Last night I stopped in to have dinner at Sichuan Home, a new Chinese restaurant at 5037 Geary between 14th and 15th Avenue. The space used to home to Family Fortune restaurant.

Sichuan Home just opened last week and is run by chef and owner Hong Liu, who came to the U.S. about six years ago from China’s Sichuan province where he learned to cook.

The menu is extensive, offering the usual fare you’d order at a Chinese restaurant, with many chef specials. I’m not the most adventurous eater but took note of interesting menu items like the north pole sea-snail.

The restaurant specializes in Sichuan dishes which tend to have more kick to them, but there was also a menu page of Mandarin style items which are milder.

Our server brought us a sort of Sichuan cole slaw as a table appetizer, which we munched on while waiting for our order. The egg rolls were tasty, but we really enjoyed the General Chou chicken which unlike others I’ve had, wasn’t as deep fried and crunchy, yet still packed with flavor.

We also ordered the House Style Chow Mein which included shrimp, chicken, beef and vegetables and was also very tasty.

It was on RichmondSFBlog reader Margie’s recommendation that I went to Sichuan Home. Her favorite dishes so far include the hot and sour and sizzling rice soups, the green onion cakes and Kung Pao chicken, which she said “all seem authentic.”

The service was good as well. Thankfully my water glass was filled frequently – I ran into a few chile peppers along the way! The wait and kitchen staff were very friendly but light on English skills, so be prepared to point to items in the menu when you’re ordering.

If you’re looking for a new Chinese restaurant to try out, check out Sichuan Home. The restaurant has a nice interior, friendly staff and tasty food from an expansive menu. They are open every day for lunch and dinner, and offer take out but not delivery.

Sarah B.

The General Chou’s Chicken and House Style Chow Mein dishes.

The interior of Sichuan Home restaurant

The murals above Green Apple Books at 506 Clement Street. Courtesy of the Green Apple Core

The Green Apple Bookstore’s blog has a nice post about the murals that are on the second story of the main store’s facade at 506 Clement. Most of us probably don’t pay them much notice since they’re overhead and they easily blend into the colorful noise of Clement.

Created for practical reasons – to cover some unkempt windows – the murals were designed by local company Back to the Drawing Board with the intent of portraying the Green Apple experience.

The murals are supposed to be windows, giving passersby a look “into” the store. Inside, browsing the stacks, we see Mother Goose, a space alien scanning a copy of “To Serve Man”, and Dashiell Hammett looking like he’s about to shoplift one of his own books.

I personally love the “Used Dreams” section header in one of them, and the hippy looking over the shoulder of a kid that looks like Harry Potter. Great details in there!

The patrons in the original draft of the mural were apparently too gussied up for the funky bookstore. “So we had the artist replace some pantsuits with sweatshirts, and the mural was born,” writes Green Apple.

The post doesn’t say when the murals went up. Does anyone remember?

Sarah B.

The left side mural above Green Apple Books on Clement Street.
Courtesy of the Green Apple Core

The right side mural above Green Apple Books on Clement Street.
Courtesy of the Green Apple Core

There’s a new cafe in the Outer Richmond – Magdy’s at the corner of Clement and 31st Avenue. They opened just a few weeks ago.

I popped in for an Italian soda and a cookie on Saturday afternoon. It’s a cute little cafe that offers coffee, tea, pastries, bagels, soups and salads, and a variety of sandwiches including hot paninis.

The cafe has a couple of tables outside, making it a nice spot to soak up some afternoon sun. They also offer free WiFi.

Thanks to RichmondSFBlog reader Courtney for the tip!

Sarah B.

For three nights beginning TONIGHT Monday, June 27 until Thursday morning, June 30, the ramp from northbound Highway 1/Park Presidio Boulevard to northbound Highway 101/Doyle Drive will be closed from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.

If you are headed to Marin during the closure periods, you’ll have to get there by winding through the Presidio to the Golden Gate Bridge via the Arguello, 14th Avenue or 25th Avenue gates.

Sarah B.

Taken at Tekka on Balboa Street. Photo by EandJsFilmCrew.

The next time you’re at the Academy of Sciences and also have an iPhone or iPod Touch in tow, be sure to try out their new app, the Academy Insider.

The app is designed to be a virtual, pocket tour guide for Academy visitors. The app includes a full A-Z listing of exhibits, where users can also mark their favorites and zone in on exhibits depending on which level of the Academy they’re on. Select an exhibit from the list and you learn a bit more about it, get step by step directions to it, and dive deeper with additional info like photos and videos.

As you move through an exhibit, you can mark it a visited in the app. You can also share an exhibit with friends via Twitter, Facebook or email. Still got questions? Tap an icon to send an email to an Academy naturalist who will answer you within 48 hours.

The app also includes maps for each level of the Academy, as well as a very handy list of ongoing events for the day, which is useful in planning your itinerary.

The app even lets you buy tickets from it, so the next time you’re en route and don’t want to deal with the lines, this could come in handy. You can select a paperless mobile ticket when you checkout so getting in is as easy as holding up your phone to be scanned.

The Academy Insider app is free and available from the App Store.

Sarah B.

Photo by Confetti.