From the Bleachers
Have you been by to check out the stadium yet? They're charging $10 for a tour of the place! Ten bucks to admire the pristine pissoirs at our new stadium? That seems ridiculous (that's the first strike), especially since you can get a free glimpse of the retro-looking recreation palace from bottlenecked traffic (strike two) on the Embarcadero. The place looks good, and cozy -- if an arena can be soft and snuggly this one is -- though the red brick is too East Coast for us mesclun munchers. I would have gone for the ranch bungalow look, with a Peninsula-style carport. Which reminds me: There's no sign of valet parking at the park (strike three, and yerouttahere).
If you want to hand your keys to some pimply kid when you're baseball-bound, your best bet is to eat at one of the valet-offering restaurants huddling up at the bottom of Embarcadero. MoMo's was the first out of the gate, and everyone involved in that project is drooling at the promise of the shout of "Play ball." The latest addition competing for your hot dog dollars is Paragon. A block up from MoMo's on Second and Townsend, this midsized spot is the younger sibling of the old Paragon in the Marina, and Paragons Burlingame and Seattle. The new space serves an American brasserie menu (clam chowder) with sidewalk dining, a prominent bar, and a touch of industrial chic -- but no, there's no bleacher seating.
The Great Debate
Tori Ritchie was working the room like a presidential candidate at the industry dinner at Chaya last week. Ritchie, former food editor at San Francisco magazine, has a new gig on the boob tube and she can't wait to tell you about it. Her "Let's Eat!" segment, focusing on affordable dining throughout the Bay Area, airs Thursdays on KPIX Channel 5's Evening Magazine. Harry hasn't been asked on as a guest ... yet. Speaking of Chaya, this particular set of taste buds has decided that in the recent battle of overpriced Asian fusion (that sounds sooo '90s), SoCal's Chaya has triumphed over Jody D.'s Azie. True, Azie has a killer space by Cass Smith, but the food seems directionless and the turntables (read: hipness factor) were collecting dust on my last visit. Chaya has seasoned culinary chops plus a view of the bridge and a cool art collection. Just my -- ahem -- humble opinion.
Star-ing
Keanu was at Tosca. Is that place a celebrity magnet, or what? The lead singer of Tonic was partying at -- Tonic -- the night before opening for Third Eye Blind at the Warfield. No, I don't think he was drinking vodka and ... tonic, so don't bug me about it.
Know something Harry doesn't? E-mail Coverte@aol.com and sweep the dirt out from under the rug.
