It’s back! Urbandaddy.com has a writeup on the new and improved “Eats” at Clement and 2nd Avenue, which was recently taken over by the Burma Superstar / B Star Cafe conglomerate.

Many readers lamented its closing, saying the well-worn cafe was “one of the best breakfast/brunch places in our neighborhood.”

Well, it sounds like the new one will still fulfill all our breakfast needs, perhaps with a little more flair. Urbandaddy writes:

All the traditional standbys are here—Belgian buttermilk waffles, farmer’s market scramble, chicken and waffles, two eggs with bacon and home fries. But you can also partake of daily specials posted by the chalkboard, which lists the day’s local ingredients (think: potatoes, chard, pears).

He also says you’d never know who’s running the place based on its decor:

Even though the new Eats is brought to you by the same owners of Burma Superstar and B Star Bar, you’d never know when you step into this bright, farmhouse-styled eatery.

The new “Eats” is serving breakfast daily from 8am to 3pm. Who’s ready for some pancakes!!!

Sarah B.

The Golden Gate National Parks are sponsoring a unique contest this year called the GGNP Endangered Species Big Year. The goal: spot as many of the 36 endangered and threatened species as you can, and take steps to help prevent them from going extinct.

Many of them, like the Snowy Plover and California Sea Otter, are right here at Land’s End and Ocean Beach.

A Big Year is a competitive event where people race to see the most species in a specified geographic area in a specific year. The GGNP event is unique in several ways. It focuses only on endangered species and it includes both endangered animals as well as flora and fauna.

In its third year, the compeition requires participants to not only compete to see the most species, but also to complete actions that help the species recover. And unlike other Big Year competitions, the geographic area of focus is the Golden Gate National Parks, our nation’s great urban national park experiment.

What do you win? The person who spots the most endangered species by the end of 2010 will win a $1,000 gift certificate to REI or Eagle Optics – your choice. In addition, over $1,000 of prizes will be given out over the year to competitors who meet certain milestones, like entering their first action item and sighting, or being the first to find a sea otter during the year.

To get started on your Big Year, visit the Wild Equity website for more information. The program is free and is a great chance to dive deeper into our local wildlife.

In addition, local naturalists will hold several Big Year events this month right here in the Richmond:

February 13: Sea Watch for Endangered Sea Creatures
February 20: California Coastal Ecosystem Restoration at Lands End
February 27: Coho Salmon Habitat Restoration
February 28: Snowy Plover Walk

All events meet at Louis’ Restaurant, 902 Point Lobos Ave, right near the Cliff House. Please RSVP to mbzlat@yahoo.com if you plan to attend (or if you have questions). Sorry, I could not find a meeting time.

Happy spotting!

Sarah B.

[via Funcheapsf.com]

The best views of the Richmond are soon to be from the new Presidio Landmark apartments inside the Presidio gate at 15th Avenue. The Examiner reports today that the 78-year-old building, formerly a hospital, is on schedule to open for tenants this summer.

The new website for the complex, thepresidiolandmark.com includes floor plans for 1 Bedroom/1 Bath, 1 Bedroom/1.5 Bath, and 2 Bedroom/2 Bath units, ranging from 550 to 1500 sq. feet. Pictures on the site show details of the kitchen and bathrooms which will shine with stainless steel, sleek countertops and modern fixtures.

The building will include a fitness center, yoga and pilates studio, a wine tasting room, marble stairs and hallways… See, it’s schwanky, right? No word yet on what the rents will be.

As an extra bonus, green living is included! Half of the building site has been restored using drought-tolerant, non-invasive plants, exterior lighting is minimal and never points into the sky (to reduce light pollution!), and rainwater runoff is captured onsite and routed into an underground acquifer. I think they mean routed into muddy pools on 15th Avenue, right?

There’s also dual-flush toilets (a trend I hope catches on more), separate trash and recycling chutes on every floor, radiant floor heating, and solar power.

The Green Apple mascot makes a fun appearance on the Neighborhood overview on the website, and they make mention of Kamei Restaurant Supply. I love Kamei too but mentioning it on a real estate website seems a little odd.

The site also has a section on Townhome Living where it says there are seven, 3-story, 3 bedroom/3 bath townhomes that are available. I assume these are the old officer’s homes on the east side of the property that overlook Park Presidio Boulevard. If so, I am glad those will be restored to their former glory.

The Examiner also reports that some changes will be made to better accomodate traffic to and from the complex. “To help address neighbors’ concerns about traffic jams in their hitherto quiet streets, the 14th Avenue gate will be opened for inbound traffic, which will loop and flow outbound through the 15th Avenue gate, according to Presidio Trust spokeswoman Dana Polk.” The Presidio Shuttle will also change its route to include the new residences.

I’m looking forward to the first open houses! What do you guys think?

Sarah B.

P.S. – Commenter cat pointed me to a fascinating collection of pics from the abandoned hospital that were taken in 2004 (it was shut down in ’88). It gives you a sense of what they had to deal with during the remodel, not to mention how creepy the place was (don’t miss the shot of the morgue!):

Our generous fans over at FAMSF are making Valentine’s Day dreams come true this year. In honor of Cupid’s big day, they’ve given me two pairs of passes to the Cartier and America exhibit at the Legion of Honor which I want to give away to readers.

Doesn’t diamonds and lunch sound like a great Valentine’s Day? After all, diamonds are a girl’s best friend. And even the men are getting in on the bling nowadays. But if you win, the passes are good anytime, not just on February 14th.

To enter to win a pair of free tickets to Cartier and America, just find the answers to the two trivia questions below, then go to our Contact Us page and send them in. Entries are due by Sunday, February 7 at midnight.

1) The exhibit includes a pair of bracelets worn by Gloria Swanson in what classic Hollywood film?

2) The exhibit also includes the engagement ring of Princess Grace of Monaco. What cut diamond does it contain and how many carats is it?

Good luck!

Sarah B.

Golden Gate Park is a great place to visit, and a lot of the “care and feeding” comes from volunteers. Places like the Conservatory of Flowers, the Academy of Sciences and the SF Botanical Garden rely on volunteers year round to help staff their venues, educate the public and work with kids.

Next Wednesday, the Conservatory will host the Golden Gate Park Volunteer Fair where representatives from leading Park organizations will present exciting opportunities for volunteering in Golden Gate Park.

Meet representatives from the Academy of Sciences, de Young Museum, Conservatory of Flowers, San Francisco Botanical Garden Society, San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, San Francisco Parks Trust and affiliated community groups.

If you’ve ever thought about volunteering your time in the park, the fair is an exciting and meaningful way to meet new people, pursue lifelong passions, educate the public and lend a helping hand in one of the Bay Area’s most beautiful parks!

Golden Gate Park Volunteer Fair
Wednesday, February 10, 2010 | 10am – 2pm
Conservatory of Flowers, Golden Gate Park
Free Admission

Sarah B.

What would you do if a disaster like the Haiti earthquake hit San Francisco? It’s horrible to even think about, but wouldn’t you want to be prepared, and be able to help out your family and neighbors?

After the 6.9 quake of ’89, the San Francisco Fire Department, prompted by the residents in the city, formed the Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT) Training Program, which provides training in disaster and emergency response.

Since 1990, NERT has trained more than 17,000 San Francisco residents to be self reliant in a major disaster. Their goal is to teach as many San Franciscans as possible that, with basic training, they can make a difference in the lives of their families and others when affected by a disaster, large or small. It’s often the first 72 hours after a disaster that are the most important.

NERT courses are free and include training in disaster skills, disaster medicine, earthquake awareness, light search and rescue, hazard mitigation and more.

Normally training is 20 hours over a period of 3-hour sessions, but this month, they are offering an intensive session over two Saturdays. Anyone can attend but residents in the Richmond and Sunset are especially encouraged to help fill out the N.E.R.T. ranks on the west side of the city.

Saturday, February 13 & Saturday, February 20
8:30am to 5:30pm
L’Chaim Senior Center, 2534 Judah Street (between 30th and 31st Avenues)

Click here to register for the class or call 970-2024.

If the intensive training doesn’t fit with your schedule, visit the NERT website for more class dates and times.

Sarah B.

Stop by the Richmond District Library this Saturday from 12:30pm to 1:30pm to catch a performance of the Chinese Lion Dancers in celebration of Chinese New Year.

There will also be a martial arts demonstration. Below is video I captured of the lovely lions dancing along Clement Street last year.

Sarah B.