo by the talented Beth LaBerge]

Last month, a true SF kitchen legend fell victim to violence here in the Mission. This weekend, his adopted family at Serpentine are having an event to benefit the actual family he left behind:

Silent Auction and Benefit @ Serpentine Restaurant
Location: 2495 3rd Street San Francisco, CA 94107
Date and Time: 11.11.2012 & 6pm to 9pm

As I’m sure many of you already know, San Francisco recently lost one of its highly valued residents. A senseless, unexplained act of violence in the Mission left our friend in a coma. His wife ultimately made the decision to take him off of life support and donate his organs to families in need at SF General.

Cesar worked at Serpentine since the day its doors opened 5 years ago. He was an invaluable and much loved member of our restaurant family. If you’ve dined with us, you have in some way been touched by what he has done for this restaurant and – in a larger sense – for this city as a whole. Cesar cooked, cleaned, and staffed more restaurants than any of us can list.

Cesar left a wife and four children in a small village in Mexico. He came to San Francisco to provide for his family and give them a better life. He left San Francisco with a beautiful legacy, a legion of friends, and the gift of life. We are asking your support with the expenses of getting him home and assisting his loved ones. You may never know the amazing person he was, but know that we have been touched and will walk forward as better people because of it.

Donations can be made in the form of silent auction items, purveyor materials, and – more importantly – your spirit and attendance.

If you would like to attend the benefit; we are asking for a $20 donation at the door. This includes a hosted taco bar. Cocktails will be available for purchase and we are having a silent auction as well.

We thank you all for your support.

More information about Cesar here and here.

Jose Cesar Chuc Family Fund

Caesar is gone. Here is an excerpt of the statement from his pal Eric published here last week:

Caesar was a family member to everyone who worked at Serpentine, and a friend to dozens of other cooks and restaurant workers in the City. Serpentine ran, because of Caesar.

He came to the United States 6 years ago, in hopes of providing a better life for his family back in the Yucatan. He worked numerous jobs is kitchens around the City, and quickly became a legend among kitchen crews. Not only was he a selfless gentleman that would go down in flames with any kitchen crew; he also was the guy to call if you needed something. If you needed a fill in line cook, dishwasher, cleaner, whatever, Caesar was the guy to call.

A beloved member of San Francisco’s restaurant scene fell victim to violence during Monday night’s brawl. His friend and colleague Eric Ehler would like to say a few words:

Long time Serpentine cook, Caesar Chuc, was attacked at 16th and Valencia, on Tuesday morning, at around 2. The only thing we know is that he was somehow involved in a brawl, and was found unconscious, and with no pulse. He was rushed to SF General, and is hanging on with life support, however he is not expected to make it.

Caesar was a family member to everyone who worked at Serpentine, and a friend to dozens of other cooks and restaurant workers in the City. Serpentine ran, because of Caesar.

He came to the United States 6 years ago, in hopes of providing a better life for his family back in the Yucatan. He worked numerous jobs is kitchens around the City, and quickly became a legend among kitchen crews. Not only was he a selfless gentleman that would go down in flames with any kitchen crew; he also was the guy to call if you needed something. If you needed a fill in line cook, dishwasher, cleaner, whatever, Caesar was the guy to call.

We’re praying for you, Caesar, and even if you pass, your legend is going to live on.

Thanks, Eric. Pull through, Caesar.

SFGate says: “Anyone with information about the fight is encouraged to contact San Francisco police. Callers can use an anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the text with SFPD.”

Ever feel like these days people are too closed off in their own world (or phone) to notice not just what’s going on around them, but also who?  Ever read some pitiful Missed Connections post about someone who supposedly met the love of their dreams but either couldn’t muster the courage or just simply couldn’t think of anything to say to them?

While a pre-emptive resolution to Craigslist Missed Connections is probably not the original inspiration for the project, it’s nonetheless one of the many applications for this populist experiment dubbed “Public Prompts” - Meaningful Conversation for the Masses.  One of the creators of the project, George, recently gave us the low-down:

It consists of publicly-placed conversation starters that inspire fun interactions between strangers. We’re pasting em all over bus stops, BART and Muni, especially in the mission since thats our hood. In fact the templates are all on the site, so anyone can put up their own as well!

Ooh, sounds like fun!  I wonder how many Public Prompts we can come up with?

Had a schwell time at @missionbowling in SF last night. Some great Belgian beers, not enough strikes

— gotye (@gotye) September 12, 2012

I apologize equally for the horrible pun and for the song stuck in your head again.

At the Verdi Club no less, as part of some Litquake thing because she wrote a book or something.

[via lmc]