PRESIDIO POST OFFICE MOVING
Most Marina-ites know that to avoid the long lines (and other more descriptive, less kind phrases) of the Lombard station post office, the Presidio is the answer. Most times there’s not much of a line, and you can’t beat the Presidio with the backdrop of the Golden Gate Bridge for relief of any stress associated with a post office visit.
According to a posted notice, effective May 31, the post office plans to vacate
the space it shares with First Republic Bank (210 Lincoln Boulevard) for 233 Presidio Boulevard (at Letterman Drive). Luxury hours will remain: weekdays 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed for lunch 1–2 p.m., and Saturdays.
Going into the vacated space will be the Presidio Visitor’s Center, which breaks ground in early June.
GOT HOLES?
If you’ve put your foot or toe one too many times through that hole in your jeans that you paid extra for, head over to Walnut Cleaners (2266 Chestnut Street) for a patch job. We recently dropped off a pair (rather trepidatiously), but were most pleased with the result. The sweet seamstress said she really enjoyed our particular repair, so it made us feel better about forking over the cost of about one leg. But you can’t do anything with just one leg, so it’s money well spent if it’s a favorite pair.
Down the street, Arlene’s Cleaners (2017 Chestnut Street) does reweaving. That’s what you need when the moths make a meal of your last meal on your wool sweaters while they’re tucked away in your drawer. Arlene does an excellent job on this skillful yet mysterious technique that literally makes the moth holes disappear (and her prices are more affordable than the cost of one sleeve). Get your wool cleaned now so you don’t plan an outfit for that special lunch only to discover there’s a hole right up front in your favorite wool thing.
WINE TIME
The Uncorked Wine Festival in the reenergized Ghirardelli Square last month was a casual, yet civilized affair of some commendable wineries and vintners not widely known. If we didn’t see you there this year, be sure to put it on your calendar next. In the meantime, get your wine on at this month’s Pier 39 Summer Wine Pour, or Fort Mason’s Taste of Mendocino, or the annual Rhone Rangers Celebration in the Presidio — check out our calendar on pages 18-19 for details.
HUNGER GAMES AND THIRST WARS
The folks at Plate (3251 Pierce St.) celebrated their one-year anniversary last month by handing out free, well, plates, of an entrée and two side dishes until they sold out. We’re happy to report their last year has been great, thanks to all of us who appreciate the convenience of healthful, delicious “comfort food to go.”
As a not-so-great culmination to that celebration, vandals broke in after closing, but thanks to neighboring businesses, residents, and the SFPD, the perps were apprehended.
Spaghetti Bros. (3213 Scott Street) has let us know they’ve implemented a Sunday Sugo menu, a three-course, family-style meal for $35 available continuously throughout the day. The offerings change weekly, and last time we checked, the options were Southern inspired — including blackened flounder with black-eyed peas, fried chicken with neighbor Reed & Greenough’s rooftop honey, and strawberry shortcake — proving that this classy place is about more than pasta. For refreshments, we have the bloody Mary with house-made horseradish-infused vodka on our list, but you may want to build your own mimosa with a choice of seasonal juices.
You can also make your own weekend brunch mimosas (in volume) at The Dorian (2001 Chestnut Street). Order a bottle of sparkling crémant, and then choose three of five juices (dragon fruit, orange, grapefruit, cherry, passion fruit and dragon fruit) to concoct your very own custom blend. Your second bottle of sparking reduces to $30, and the third to $25, and the fourth to $20. After the fourth, the price resets to $40, at which point you may want to consider a nap, just what weekends are for.
GOOD KARMA
The lovely ladies at The Bud Stop (2200 Union Street) not only bunch up beautiful bundles of buds, they’re also soft-hearted sweeties when it comes to dogs. But readers probably already know this because their pooches likely won’t let them pass without making a beeline for love and Milk Bones. Pick up some flowers for dad, your sweetie, or yourself — or for no reason other than the shop has the cleverest name going, right there on the corner of Fillmore at the bus stop. Tell Jessica that Walden sent you.
Put Tibetan Golden Lotus (1969-A Union Street) on your must-visit list. Owner Pachen Selotsang bought the existing business about six months ago, and she says business is slow. That’s surprising, because she has an appealing inventory of unique jewelry, accessories, and clothing from Nepal and Thailand. Pachen recently returned from a buying trip to Thailand, where she picked up some fetching summer threads — cool cotton blouses and dresses. Combined with her finely curated collection of lightweight cashmere (check out the ponchos handmade in Nepal), scarves, and shawls, you’ll find the perfect combination for a San Francisco summer. Bonus: Panchen is the sweetest, most gracious woman you’ll meet!
