The restaurants along Balboa continue to impress…

Namu (439 Balboa) was named as a top choice for late night dining by the New York Times last week:

A similar mix of flavors can be found at Namu, which draws on the Korean heritage of the brothers Dennis, Dan and Dave Lee, who run it. In a quiet part of the Richmond District, Namu feeds diners until midnight most nights with dishes like green beans and tofu sesame cream with crisp guanciale from Boccalone, and a hamburger cooked rare, dressed with daikon and kimchi relish. Sojus are inventively flavored, one with smoky Pu’er tea.

The SF Bay Guardian took a closer look at The Richmond (615 Balboa), saying it’s “one of those wonderful neighborhood restaurants where it is actually possible to have a conversation with the other people at your table.”

The reviewer had good things to say about the menu too: “Owyang appears to have taken a sense of culinary style away from [his experience at Elisabeth Daniel] while paring away the Upper East Side preciousness… The basic style is elegant Californian, with a rich variety of flavors, colors, and textures and tasteful presentations that don’t become precious.”
Read the full review here

Sarah B.

The Examiner recently published a story about Charles Ryan, the man who assaulted and robbed a Richmond District resident after they pulled into their garage on 9th Avenue near Lake Street in late December.

Ryan, 40 years old, 6-5″ and 205 pounds, struck 60-year old Richard Johns several times, landing him in the emergency room with 15 forehead stitches, about the same amount inside his mouth and a fractured finger. All just for his wallet.

Johns, a San Francisco attorney, told the Examiner that after Ryan demanded his wallet he said, “Fine, but you didn’t have to do this to me. And then he hit me again.” Ryan is 40 years old, 6′-5″ and 205 pounds.

Be thankful that Ryan is finally off the street. The Examiner found out that he has a long rap sheet that includes at least nine robberies. Ryan pled not guilty to the December 29th attack but if convicted, it would be his 11th strike under California’s three strikes law.

Normally, when someone is convicted on their third strike, it carries a sentence of 25 years to life. How did a criminal menace like Charles Ryan slip through the cracks? Despite having 10 strikes on his record, was not tried under the three strikes law because it wasn’t passed until 1994.

The Examiner writes, “According to Brian Buckelew, a spokesman for the District Attorney’s Office, Ryan’s first strike came in 1990 for a San Francisco street robbery. In 1992, he was accused of nine more robberies throughout that year.”

Those nine cases were merged into one and Ryan received a 24-year sentence in a plea deal. He was recently released on parole, but arrested soon after on January 7 on suspicion of dealing cocaine.

Detectives and officers from the Richmond District station say that clues point to Ryan as the 9th Avenue attacker. Ryan’s public defender, Aleem Raja, says that police have the wrong man in custody. “The police and prosecutor are looking at Mr. Ryan’s past and ignoring the lack of evidence in the case.”

Ryan is currently in jail on $2 million bail. Thank god.

Sarah B.

In these tough economic times, even 20 plus years of tradition doesn’t hold much weight with the city’s Recreation & Parks Department.

In a letter earlier this month, the organizer for Jimmy’s Old Car Picnic was notified that their permit for 2010 was denied. The event is one of San Francisco’s longest running and most beloved classic car shows, where hundreds of owners and enthusiasts gather in Golden Gate Park’s Speedway Meadow to share their cars and raise money for the developmentally disabled.

In the letter, the Rec & Park outlined these reasons for the denial:

1. We believe that a grass field is not an appropriate venue for a car show and as a matter of policy this Department is not going to permit Car Shows on our grass areas going forward.

2. We are limiting the number of events in the fall that have an impact on our meadows to allow a minimum of 3 weeks between major events. We must choose between a number of different events. In deciding which events to allow, we are looking at a number of factors including

3. Cultural and recreational benefits to the city and residents

4. Economic benefit to the department

In an ironic twist, Jimmy’s Car Picnic was started by a former Rec & Park Dept. gardener, Jimmy O’Keefe, in 1988. The 35-year veteran of GGP told the Examiner, “You think I don’t know how to take care of lawn? They don’t have a leg to stand on.” Besides, what’s the difference between a couple hundred cars sitting idly on the grass for one day and thousands of Outside Lands concertgoers tromping on it for three days straight?

As for whether the event has cultural and recreational benefits… Come on, who are they kidding? According to Jimmy’s Picnic website, the event has raised thousands for a charity that assists the developmentally disabled. There are no vendors at the picnic, just regular folks out showing off their classic cars and hot rods, and grilling on their barbecues. Alcohol is not even sold, and you won’t hear music except what’s coming from old car radios.

As a San Francisco native, I’ve attended Jimmy’s picnic several times. My best friend’s father showed his classic cars there for many years. It’s a wonderful event where the local community, and nearby Bay Area enthusiasts can come to enjoy the park, great cars and help raise money for a worthy cause. “For 21 years, you bring a hamburger, you bring your ’44 coupe — and now these people have wrecked it,” O’Keefe told the Examiner.

The only reason for denial we really need to focus on is #4. Yup, the money. As the Examiner points out, there are two very different permit prices for events in Golden Gate Park. They charge $250 for a picnic permit when there are 400+ people, which is likely what Jimmy’s Old Car Picnic has been paying all these years.

But for a “special event” permit, the Rec & Parks Dept. charges $18,000 for Speedway Meadow. Even with the 50% discount that non-profits get, it would still be a $9,000 hit to the event’s fundraising efforts. My guess is they wouldn’t even break even.

Jimmy’s Old Car Picnic is also bumping up too close to the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, which draws thousands of concertgoers to the park a week earlier. But for that festival, the department rakes in multiple special event fees for the park venues that the festival uses. It’s $50,000 a day just to use the Polo Fields.

While I understand that the department doesn’t have enough money, it’s unconscionable that they would deny a long-running event like Jimmy’s Old Car Picnic that is appropriate for all ages, helps raise money for charity, and has minimal to no effect on the park grounds and surrounding environment. It’s exactly these kinds of events that neighbors would like to see more of, not the gargantuan, noisy concerts that run almost every weekend in the late summer.

To help ensure that Jimmy’s Old Car Picnic continues, sign the online petition. Jimmy O’Keefe and other supporters of the event will attend the SF Rec & Park Dept. Commission hearing on February 18 (1pm, City Hall, Room 216) where they’ll plead their case.

A full petition of signatures and letters of support from the community can go a long way. If you’re so inclined, send a letter of support before the hearing. Full details and suggested language on Jimmy’s website.

Sarah B.

As part of their Tastemakers series, 7×7 has a nice update on chef/owner Mourad Lahlou of Aziza, the Richmond District’s only restaurant to earn a Michelin Star.

Lahlou has a new show on Moroccan cooking that will air on PBS this fall. He recently spent a month in Marrakech shooting the series. He remarks that the food in Morocco has not changed in decades, but that doesn’t keep him from innovating on the many dishes. “My palette has changed. In Marrakech, I kept thinking, why do you have so much oil for this dish, or reduce this sauce so much… I really feel like we’ve made this stuff better.”

Since earning his Michelin star, Lahlou says “We get people driving 30 miles to come eat here now.” To keep Aziza fresh and on the forefront of modern cuisine, he recently hired chef de cuisine Louis Maldonado (standing, right) and pastry chef Melissa Chou (standing, left), to work with him.

Aziza is open Wednesday through Monday from 5:30 – 10pm. You can make reservations on their website.

Sarah B.

Word is that the weather this weekend will be mixed. So you might want to catch a double feature at the Balboa Theater. From today through next Thursday, you can see “Me and Orson Welles” with “The Hurt Locker”, or “The Young Victoria” with “The Fantastic Mr. Fox”, a terrific animated film that my friends have raved about. George Clooney voices a fox – hardly a stretch, right?

I saw Hurt Locker when it was first in theaters and it’s a nailbiter about a U.S. bomb squad operating in Iraq. One of the best films of the year that has been nominated for several awards already.

Sarah B.

ME AND ORSON WELLES (PG-13)
(2:05), 6:45
PLUS
THE HURT LOCKER(R)
(4:15), 8:55

THE YOUNG VICTORIA (R)
(1:15), 5:00, 8:45
PLUS
FANTASTIC MR. FOX
(3:15), 7:00

[Reprinted from The Richmond Police Station Newsletter of January 29, 2010. To be added to the station's mailing list, email sfpd.richmond.station@sfgov.org or visit their website.]

CAPTAIN RICHARD CORREIA’S MESSAGE
After many years in police work I am convinced that the best way to keep our neighborhoods safe is by we residents watching out for one another. Neighbors need to become acquainted and work together toward the goal of making their neighborhood safer. San Francisco SAFE can assist in the organizing of neighborhood watch groups and will provide free crime prevention information.

Irina Chatsova, SFSAFE Crime Prevention Specialist, and I have agreed to focus this year on increasing the number of Neighborhood Watch Groups in the Richmond. The newest group of the year will be on my block. Any of you that have questions about Neighborhood Watch Groups can call Irina Chatsova at 553-1968 or me at the Station.

During the past week, there were 15 traffic accidents, 4 involving injuries. There were 5 citations issued for driving without a license or driving on a suspended license. There were 3 arrests for driving under the influence.

NOTEWORTHY ARRESTS
On 01/25/10 at 12:00pm officers responded to a call of a fight on the 500 block of 21st Avenue. Officers determined that the argument was verbal; however one of the parties had an outstanding warrant for his arrest for Stolen Auto.

On 01/26/10 at 12:30am officers conducted a traffic stop at 4th Avenue and Geary Boulevard. It was determined that the driver had a suspended license. While doing an inventory of the vehicle prior to it being towed, officers located narcotics in the center console. The driver admitted that the narcotics were his and asked if the officers could just “throw it away.” The 32 year old male was charged with the narcotics violation and driving with a suspended license.

NOTEWORTHY INCIDENTS
On 01/23/10 at 7:15pm a victim was walking in the area of McAllister and Parsons Streets when two suspects walked towards him. As they passed each other, the suspects turned around and approached the victim from behind. One of the suspects pointed a gun at the victim and demanded his property. The victim complied and the suspects fled east on McAllister Street. The suspects were described as two males in their early 20’s, one wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, the other a black t-shirt.

On 01/27/10 at 1:45am officers responded to a call of a fire near the Boat House at Stow Lake. SFFD personnel were already on scene and had extinguished the fire. Officers spoke to a male who said that he had set a fire in a metal garbage can that belonged to him. He was cold and was trying to dry off his clothing and sleeping bag. There was no other damage and the male was released at the scene.

Last fall, I stumbled upon “Modern Relics”, a unique boutique and gallery at Cabrillo near 8th Avenue. Owner Alix Blüh and her dog, Jack, greeted me warmly and showed me around the store which features old fashioned, intricate displays that mesh intriguing objects with lovely, handcrafted jewelry. Read my profile of Modern Relics here

If you can’t manage to make it to the gallery or if you prefer to do your shopping online, Modern Relics has a new website where you can shop for Alix’s handmade jewelry including bracelets, earrings, necklaces, and rings.

In celebration of the launch, Alix is offering visitors 10% off their purchase, either online at alixbluh.com or at the store at 771 Cabrillo. Just enter the code “launchblast10″ at checkout on the website, or mention the discount when you pop in the store.

Tell Alix and Jack that RichmondSFBlog sent ya,

Sarah B.