Closing: Cooks Boulevard

A reader tipped us to the sad news that after 5 years in Noe, Cooks Boulevard (1309 Castro @ 24th St) is closing. Owner Malcolm Haar says the two-level retail space is too big (and presumably expensive) and the "current situation is not sustainable." Depending on how quickly he can find someone to assume the lease, he may or may not reopen in another location.

A final close date has not been set, but the selection is already looking thin and everything in the store is 20-40% off. If you're planning to stop in, do it soon--and check the Cooks Boulevard blog for updates on a final closing date.

Unrelated (but unfortunate), the front window to the store is also broken.

[Cooks Boulevard: Time's Up: We're Closing]

NVV: 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 highlights from the latest issue. Links are to stories we've covered at NVSF.

July/August 2009

• Front page: Phoenix Books rises again, La Boulange comes to Noe, Just Awesome Games gets a microloan with some help from Good Morning America, world-class Jazz at Bliss Bar, and the senior lunch program saved through July 31.
• Letters: Just two – one nostalgic for Magnolia Thunderpussy Cafe [Ed- we’re not making this up], and another about the economic downturn (it’s not as bad as the 70s - you can tell by the lack of garage sales).
• Op-Ed: Chairman of Citizens United for Safer Streets (CUSS) encourages everyone to keep their dogs (especially big ones) on leashes and “at a safe distance from other beings, except in designated dog parks.”
• Obits: Remembering Carl Smith 1931-2008, founder of the Noe Valley Ministry.
• Cost of Living in Noe: Average price of a single family home in Noe is now $1.2 million, down from $1.4 million in 2008; rent prices are flat.
• Photo: Glamour shot of Mama’s – the corner store at 22nd and Dolores; Pat Mackey of Whitney St. converted his 1992 Mazda Miata to an electric vehicle.
• Short Takes: Upper Noe Recreation Center cleanup on July 11; Cooks Boulevard adds a book club and Community Agriculture program – details at cooksboulevard.com; Google/Apple/Genetech shuttle bus study results due in September - selected comments from this and this thread on NVSF are included.
• Rumors: Bistro 24 open for business; Noeteca delayed to July 15 or early August; Andiamo Deli is still for sale (asking price: $45,000); GNC closed; MadKat shuttered - owner Isa Muhawieh lost his lease and the owner would not renew – he’s looking for a new location in Noe to reopen [Ed- new store in the old Isa’s location opened this week as Shampoo & Bubbles]; Noe Knit dishes on the reason for closing (the Internet); Good News on 24th Street reports a 50% decline in issues of the Chronicle sold (also thanks to the Internet); Ingleside Station Captain Lazar reports an uptick in subscribers to the police action reports [Ed – Note the scary increase in armed robberies and grifters -– be careful out there]; Noe Courts needs a fence; free Wednesday night movies sponsored by Fima Photography and Videowave – see the stores (on Castro @ Jersey) for a schedule.
• Traveling Voice: Hangin' at the Brandenburg Gate.

No mention of the missing snake.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

Plastic-Free Farmer's Market

Malcolm Haar

Rumors have been floating around that the Noe Valley Farmer's Market is trying to eliminate plastic bags, joining the ranks of other markets that do the same. This weekend Cooks Boulevard's Malcolm Haar Tweeted a cool slidehow by Warbin K of people who already bring their own bags to the market.

It's not just the shoppers going green. Vendors leading the pack include reusable/redeemable yogurt crocks from Saint Benoît, paper bags and containers from Swanton Berry Farm, Far West Fungi and Bennett Valley Bread, biobags from Capay (even if they charge $0.25).

How 'bout you? Do you bring your own bags to the market or take what they give you? Do you plan your trips or just stop in on a whim? Would you still shop at the Farmer's Market if they didn't provide plastic bags?

[Warbin K: Flikr: Bring Your Own Bag]

NVV: 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 highlights from the latest issue. Links are to stories we've covered at NVSF.

May 2009

• Front page: Pritikin Mansion to become "Only in SF" museum?; Tuesday Farmer's Market; Noe Valley Quest; more parking tickets for parking...illegally (interesting tidbits: parking in a blue zone is $300, and you can print your own passive aggressive missives to leave on windshields).
  
• Cost of Living in Noe: Housing market is still slow and expensive.
  
• Event: Local entrepreneurs are invited to showcase their wares/services on 24th St on May 16, 10AM-2PM. More info at SF Small Business Week's website, or send an email to the NVMPA or So Tell Me More.
  
• Letters: Someone is happy the evil shrine to Obama finally came down at Just For Fun; complaints about off-leash dogs; a long letter about teens behaving badly on the J-Church.
• Obits: Bacco's Paolo Dominici.
  
• Store Trek: Arara, an eco-boutique way out on San Jose and Valley across from Mitchell's. (Ed.--Is that really the only business even a little to close to Noe that opened?)
  
• Rumors: The Chronicle won't reveal circulation numbers for 94114 and 94131; the Examiner states their NV circulation has gone up (read: more litter on our doorsteps); 24th St gets news racks; Bell Market's manager Enrico Fornesi will join the management team at Whole Foods when the last Bell closes this December; Peter Gabel wants to turn Real Foods into a food court and DVD movie theater; Just Awesome games reports the most popular game is...Pandemic; Bacco, Incanto and Firefly made the Chronicle's Top 100 (Ed.--Bacco didn't actually make the list); Cook's Boulevard and Global Exchange have added wedding registries.
  
• Traveling Voice: It traveled to Bhutan, Java and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Hope it wore sunblock.
  

[The Noe Valley Voice]

Food Bites: What's New In Noe

A quick round-up of the latest Noe Valley food news:

Incanto is now offering a Leg of Beast dinner as a simpler version of Cosentino's popular Whole Beast events. Best for 6-8 people, the meal "is centered around a whole leg of beef." Reservations and pre-order required; $200.

La Ciccia is hosting another of its popular Cena di Porco dinners on January 26th featuring a whole roasted suckling pig and wine pairing. $75 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Reservations by phone only - (415)550-8114.

Firefly celebrated its 15th anniversary in November. (We ate there the first month they were open and can't believe it's been 15 years!)

Contigo hired a General Manager and hopes to announce an opening date soon. Go Brett!

City Grill opened as expected on January 14th. The website isn't up yet (citygrillsf.com), and the menu is evolving. But for now they're offering steak, a pork chop, burger, and fish, chicken and veggie options. Now we know what "classic American fare" means to Stefano Coppola.

Cooks Boulevard has announced their new class schedule, and classes are filling up fast. Also be sure to check out the upcoming events at Omnivore Books.

It may be January, but the warm weather continues to bring crowds to the Farmer's Market. This week there was a new vendor selling organic vinegar, and there's talk of more vendors to come - possibly on a rotating basis. Spring is just around the corner...

Nothing new to report on the "Vietnamese Fusion" at 1298 Church St. except that there's nothing new to report. There's been no work on the space for a couple of months. Anyone have details?

Finally, Elizabeth Street Brewery. Yes... Noe Valley has a brew pub. They Tweeted this weekend that they're set to brew another 200 gallons of beer this year and hope to keep up with ever-increasing demand. Drink up!

[Food Gal: Take Five with Chris Cosentino, A Chef Who Is Offal Good At What He Does]
[NVSF: Opening: City Grill]
[NVSF: Update: "High End Vietnamese Fusion"]
[Image: Elizabeth Street Brewery]