Has it really been that long already?  Besides the free coffee, they’ve also enlisted the help of some  friends from last year:

• Glass Coat Photo Booth will be setting up one of their beautiful, free photo booths from 12pm-4pm.
• Also, there will be two Skee Ball units in the back for people to square off against one another, courtesy of local Skee Ball champ, Joey the Cat.
• At noon, we will be serving free slices of delicious Tartine cake, while the three cakes last of course, which is usually, like, five minutes.
• For the kids, we’ll have a small petting zoo set up from noon to 3pm in one of our parklet corrals, courtesy of Little Explorers Mobile Petting Zoo.
• For the lunchtime crowd, Los Compadres, a delicious taco truck, will be posted up outside if people want some food to go along with their lattes.  It’ll be a hoot.

If anyone can beat my score of 450 in Skee Ball, I’ll buy you a puppy.

[Photo by Niall K.]

While we’re on the subject of coffee snobbery, anyone know how to get cafe-quality microfoam at home without dropping $500 on equipment? I wanna pour me some latte demon spawns.

[via sprudge]

When the victim was down on the ground, the male suspect pulled out a gun. The victim then attempted to take the gun from the male suspect, at which point the female suspect attacked the victim. During the struggle, a shot was fired but no one was injured.

According to eyewitness accounts from workers at PicaPica Maize Kitchen, a crowd gathered around the scene and people attempted to help the victim. Two men reportedly emerged from a vehicle, and one beat the victim with a bat. Four police cars and one police motorbike then appeared at the scene.

Read on to see what happens once the action heads inside Four Barrel.

UPDATE: Some pics from the scene:

Fresh off his inspiring performance last night at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Thurston Moore opted for a more subtle undertaking at one of our neighborhood’s highly-touted coffee shops this morning.  Fortunately, my savvy cousin Nushin was on the scene and snapped this pic so the exploit would not be lost to posterity:

Suspicions confirmed by the highly agitated and blushing barista. We were too shy to invite him to the knockout tonight for the sonic youth cover band.

How rad would that have been?!?  Thurston, if you see this, come to the Knockout tonight!

(Thanks Lauren and Nushin!)

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

It’s hard to believe that our favorite warehouse-occupying, wifi-hating, coffee-snob-making coffee house is only 2 years old today. Happy Birthday, Four Barrel!

To celebrate, they are pouring free coffee until 4pm.

[Hat tip: Mission Loc@l]

Hey guys, Mission coffee really is that good.

Spotted this Four Barrel love at Maialino, a fancy schmancy pasta place in NYC’s Gramercy/Flatiron neighborhood. Also, Gramercy Tavern, a top rated restaurant around the corner proudly serves Blue Bottle.

Turns out my coffee backup plan of bringing everyone beans from SF was completely unnecessary.

UPDATE!!! This show is FREE, so pick up your FREE TICKETS from that place I told you about during those times that I mentioned.  Hopefully they’re not all gone yet!

@Noisepopfest has the scoop on a little show that is happening right here in the Mission at the good ol’ Victoria Theater, starring 7×7 faves the Dodos.  If you’re like me, you haven’t been to that place since you saw a smashing rendition of The Who’s Tommy, complete with onstage band playing all the hits.

Even if their popcorn isn’t necessarily as scrumptious as the stuff from the Roxie, it’s still pretty damn classy inside.  Get your tickets from 9am-2pm beginning Thursday and through Saturday here:

[Latte Photo by Premshree Pillai]

Previously:

Popcorn Party

This high-riding cyclist, spotted outside Four Barrel, was able to generate admiration from members of both the cycling and motorbiking communities, groups who often find themselves at odds with one another (usually over disputes involving the bike lane).  While I tend to support anything that can elicit agreement between such diverse citizenry, and I applaud this guy for apparently commuting to work on such “cool shit,” I’ve got to wonder:

How is he going to get off of this thing?  Does he need someone at his destination to hold the bike while he dismounts?  Does he just pedal up to a parked car and step off onto the hood?  Does he have to trackstand at every intersection since he can’t put his foot down?

These are questions that need to be answered!

<photo courtesy of Bikes and the City>

Amber writes in with an update on Four Barrel’s business model and accompanying photo:

Four Barrel has returned to it’s roots and reopened the alley for coffee service!

In addition to the full cafe in the front, you can now get tasty espresso and coffee drinks to enjoy in one of SF’s picturesque alleyways, located around the back of the cafe/roastery on Valencia between 14th and 15th.

Enter off 15th, just east of Valencia, and walk down Caledonia alley.

Glad to hear the shop is keeping it real.  Looking forward to scoping out the new barista (or should I say BARKista, HELLO!) in person.

P.S.  If anyone can think of a pun that incorporates both dogs and coffee, PLEASE, for the love of blog, help a girl out.