San Francisco

Giant Cardboard Robot Today I went to Maker Faire Bay Area 2013 with my mom, my daughter and some friends and really had a blast. The festival also runs on Sunday May 19th, so if you’re in the area, you still have time to head down to the San Mateo County Event Center for the fun. Tickets are now on sale. Here’s some photos from our day: Wookie babee by Fat Rabbit Farm DeLorean Hovercraft Snail Mail plush by Claire Sanders of Fluff Engine Jack SparX Sashimi Tabernacle Choir Crocheted baby cap that looks like a boob by Ruth Tillman of The Enchanted Square Motorized cupcake My daughter SJ making an LED pinnie at Google+ Maker Camp Our friend Claire made a wallet out of duct tape, photo by Terry Ewing Ran into my friend Devon McGuire of Maker Media, photo by Terry Ewing My entire set of photos from Maker Faire Bay Area 2013: photos by Rusty Blazenhoff unless otherwise noted

Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Mission Street Food began as a kind of accident, which gathered momentum as it evolved from a food truck into a pop-up and then Mission Chinese Food and now even an outpost in New York.A few years later, we’re hoping that another half-baked idea can pick up steam and become something real and lasting, but this time the goal is not just a charitable restaurant but a full-fledged charitable food movement. We will need help to make it happen, just like last time, but we hope you will feel as excited by the potential as we do.First a bit of background: a few months ago, we started talking with The Kitchen Sisters, who produce radio for KQED, about a big event they are curating at SFMOMA. The theme is “The Making Of…” and they’re bringing more than a hundred local artists and artisans to do what they love to do—from making hats to building furniture out of mushrooms—right in the middle of the museum. We wondered what we could do, and as we daydreamed, we came upon the idea of “The Making of a Charitable Food Movement,” which would be a participatory exhibit in which museumgoers would help us build a new food culture on the spot. So here’s what we have planned: On Friday May 31st, as part of the “Making Of…” exhibit at The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, hosted by acclaimed radio producers, The Kitchen Sisters, we’re putting together an event called “The Making of a Charitable Restaurant Movement.” The idea is to demonstrate a robust public interest in making food more meaningful by giving back. More than forty of the city’s most respected restaurants will sell $50 gift certificates, of which $5 will fund meals for people in need; gift certificates will be available for purchase May 31 from 10am to 6pm at the museum and online. At the museum, chefs from Bar Tartine, La Cocina, Mission Chinese Food, Stag Dining Group, Tacolicious and Wise Sons Deli will serve snacks for $5 apiece, of which $1 will be donated to The Food Bank. The event will also feature cooking demonstrations by Chad Robertson (Tartine Bakery), Thomas McNaughton (Flour + Water), Jason Fox (Commonwealth), Ryan Pollnow (Central Kitchen) and Jesse Koide (Mission Chinese Food). For every dollar raised by this event, The Food Bank will be able to provide three meals for hungry people in the Bay Area—and the need has been rising in the last few years. We’re launching a new entity, called ShareTable.org, which is a philanthropic platform created for this event, but if enough money is raised to feed 50,000 people, we will expand the endeavor into an ongoing accelerator helping restaurants to benefit their communities.For us, this feels like a bit of a return to the old days of Mission Street Food, when we invited guest chefs to join us in the kitchen and asked customers to bear with our occasional mis-steps for the sake of giving back to our communities. We are even returning here, to our old blog, where we used to announce our latest scheme, from “Mexiterranean” night to “2011: A Seafood Odyssey.” Now we are asking for you to get involved again, whether that means eating ch

News from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs: Board of Supes Budget and Finance committee to take up the Noe Valley Town Square on Wednesday; 5% of all sales at Whole Foods will go towards the Town Square on same day [NVTS] Game of Thrones feast at Contigo (more mead, wench!) [Eater SF] Noe Valley has a plant fairy godfather [The Shingled House] Scott Wiener's May Newsletter [Scott Wiener] Church St home purchased from bank after foreclosure on a 40-year mortgage returns to market for $2.55M [Socketsite] [Photo: Matthew Shuey]

I had a Brass Monkey (malt liquor + OJ) the other night at DJ Jamie Jams’ Beastie Boys-themed party in the Lower Haight, and it was pretty good. Poor man’s mimosa. But right now, Stella and Shannon are drinking them in the yard outside my office, and they look REAL good. And the story holds up: Shannon says she picked up the habit last summer in Oakland (poor man’s SF). Anyway, these two both proclaim this summer BRASS MONKEY SUMMER and who are we to argue? #brassmonkeysummer [Photos by JustStella] Drink of the week is brought to you by Poachedjobs.com. One comment | Permalink | Share on Facebook | Tweet this

Baby jokes aside, all signs point to Kanye West having another special delivery coming sometime in the next few months. He's been getting ever-weirder with his tweets and he'll be on SNL tonight, most likely to promote a follow-up to Watch the Throne. Last night West premiered a new single "New Slaves" in impeccably Kanye-esque fashion: by projecting a giant image of his head singing it on the side of high-profile buildings across town. [ more › ]

With summer approaching, it’s time to take advantage of the hot weather and clear skies (when they come around). Brunch is our favorite meal of the day here at 7x7, so why not take full advantage? We’ve compiled a list of our favorite outdoor brunch spots, so you can enjoy your sunny side up eggs with a side of sun. So put on those shorts, grab your sunglasses, and get ready for brunch al fresco. THE SYCAMORE (pictured above) The Sycamore has it all: Bottomless mimosas, an outdoor patio, board games, and pork belly donuts. The perfect stop for pre-Dolores Park sustenance, and a mimosa that truly is bottomless (they say if you never see the bottom of your glass, you’re still on your first one). Head in early for a prime seat in their back patio and spend a few hours drinking and eating your troubles away. THE RAMP Since 1950, The Ramp has been Mission Bay’s most bustling waterfront restaurant. Their patio overlooks the San Francisco bay, and is the perfect place to enjoy seafood scrambles, corned beef hash, brioche French toast, and a Bloody Mary with a view that's enough to have you lounging all day. BROKEN RECORD This Excelsior spot, which has long been known for great bar food and Four Roses Bourbon on tap, is now serving Sunday brunch. New menu items include soft shell crab benedict, Berkshire ham and poached eggs over grit cakes with hollandaise, and smoked pastrami hash with basted eggs. Grab a seat in the patio and fill up with greasy food and morning beers. FOREIGN CINEMA Film screening area by night, open patio by day, Foreign Cinema’s outdoor dining area does it all. On cold days, heaters will warm you up, but on sunny days it’s ground zero for enjoying their unique Bloody Marys, fresh oysters, and egg dishes. Make a reservation if you want to ensure a spot at this popular Mission restaurant. ZAZIE This cozy, quaint Cole Valley café offers delicious food in their welcoming back patio. Gingerbread pancakes, French toast with caramelized bananas and walnuts, and scrambled eggs with hand-picked, fresh Dungeness crab and avocados are just a few of their tantalizing brunch items. Zazie’s homey space makes brunch feel like an intimate occasion. TIPSY PIG One of the Marina’s few truly enjoyable scenes, The Tipsy Pig prides itself on its huge beer selection, outdoor patio, and seasonally changing gastropub menu. Highlights include their chive-goat cheese scramble on thick-cut toast with roasted broccolini, prosciutto, and Meyer lemon buerre blanc; duck confit hash with brussels sprouts, pickled onion salad, salsa verde, and a fried egg; and a cast iron Dutch ricotta pancake with caramelized apples, bacon bits, and maple syrup. Pair your brunch with a microbrewed beer or one of their many cocktail choices.

My niece is kind of a shitty artist, but she’s talented in other ways. I hope.