Mission Mission

Local blogger anadromy left the following analysis in the comments section of yesterday’s post about the Lexington closing maybe because the cliquiness of the clientele made it unwelcoming to a potential new generation of customers:

I don’t think this phenomenon is limited to the Lex. It seems pretty common. A bar–straight, gay or otherwise–gets popular. People attach themselves to it and form a clique-ish attitude about who “belongs” there and who doesn’t. This attitude calcifies and over time, the people inside the bar become unwelcoming dicks. (it doesn’t help that the people who give off this attitude are the type of people who spend a lot of time in bars–ie: alcoholics) Potential new customers are scared off. Slowly but surely, the bar’s business wanes and eventually, it closes and everybody laments the passing of another longstanding institution.

Yeah, that does sound familiar.

[Vintage file photo of Pop's Bar by Man Freckles]

As conversation continues about the future of The Elbo Room, NBC built a fake version for their family drama, Parenthood, which takes place in Berkeley. Emily Savage spotted the exterior, which utilizes the font, but not the layout.

Guys, they made a fake Elbo Room in LA for the Parenthood set.

A photo posted by @tofuandwhiskey on Oct 10, 2014 at 1:18pm PDT

Back in reality, Matt Shapiro, co-owner of the club, explains their current situation on their Facebook page:

OK…the blogs are about to roll out the latest “news”…some with more hyperbole than others…
Here is what is really happening:
We are aware of the building owners plans to build condos on this property…Whether they get approval from the city and how long it will take is really anyone’s guess. The one thing that is definite is our lease goes for another year – Matt Shapiro, Elbo Room co-owner.

[via Lexington Club]

[via Candy Winters on Instagram]

Anthony’s done tons for the Mission. From those wild-west early days at Mission Street Food, to the worldwide phenomenon that is Mission Chinese Food, and of course the advent of the Mission Burger — he’s been there for all of it. (And all of his projects are constantly raising money for local charities.)

Now’s a chance to give back. He’s opening a new restaurant called the Perennial in the Mid-Market area, with an aim toward completely reinventing the way restaurants source their stuff and expend energy. It’s gonna be greener than green. It could change the world, solve climate change. But they need a little help getting started:

For donating to the Kickstarter, you’ll receive great rewards like CSA boxes, the Mission Street Food book, or even private dinners at the Perennial once it’s open.

As plans to replace Elbo Room with a condo complex continue to develop, I just wanna celebrate Elbo Room.

Please enjoy this mesmerizing scene from one of the video-game tabletops at Elbo Room, one of the best places in the Mission to play video games and pinball:

(That’s 13 DJ Purples, yep.)

I asked the legendary DJ Purple what his top 5 favorite Halloween-related jams were, and I got this hot list of 13:

1. Spooky – Classics IV
2. Strangelove – Depeche Mode
3. Ghostbusters – Ray Parker, Jr.
4. Monster Mash - Bobby “Boris” Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers
5. Monster – Lady Gaga
6. The Purple People-Eater – Sheb Wooley
7. Another One Bites the Dust – Queen
8. Runnin’ with the Devil – Van Halen
9. Sweet Transvestite – Rocky Horror
10. Dead Man’s Party – Oingo Boingo
11. Love Potion #9 – The Searchers
12. Psycho Killer – Talking Heads
13. Superstition – Stevie Wonder

Thanks, DJ Purple! Get practicing, everybody! Singin’ & Pingin’ Halloween Edition (starring DJ Purple) is this Friday (which happens to be Halloween) at Verdi Club in the Mission:

[via C'mon Pony]

I’ve been meaning to check this place out for, let’s see… 100 years or so.

I thought I was lucky to have them chillin’ high up in a tree in my backyard, but this? Wowee.

[via Dory]