This Week In Noe Valley: Phone Grabbing, Foodie Events, And Scott Wiener Is Winning

News from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs:

• J-Church phone grab. Again. No seriously - AGAIN. Put your phone away. [Mission Local]
• Bingo Night at St Paul's [SFGate]
• How to find adventure in San Francisco: "Throw a little glitter on it, Honey!" [DesignStudio]
• More on how Caskhouse ended up in Noe Valley [Gorilla Analytics]
• Scott Wiener makes the far left mad. Whatever. [7x7]
• Noe Valley Bakery makes a mean birthday cake [Red Tricycle]
• Omnivore Book's March foodie events [Omnivore Books]
• Omnivore's Celia Sack also knows a thing or two (or three) about crab [Edible SF]
• Average January single family home sold for nearly $2M [Downing & Co]
• And yet...words fail. Probably "good bones," but the last three photos... [James Maxwell via Pac Union]

[Photo: Tamar Hurwitz]

For Lease: Elisa's Health Spa

If you've ever wanted in on San Francisco's hot tub scene this is your chance. Tucked behind Easy Breezy and Bliss Bar on 24th Street, Elisa's Health Spa has been here since the rollicking '70s and is even ADA compliant. It may not be the cleanest, but you could change that. $48,000 gets you in the door and presumably into a partnership. Rent is $3500, and of course you'll need staff.

Add some bleach, the right lighting and some mood music for a swingin' time. Shagadelic!

[LoopNet: 4028 24th St # A, San Francisco, CA, 94114 - Available for Lease]

Tonight: Public Safety Community Meeting With Scott Wiener

Details for tonight's meeting with Scott Wiener:

Please join Supervisor Wiener for a community meeting to address the recent crime trends in Noe Valley & Glen Park.

Representatives from Mission and Ingleside Stations will be in attendance for a presentation followed by an opportunity for questions.

Community co-sponsors and invitees for the event include the Noe Valley Association, Noe Valley Merchants and Professionals Association, Upper Noe Neighbors, Friends of Noe Valley, Diamond Heights Community Association, Glen Park Association, Glen Park Merchants Association, and San Francisco SAFE.

For more details, please contact Supervisor Wiener’s office at (415) 554-6968.

We're looking for notes from someone able to attend. Please contact us if you can provide a report.

What: Noe Valley / Glen Park Public Safety Community Meeting
When: Tuesday, February 19th, 7:00-8:00pm
Where: Horace Mann Middle School, 3351 23rd Street (between Valencia & Bartlett Streets)

This Week in Noe Valley: Spring Calling, An Upcoming Community Safety Meeting, And MF Chicken Scrapped

News from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs:

• Tacolicious not opening MF Chicken in Noe Valley after all [Tablehopper]
• Staircase porn [Houzz]
• MLS District 5 real estate data [Real Data SF]
• Scott Wiener hosting a public community safety meeting this Tues [@Scott_Wiener]
• Keiko Fukuda, Judo master and a living link to the founder of Judo, dies at 99 [New York Times]

[Photo: NVSF]

Crime Beat: Hatchet Attack

Some scary news posted on SFGate:

Two men were injured when they were attacked with a hatchet during a home invasion robbery in San Francisco’s Noe Valley neighborhood on Thursday night, police said today.

The robbery was reported at about 11:15 p.m. in the 300 block of 27th Street.

A 58-year-old man came home to find the other victim, a 69-year-old man, tied up and suffering from a cut wound. The 58-year-old man was then attacked with a hatchet by three male suspects in the home, according to police.

Both victims suffered deep lacerations and were taken to a hospital to be treated for their injuries, which are not considered life-threatening, police said.

The suspects fled and had not been found as of this morning.

Anyone with information about the robbery is encouraged to call the Police Department’s anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or to send a tip by text message to TIP411.

Update (2/20): From the SFPD Ingleside Newsletter:

Robbery -- 11:21pm, 300 Blk 27th St. Officers McMilton and Peregrina, along with several additional Ingleside Officers were sent to the 300 Block of 27th Street after several citizens called police about a robbery. Upon arrival, the officers found two victims, bleeding from several wounds, at a home that was ransacked. One of the victims told the officer that he was awoken by two unknown suspects beating him. He tried fighting back but the suspects continued the assault before tying him up. The other resident arrived home during the robbery and was also assaulted by the suspects. Both victims claimed the suspects attacked them with a hatchet before stealing several items, including a large amount of jewelry. The victims were taken by ambulance to S.F. General Hospital with severe injuries. Several officers canvassed the surrounding area, interviewing neighbors, about the crime. Other officers searched the area for suspects without success. Report number: 130132060.

[SFGate: Two men injured in Noe Valley hatchet attack]

This Week In Noe Valley: Who Really Parks On 24th St, A Call For Strong Voices, And Some Fun Geekery

News from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs:

• Tech Search Party raised $12,000 for local schools [TSP]
• Zuckerberg chatted up Snapchat founder in Noe Valley before creating Poke [Business Insider]
• Bastian Holze is starting an a cappella choir and needs your talent [Bastian Holze]
• All the cars cleared off 24th St immediately for the fire as if they all belonged to merchant employees. Does Bob Roddick Know? [Hunter Walk]
• "Nemo has really taken its toll on us here in San Francisco" [@kevinmonty] 
• John Elias Karlin created the way the world looks at a keypad. He died this week. [NYT]

[Photo: @JybJonesDMBA]

Video: Elizabeth Street Brewery

The second episode of Brew Age highlight's Noe Valley's Elizabeth Street Brewery. Check it out because it's awesome (and because it has the best three-word motivation for launching a passion we've ever heard).

Brew Age is a new series from Oct28 Productions featuring Bay Area homebrew and craft beers. Good beer and local? We're in.

[Brew-Age, @brew_age]
[Elizabeth Street Brewery]

Aftermath: Bliss Bar Fire

We've updated yesterday's posts to include more info, but here's a summary in case you missed it:

• SFFD had to respond to Bliss Bar again last night when the fire reignited.
• The Red Cross was able to temporarily house all displaced persons, but is requesting help relocating some people for the long term.

The bar appears to be a total loss:

Bliss Bar the day after double burn. Preliminary assessment: electrical. #noevalley twitter.com/mbd2/status/29…
— mbd2 (@mbd2) February 5, 2013

[Photo: @saranoh]

Attention Bliss Bar Fire Displaced Tenants

A reader with an available in-law apartment has offered shelter for the a night or so while you get your bearings. The unit is around the corner from the fire. Send us an email if you need it (or if you don't, frankly) and we'll hook you up.

Update 2/5:

My name is Billy - I am a volunteer for the Red Cross San Francisco. I responded to the Bliss Bar fire last night (the second time it went up), and I used to hang out there fairly often. I saw your post regarding the resident with the in-law. Red Cross took care of the residents affected by the fire by putting them up in hotels until the 7th, so a short term stay shouldn't be necessary.

Billy added that there are tenants who will need help with longer term housing. Please contact us if you have an apartment to rent and we'll put you in touch.

What's Next For Noe Valley Deli?

The recent issue of the Voice rumored that Karim Balat has sold Noe Valley Deli, but didn't provide any details for what's to come. We did some digging and here's all we were able to find out:

• Karim isn't saying.
• The ABC license application was filed on Jan 14 and is transferring to Je & June, Inc.
• Je & June, Inc is incorporated in Lake Forest, CA, and as far as we can tell has operated a single business called T-Shirts Plus since about 2009 and has had mixed reviews.
• T-Shirts Plus has been sold and is currently in escrow set to close on 2/11.

So. No ideas other than it's unlikely to be a T-shirt print shop with a beer/wine license. Any crowd-sourced rumors for what we can expect at 4007 24th St?

Bliss Bar On Fire

According to witnesses on scene, black smoke erupted out the front of Bliss Bar at 4026 24th St at approximately 1:10PM today. SFFD responded quickly and shut it down by 1:30. SFFD Chief Tom stated that the location of the fire's origin was identified but that the cause remains under investigation. There were no reported injuries.

The building owner and multiple tenants of the affected and surrounding buildings were on scene, as was Bliss Bar owner Pierre Letheule. All were ok, but worried about next steps. The first floor suffered major damage, and firefighters were digging upward in the ceiling tracing the fire's path. It looks like the second floor tenants (at least) will need to find shelter tonight. The Red Cross hadn't made it on scene yet.

Here's how it played out on Twitter:

The horror: three engine fire in neighborhood bar, Bliss, brave firefighters plunged right in. #noevalley @joanwalsh twitter.com/soniafaleiro/s…
— Sonia Faleiro (@soniafaleiro) February 4, 2013

whoa! (news on vine too) RT @hunterwalk: Fire on 24th st noe valley just started. Fire trucks arriving. vine.co/v/bnuOqmVhEWb
— Ryan Sarver (@rsarver) February 4, 2013

Looks like Bliss Bar in #noevalley has caught fire twitter.com/alaina/status/…
— Alaina Percival (@alaina) February 4, 2013

Turning off the gas. #Bliss #NoeValley fire under control now. Second major fire on 24th St Noe in past two years. twitter.com/soniafaleiro/s…
— Sonia Faleiro (@soniafaleiro) February 4, 2013

After containment awning burst into flames. Cripes! #NoeValley #Bliss @leesalahney @sfgirlbybay @joanwalsh @nerdychick twitter.com/soniafaleiro/s…
— Sonia Faleiro (@soniafaleiro) February 4, 2013

#blissbar fire's out...and bar level looks like RadioShack did - saw ladders going up to 2nd floor :( #noevalley #sanfrancisco
— Lisa D. Gray (@randomlisasf) February 4, 2013

And here are some photos from the scene:

Update (2/5): The fire reignited about 8:30PM.

Reports: The fire is at Bliss Bar (again), it has rekindled from earlier today. #NoeValley
— Sal Castaneda (@sal_castaneda) February 5, 2013

5 SFFD trucks on scene at #noevalley fire on 24th Street. Examining surrounding bldgs for reports of smoke.yfrog.com/odbhydhj
— Karl Wong (@karlsf) February 5, 2013

Firefighters are making sure the fire at Bliss is out this time = they're pretty much gutting the building. #chainsaws #NoeValley #SFFD
— Sal Castaneda (@sal_castaneda) February 5, 2013

This Week In Noe Valley: Free Beer, Get Your Wax On, And The Google Bus Presages Dystopia

News from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs:

• What? There's a Game this weekend? [Caterina]
• La Tira now open for your waxing needs [La Tira]
• Free beer: local brewers open their homes during Beer Week [Barrel Walk]
• Essay: the significance of the Google Bus [Rebecca Solnit]
• Turn your Victorian into a sanitarium [Remodelista]
• Four bedrooms, $3.6M, and a possible new comp [Socketsite]
• Buy this house and you can name-drop Coppola [Curbed SF]

[Photo: kslatz312]

NVV Feb 2013: We Read It So You Don't Have To

The Noe Valley Voice is published ten times a year and has been a neighborhood fixture since 1977. Here are notable highlights from the latest issue. Links are to stories we've covered here on NVSF or outside sources as the Voice doesn't post stories online until the middle of the month.

February 2013

Front Page: Cookie Time calls it quits and the Voice explores the long-standing food truck debate; Noe Valley Merchants recognized for their efforts to help small businesses accommodate handicapped patrons without getting slapped with a nuisance lawsuit; NV is full of married cheaters; Noe Valley Democratic Club gets an influx of moderate members.

Letters: The Noe Valley Ministry is looking a little neglected while renovations stall (renovations are expected to resume in March); a re-print of the letter from victim on 23rd St who narrowly escaped her attacker; Mary Isham's family seeks donations for her cancer treatment.

Crime: The Fair Oaks rapist is convicted and sent to jail for 373 years to life; the copper thief goes to jail for stealing water; the SFPD releases a sketch of the 23rd St. attacker.

Cost of Living in Noe: 25 homes sold in the last 2 months of 2012, including the $3.8 million contemporary home at 4529 25th St; condos are pricey - and selling like hotcakes.

Store Trek: Pressed Juicery, Adopt SF.

Rumors: Radio Shack is back after the fire 14 months ago; Noe Valley Deli owner Karim Balat has sold his business and says the new owners will likely be changing the menu; Bernie's is adding a 2nd location at Crocker Galleria downtown; Martha & Bros is adding a fifth location at Fifth and Irving in the inner Sunset; Caskhouse is open; Mazook remembers his "Auntie Po," aka Dear Abby.

[The Noe Valley Voice]