If Delfina played a role in the fancification of the Mission, what do you miss most about the good ole days?

Craig: Don’t get me started on the word gentrification. I don’t miss anything about the good ole days. I don’t miss crime and squalor.

I wonder if Craig thinks that he solved the underlying problems that lead to crime and squalor, or if he’s content with being a force that shifted it into someone else’s neighborhood.

I lived at 18th and Dolores through much of the nineties and 18th and Guerrero for much of the two thousands, and I’m not sure he did much more than open some high end restaurants.

Since we first scooped this spot a while back, we’ve been wondering how the latest addition to Craig and Anne Stoll’s restaurant empire has been progressing.  Well, it looks like things are proceeding quite swimmingly for this Roman-inspired ATM, so much so that they might actually open on schedule in January! You can kind of discern the basic layout from this mildly-blurry photograph, as it seems there will be tables and stuff up front with kitchen in the rear to the left.

Do you think that this place has any chance to be even more popular than Delfina?  We say that as long as they still let the waitresses tape matches onto their nipples and light them on fire after hours [NSFW], Locanda is a lock to end up being another lottery ticket for the Stolls.

Also, Ramblas:  Never forget.

Seeing as how our analytics are telling me that people who are searching for “18th Street Block Party” are constantly being referred to this post about the same block party from two years ago, we felt it would be prudent to provide a little bit of an update.

If you’re not busy from 12-5pm this Saturday, August 28th, 2010, stop by 18th Street between Guerrero and Dolores for the 2nd Bi-Annual Party on Block 18.  There’ll be tasty bites from all sorts of local vendors and restaurants (like Delfina Pizzeria, Out the Door, and Kasa, the Indian place up the street), a pie-baking contest (categories are fruit and other–who knows what savory concoctions will be revealed?), and beer from the SF Brewers Guild (no need to rely on Cold Beer, Cold Water, as Andrew Dalton points out).  All the proceeds go to benefit the Women’s Building (and their daring rooftop dancers), BuenDia Family School, 826 Valencia, Next Course, and Pie Ranch.

Also, I don’t think they will be roasting a whole pig this time around (that photo was from the festivities two years ago), so the actual party should be safe for vegans–unlike this post!

[Photo by Denise]

(*See that Delfina logo on their asses?)

-Mollie C