Fire on Capp Street Between 22nd and 23rd

Our friend Chris Wright just sent us photos of a morning fire currently blazing on Capp Street between 22nd and 23rd. The fire department is on the scene – hope everyone is ok!

Sitting down at 780 Cafe will cost you $5.00 starting today

780 Valencia has had a rocky couple of years since The Summit opened and closed and 780 Cafe picked up the reins. It’s still a great cafe with a strong coworking community – but starting today if your order consists of a single coffee it’s going to come in a paper cup. That’s because 780 has instituted a new $5 minimum to sit – and if your order doesn’t hit it they’ll send you out the door.

San Francisco police charge SF Giants World Series riot

SF Giants Win; San Francisco is on fire

This is what happens when the Giants win the NLCS pennant

Go Giants!

Carjacking/possible kidnapping last night at 20th / San Carlos Street

Our buddy Wesley writes:

I hate to be quoted on this kind of thing, but sometime this morning, between 420 and 430, I heard a woman scream outside. There were a few bursts of screaming within a short time period (30 seconds, maybe), and by the time I was able to get to the phone, a car was speeding off with the passenger side door open, heading towards 19th (from the direction of 20th). I was not able to properly identify the make or even color of the car to the police, who I was at that time on the phone with. Another neighbor said she heard a woman scream that she had been attacked, and that someone was getting into her car. A few of us also heard some kind of collision, though we didn’t see any damage on the street. Though there were approximately 6 neighbors/witnesses in the street corroborating information, the police weren’t given much to go on. A minute after I called 911, two patrol cars came down san carlos, and we redirected them in the direction of the speeding car. 

Namu’s okonomiyaki seafood pancake is a living, breathing creature from the deep

Ok, so it’s not actually alive – but Namu Gaji‘s okonomiyaki pancake bears an uncanny resemblance to a living, breathing thing. The volcanic mass of kimchee, oysters, scallions and sauce is served atop a crispy pancake in a blazing hot cast iron cauldron, so it’s still cooking when it lands on your table. Pillars of steam sprout up from the sides, creating a breathing, crinkling effect as they rush through the forest of bonito flakes layered over the top. It’s not for the seafood squeamish or faint of heart, but it is damn good comfort food for a blustery San Francisco summer night.

Shooting on 24th Street

An anonymous tipster writes:

“Around 3pm a man was shot outside W-K Market [in front of an apartment building] near the corner of 24th and Folsom. The victim was able to get into a car and go to the hospital. Police showed up quickly, and solicited information about the shooter from bystanders. Citizens milling around the intersection could be heard saying things like, “What the fuck? It’s broad daylight.” and “Jesus, didn’t school just get out?”

Post updated to reflect correct location on June 11th

Photo © Google

Bike lock stress test reveals that your bike is never safe

As everyone who has had a bike stolen knows, there’s really no way to make a bicycle 100% secure – you’re basically balancing an equation where the amount that you spend weighing down your bike with locks only increases the difficulty of the heist. (And according to bicycle law, all bikes should weigh 50 pounds.)

Gizmodo put 4 standard locks through the paces to see just how hard it is to steal a bike secured with a u-lock. Although a few of them fended off a beating from bolt cutters and a hacksaw, not a single one could stand up to a 5-second assault with a $40 angle grinder. Check out the video here – how does your lock fare?

Photo by dpwk

How many bicycle cops does it take to pull over a car on Mission Street?

Answer: 6! One to write the ticket and the other five to cork it in. It’s like a reverse Critical Mass that gives you tickets instead of running red lights.

Has anyone ever been pulled over by a bicycle cop? Unfortunately I missed the chase scene so the mechanics are murky at best – do they always work in packs?

Free squash at Mi Ranchito Market

As in a trash bin full of squash. Savvy dumpster divers would be wise not to squander the opportunity!

Duc Loi Kitchen serves up bitchin’ banh mi sandwiches on opening day

Duc Loi Market at 18th/Mission officially kicked off its brand new kitchen today, and the star of the show is the “Authentic Vietnamese” sandwich, which owner Amanda Ngo serves piled high with cured ham, pork belly, chicken liver pâté, and head cheese. How does it compare with the $3.50 banh mi’s you’ll find elsewhere in the city? The quality of ingredients, proximity to the Mission, generous portions, and overall flavor package make it well worth the extra buck and change.

The menu also has a good breadth of variety – including a fried chicken sandwich, a BBQ menu, and a veggie portobello tofu sandwich that can be made vegan if you ask for no mayo. According to Helen Tseng, “It’s as big as your head and contains about half an avocado”. Hit the jump for a closer look!

Corned beef and pastrami shortage hits 24th Street hard

5 Helens agree: Wise Sons running out of pastrami and corned beef at 1:30pm on a Friday hurts. Get there early folks!

Prehistoric beast spotted in Dolores Park

It’s a lovely day for a thunder lizard to laze upon the lawn. Get thee to the park!

Mr. Pickle parties down in Livermore

You might not know it, but Mr. Pickle has a sister restaurant all the way out in Livermore. Things are different there – the fresh air and open blocks of suburbs have emboldened our brined amigo to jump up and start shaking his can in three dimensions like nobody’s business. This rare photo captures the majestic beast at work, working it.

Also, how batshit crazy is their website?

Say YesYesYes to indie mags and music tonight at The Knockout

YesYesYes is a ripping new SF arts and culture magazine that is throwing a benefit show tonight at The Knockout at 9pm to raise funds to roll out their latest issue. The set list includes Lilac, Lemon Pretend, Tint, and Dj’s Lariq, and William Keihn, and sliding scale admission starts at $5 with all funds going to benefit the magazine. This is a great chance to check out some cool bands while supporting a new local publisher — they’ve already earned 75% of their Kickstarter goal and the deadline is this Saturday, so check it out if you can!

Best Arizmendi pizza I’ve had in a while

They’re pulling them out of the oven now during Sunday Streets! (Sunday Streets is right now!)

Magic Curry Kart debuts Thai basil burgers on Cinco de Mayo

Last night the Magic Curry Kart debuted its latest creation, the Thai basil burger – and it may be the best cross-cultural food mash-up since Zante’s Indian pizza. $5 a pop nets you a patty piled high with Thai basil, Sriracha mayo, mushrooms and deep-fried shallots – flavors that fuse to form a taste trifecta that ranges from spicy to sweet and savory.

Sound good? He’s setting up shop at Fabric8 at 22nd and Valencia RIGHT NOW so stop on by!

Today’s forecast: sunny with showers of light buttons

Ah, spring – that special time of year when the sun’s axis showers the Mission with scores of light buttons in all shapes and sizes. This year’s crop is already looking brilliant – the past week’s abundance of sun and 80 degree weather has them bursting at the seams across the street from Hog & Rocks.

DJ Purple crushes ‘Careless Whisper’ at Ultimate Karaoke Dance Party

This week master-class Karaoke MC DJ Purple lit up the stage at the Make-Out Room with a pulse-pounding rendition of ‘Careless Whisper’ that could have sent Sexy Sax Man packing. He’ll be kicking off another edition of Ultimate Karaoke Dance Party tonight at 10pm at Jack’s Club, so if you’ve been perfecting your George Michael croon head on down and he’ll kick it up to 11.