Incanto: Foie Gras, Sustainability & Free Choice

Mark Pastore is getting tired of dealing with "guests [who] ask pointedly whether or not a product we serve is 'sustainable,' ready to pounce on the slightest stutter in our response." In Incanto's latest Letter, Mark makes a strong argument for the right to serve (and consume) foie gras without guilt. We particularly like this paragraph:

Reasonable people can disagree over the ethics of one's chosen diet and the various practices of farmers, whether those farmers produce meat, fruits, or vegetables. Fundamentally, we believe that individuals ought to be free to determine how to live their lives, including their diet. If we live in a society that tolerates the death of 40,000 people to die each year for the right to convenient travel, how can we sacrifice our right to taste, to choice, and to dietary self-determinism?

Kudos to Incanto for injecting an adult voice back into the conversation around "sustainable" food. Follow the link below to read the entire article.

[Incanto: Shock & Foie]

SFGate: 24th St = Beer, Boutiques & Dogs

The Chronicle's Street Date took a swing through Noe Valley and concluded 24th St is "sunny and friendly, it's where residents take their dogs for a stroll. It's also the kind of place that treats you like one of the neighbors, even if you don't live here." Featured shops? SF Mystery Bookstore, Chocolate Covered, Le Zinc, Bernie's, Cradle of the Sun and The Dubliner. No mention of strollers.

Does that jive with what you shop for in Noe? What would you cross town for? What makes Noe Valley a destination? In the comments, please.

[SFGate: 24th Street, San Francisco]
[Photo: SFGate]

Whole Foods: Senior Shuttle

Following up on neighborhood concerns, Whole Foods will begin a weekly shuttle service for seniors and other Noe Valley residents without easy access to a grocery store.

This is an announcement that the shuttle for seniors and/or Noe Valley residents with limited access will be starting on Tuesday March 3rd. The hours will be from 9:30 to 1:00 pm.

The first shuttle will leave 3950 24th St.(site of the future Whole Foods Market Noe Valley) at 9:30 am and travel to Whole Foods Market Potrero Hill on Rhode Island St. The shuttle will make continual loops until approximately 1:00 pm when the last shuttle will depart Whole Foods.

The shuttle will be available every Tuesday morning for this schedule until the Whole Foods Market Noe Valley opens.

Previously, WF has indicated they'll increase service if the demand is there.

[NVSF: NVDC Town Forum: SFPD, Whole Foods & More]

Update: Noeteca

The owners of Noeteca sent us such a thorough description of what The Last Laugh is to become we're posting the whole thing. Emphasis is ours.

We plan for Noeteca to continue in the footsteps of The Last Laugh Coffee House and to continue to be a neighborhood focused café. The wine selection will be expanded, and the new menu will feature economical and flavorful comfort food in the style of small European cafes. The breakfast and lunch menu will feature items like Ham and Potato Hash with Poached Eggs, Challah French Toast, Duck Confit Salad, and house made soups and stews including French Onion Gratinèe. Dinners will be simple and wine friendly. The wine list will offer roughly twenty accessible wines from various regions – all will be offered by the glass and half-glass. We also plan to offer a variety of non-alcoholic drinks which will appeal to the younger crowd and those who aren’t in the mood for wine, but still want something unique and satisfying.

Noeteca is being created by Alex Kamprasert and me, Scott McDonald. Residents of Noe Valley may recognize Alex from his years at Chloe’s Café just a few blocks away at Church and 26th. I am providing creative and administrative support. Nathan Nam, of Demigogg Design is producing our logo and visuals. Again, in the tradition of The Last Laugh, the new café/wine bar is a labor of love and will be individually owned and operated. We expect that Noeteca will continue to provide the residents of Noe Valley and San Francisco with a cozy corner to relax with a latte and a bagel, pannini for lunch on the run, and soon, a place to unwind with friends for dinner and a glass of wine. …or two.

We're planning to do some clean-up and simple renovations throughout March and we hope to open (poetically) on April 1st, but one never knows. I'm trying not to jinx things by setting a firm opening day. We're also in the process of launching a small web site. We've spent many years working and relaxing in Noe Valley, so when the Last Laugh became available, we jumped at the opportunity.

Noeteca
1551 Dolores St @ Valley

[NVSF: Announced: Noeteca]
[Photo: Yelp]

Closing: AAA

Open less than a year, and even though "the members said they wanted...neighborhood offices," AAA is closing their Noe Valley location at 4045 24th St. on March 27th (along with 16 other locations in Northern California).

Thanks to a sharp-eyed reader for sending in the photo.

[NVV: Store Trek: AAA]

Update: Cesar Chavez Street Design

Fran Taylor at CC Puede sent out an update from Tuesday's community workshop to discuss plans for Cesar Chavez:

About 70-80 people were there. Planner Andres Power brought us up to date on the median plan. Dedicated left-turn pockets will be added in both directions at Folsom and east-bound at South Van Ness, and the current ones at Bryant, Mission, Valencia, and Guerrero will be retained. These will all have dedicated arrows and also allow U-turns. Left turns will be prohibited at all other intersections to eliminate the snarl that currently happens when a car waits in the left lane for a gap in oncoming traffic. These decisions have been informed by traffic counts and modeling done by the Planning Department, and surveyors are out on the street now gathering further details.

The landscaping in the median will be drought tolerant, though the suggestion that it could be riparian at areas with underground water (specifically at 101 and near St Lukes) was thrown out from the floor.

The bike lanes will be five feet wide, as wider lanes look too much like car lanes. The suggestion was made to add cross-hatch striping to give a little buffer between the bike and car lanes. The weird part-time bike lane that runs eastbound for the block between York and Hampshire would become a permanent, full-time lane with permanent, full-time parking on that block. This made neighbors living on that block who had opposed bike lanes back in 1997 happy.

Discussion was generally positive and focused on practical questions and clarifications. The issue of potential congestion came up, but the questioner was supportive of the plan in later discussion. The strongest criticism seemed to be that the sidewalks wouldn’t be widened throughout -- only at corners -- and Andres said the expense of widening them would be prohibitive (about $2 million a block!). The Planning Department is looking for funding now to extend the project to the eastern side of the freeway all the way to the Bay.

Finally! Construction should begin in summer 2010 (this is after the PUC has completed the sewer work scheduled to start later this year), and it should take about a year.

[NVSF: Community Workshop: Cesar Chavez Street Design]
[CC Puede]

Doorstep Menus: China Wok

San Francisco restaurants are required to post inspection scores where patrons can see them. But not all restaurants cater to eat-in customers - they do most of their business as take-out or delivery. Here we report inspection scores for restaurants leaving menus on Noe Valley doorsteps. We'll update the post for each eatery as new information becomes available.

Name: China Wok
Address: 677 Monterey Blvd

Current Score: 64/100 (May 2008)



Moderate Risk: Rodents/roaches/flies/other animals; Food contact surfaces not cleaned/sanitized; Inadequate/inaccessible handwashing facilities
Low Risk: Floors, walls, ceilings improperly constructed, in disrepair, not clean; Wiping cloths not clean/inadequate sanitizer turbid/not properly stored; Improper or defective plumbing/No backflow devices/improper connections

Previous Inspections:

July 2008: 42/100

Getting a doorstep menu that we're not? Send us a picture of the menu and we'll post about it.

[Health Code: SB 180]
[SFDPH Scores: Environmental Health]
[Clean Scores: China Wok]
[NVSF: All Doorstep Menu Posts]

Update: 24th Street Trees

We noticed Bureau of Urban Forestry trucks taking branches off one of the two large trees slated to come down on 24th Street today and asked one of the workers if the trees are definitely going to be removed. He answered that they were doing emergency branch removal after the last storm. He added that the City has to post a 30 day notice before removal (which they did last fall), and that there is an appeals process (initiated in November). He had no idea that these trees are doomed, but he did quip that they'll probably stay where they are for now: "If there's no money in the budget...the trees stay."

If you went to the appeals hearing and/or know the status of these trees please leave some information in the comments.

[NVSF: PSA: Public Hearing - Tree Removal]
[NVSF: Noe Valley Trees: Two Get the Axe]