In this month’s column, I’m serving up a little of this and a little of that, plus a few loose ends. THE DARWIN AWARDS These days North Beach is full of Segways — you... Read More
Before I delved mouth-first into the subject of salads for this story, I thought (perhaps understandably) that they were created by the French. Sounds logical, doesn’t it? Ho... Read More
Today your personal philosopher (nose always pointed into the wind) will amaze and titillate you with news, notes, gossip, and wild rumors about the North Beach scene. But first, h... Read More
As I write this, plans are being made for a Friday, Oct. 2, groundbreaking for Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s visionary Piazza St. Francis, The Poets Plaza in North Beach. The date ... Read More
Usually when I write one of these Appetites and After-thoughts columns, I write only about food. But there are other appetites not necessarily related to the stomach. So here IR... Read More
This month’s North Beach Sketches includes a bit of this and a bit of that — Mormons, vigilantes, escaped convicts, some recollections of a rock ‘n’ roll jam ba... Read More
This Back Story is a paean to an old friend, Jimmy Lyons. His name may not resonate with some of you unless you have attended the Monterey Jazz Festival. Jimmy was the founder and ... Read More
San Franciscans are said to be discerning diners, but they will eat anything, kale for example, and they will adapt to the next new food craze with religious zeal. But just what is... Read More
Just as The New York Times always reminds us on its front page, here’s “All the News That’s Fit to Print” this month. Actually, it’s all the news I co... Read More
When I read the lengthy profile on Dr. Howard Becker in a recent issue of The New Yorker, a few things stopped me cold. Writer Adam Gopnik said Becker played jazz piano (boogie woo... Read More
Who would have thought it? Here we are in the third year of my Ernestos: Best of North Beach Awards. The Ernestos started out in 2013 as an idea for a column. Now it’s an ins... Read More
A REQUIEM FOR CAPP’S CORNER The evening of Tuesday, March 31, I sat in the bar at Original Joe’s in North Beach with my friend, San Francisco Chronicle columnist Carl N... Read More
This is the third of a three-part series. Here’s an update from Parts one and two: San Francisco narrowly missed becoming the film capital of the world. Perhaps it’s ju... Read More
Last summer, Sam’s Grill, that historic fixture of San Francisco downtown dining at 374 Bush Street, was on life support. Then it closed and remained dark until October. Sudd... Read More
UPDATE: A SHORT REQUIEM FOR CAPP’S CORNER The evening of Tuesday, March 31, I sat in the bar at Original Joe’s in North Beach with my friend, San Francisco Chronicle columnist ... Read More