Local links: Food news, aquatic cleanups, Mar legislates, Rockit Room & more

A menagerie at 10th & Anza. Photo by sftrajan

Happy Monday to all! Here are some local links to kick off your week…

• Looks like the new Shabuway restaurant will be opening soon at 5120 Geary. I drove by this weekend and the exterior looked finished, the door was open but a “Closed” sign was still in the window. Last Friday they facebooked a nice shot of the restaurant’s remodeled interior. It will be the fourth opening for the Shabuway chain.
  

• Congrats to Kisha Studio (210 Clement) on 4 years in business! They’ll celebrate this Saturday with a DJ, food, drinks, and raffle prizes. Stop by between 10am and 7pm to party with them.
• After causing all kinds of ruckus this year for the neighborhood which resulted in a temporary closure, the Rockit Room bar and club on Clement appears to be turning things around. The Examiner reports that police “incidents and calls for service are virtually down to zero” and “there are no complaints from neighbors and no major incidents.” This has a lot to do with the club eliminating its reggae nights, which garnered good revenue, but also led to issues with police and neighbors. The club may be re-branding itself and launching anew in the coming months.
• The Cliff House has some history walks coming up. Start with a continental breakfast at the Cliff House, followed by 1.5 hour walking tour of Sutro Baths and Lands End, led by John A. Martini, author, historian and retired National Park Service Ranger. August 11, September 8, October 13. $40 per person. Call 666-4006 to reserve.
• SFWeekly reviewed new Hawaiian-themed restaurant Ono Grindz on Clement. “Ono’s focus is squarely on breakfast and lunch with a menu that mixes typical Hawaiian favorites with some mainland-influenced remixes… One word of caution: Make sure you don’t need to do anything productive after this meal.”
• The former Y&Y Vietnamese deli team are back with “Y&Y Vietnamese Restaurant” at 914 Clement. EaterSF says there is a menu section for their “beloved banh mi”, but “now there are other options like deep fried chicken wings, spring rolls, and beer.”
• Dim sum spot Old Shanghai (5145 Geary) closed this month. “It was the kind of place where no one spoke any English but they made a mean xiao long boa,” wrote Grubstreet.
• Aziza (5800 Geary) hosted some VIPs last week when Chronicle food critic Michael Bauer dined with Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi. Bauer details his 3 hour meal, mentioning her penchant for dark chocolate (“Her freezer is always stocked with chocolate ice cream, which she claims she can eat morning, noon and night.”) and her refusal of the wine pairings (“explaining that after a couple of sips she would be snoozing on the banquettes”). Get all the food porn pics and evening highlights at the Chron
• Supervisor Mar has been busy proposing new legislation to his fellow Supes in the Board Room. Recently, he introduced legislation to ban cigarette smoking at all outdoor events in San Francisco (it’s already banned in public parks). However, smoking medicinal marijuana at these kinds of events is still ok per the proposed bill. Mar also proposed a bill that would exempt the local middle schools from paying taxes on their parking lot fundraisers that they hold in the summer months for large GGP festivals like Outside Lands and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass.
• It’s all gunked up… The Lily Pond in Golden Gate Park, located near the Conservatory of Flowers, has been overrun by vegetation and needs a proper cleanout. According to the Chronicle, the pond has a musty stench and the hardy species of African clawed frogs is thriving under the murky surface; one little boy called it “Jurassic Park”. The cost to clean it is estimated at $100,000, but they’re waiting on the state Department of Fish and Game to free it of frogs first.
• Speaking of aquatic cleanouts… Mountain Lake will be undergoing remediation in the next year, beginning with dredging in August. CurbedSF reports that the Presidio Trust will be evacuating its current residents to the Sonoma County Reptile Rescue, who will “relocate them to vineyard ponds and private lakes.” The population includes sport fish, turtles, crayfish and former goldfish – koi that have grown to nearly 3 feet long. Well at least they’re moving to swankier digs up north.

Sarah B.