Mission Mission

When traveling to exotic locales (like Orange County), it’s always amusing to see what passes for adequate representation of your home. Thus it was with cautious enthusiasm that we ambled in to the Alcatraz Brewing Company to sample the fare.

Sadly, our misgivings turned out to be correct, as the menu featured the same basic sandwiches, salads, and sides that can be found at any surburban eatery, although I must admit that the sweet potato fries were quite on point (especially with the accompanying melted marshmallow cinnamon dip). But I’m not going to sit here and sneer like an entitled local; they did the best they could for how much they care.

What I can bitch about, however, is their very un-SF happy hour policy. We arrived just after 6 in the midst of a 4-7 happy hour but were told by the hostess that the happy hour section was full but that we could sit in the regular section. The only catch was that this was the “sad hour” area, as all of our drinks would be regular price.

“So lemme get this straight,” I said, “those folks in the table FIVE FEET away from us get their beers for $3 while ours cost $6?”  The hostess animatedly replied, “Of course, that’s how happy hour works everywhere! That’s how it works at El Torito!”

El Torito. That’s how it works at El Torito. Well then!

It’s good to be back.

When trying to take advantage of the Dolores Park 2-for-$5 cold beer special, try to pay with smaller bills, as handing over a twenty will net you a most unsightly pile of gross, bunched up ones and fives from the cavernous pockets of Cold Beer (no water) himself, stuffed unceremoniously into your outstretched hand.

Let’s just say you wouldn’t want to insuffolate any substances through these babies…

Forget your lock and your buddy’s U-lock wont fit around both of your frames? Try this method, which was observed at Make-Out Room last night:

Be sure you have secure bolts on those wheels, though. Otherwise someone might quick release your rear wheel and Mission Mission may pose for a team photo in front of your bike while you look on dejectedly.

Dan sends us word of his new project, OldSF.org, which overlays 13,000 images from the San Francisco Public Library’s Historical Photograph Collection with their locations on a map of San Francisco. The result? A time-travelling google street view.

Spend a couple of hours on it today and impress your friends this weekend at Dolores Park with a snide “man, this place was cooler when it was a refugee camp.”

Animal throne thrown away.

You’ve got to admire the moxie of a fellow who says, “Fuck that, I’m parking DIRECTLY ON TOP OF this sinkhole.

Capp @ 23rd

Anyone else disappointed by the larvae tacos at the SF Street Food Festival this weekend? Totally skimped on the worms.

[Photo via Mission Local]

Previously:

• Grasshopper tacos
• More grasshopper tacos

Four Barrel is turning 3 tomorrow and just like last year there will be free coffee all day. Unlike previous years, there will be skee ball:

To celebrate three years of being in business, Four Barrel Coffee will be throwing their annual birthday bash on Tuesday, August 23rd, from 7am to 4pm.  As they do every year, they will be giving away free coffee and espresso drinks all day long.  To add to the fun, Glass Coat Photo Booth will be setting up one of their free photo booths from 12pm-4pm, there will be two Skee Ball units in the back for people to square off against one another, and they’ll be serving free slices of Tartine Cake at noon.  Plus the Pizza Hacker and Rosamunde Sausage Grill will be posted up outside if people want to buy a some lunchtime food.  It’s going to be a doozie.

No word on whether the skee ball units will be dispensing tickets for high scores, which can then exchanged for plastic harmonicas, mini squirt guns, and rubber goblin finger puppets. We’ll check with our source.

[thanks Nicky Koch]

Update: No skee ball prizes

Sorry, bankers.

[the loo at Revolution Cafe]