Grand Lake

Number 21: Starter Bakery's Hazelnut Kouign Amann

SFoodie's countdown of our favorite 50 things to eat and drink, 2012 edition ​Although Ti Kouz has stopped serving krampouz, Bay Area eaters are still struggling to pronounce Breton words thanks to Starter Bakery. Its signature pastry, the kouign amman (queen ah-mahn), is a butter cake from Brit ... More >>

The Art of Robert Lambert's Marmalade

​Jam-maker Robert Lambert styles himself an artist, and you can taste that ambition in the jams themselves. He paints in muted tones of rare and exotic citrus, accented with brush strokes of of flowers, spirits and spice.  His label and approach reinforce the message. Each jar is topped ... More >>

Watch: New Bay Area Band Waters Plays a Hushed "For the One" on Ocean Beach

​ Waters is the new project from Van Pierszalowski, the ex-frontman of a long-running Bay Area indie rock band called Port O'Brien that put out its last record in 2009. (Many of Port O'Brien's former members are off working on different projects -- Caleb Nichols, for instance, is leading Grand ... More >>

Q&A with Bicycle Coffee Co.'s Brad Butler and Brandon McKee

Alex HochmanCousins on bikes: Bicycle Coffee's Brad Butler, left, and Brandon McKee.​In June 2009, Bicycle Coffee Co. began delivering freshly roasted organic, fair trade, single-origin Arabica beans to stores and cafes via bicycle. Bicycle Coffee sets up at the Grand Lake farmers' market on S ... More >>

Homeroom's Opening, Sol Food Opens a Takeout Business, Bissap Baobab to Become Bullitt II

​ ​The past 24 hours in gossip, innuendo, and cold hard facts about the San Francisco restaurant scene. According to Inside Scoop, the Bay Area's first macaroni-and-cheese restaurant, Homeroom (400 40th St., Oakland, homeroom510.com), should open for lunch next Tuesday and for dinner the ... More >>

Tonight: Watch Il Gato Play a Free Show from the Comfort of Your Glowing Computer Screen

No guarantees about them wearing those nifty red suits, though.​We're really not sure why we don't hear more about the ornate folk-pop of San Francisco outfit Il Gato, but maybe, after tonight, we will: the band is playing a live show at Bamm.tv that you can stream on your computer from the couch, ... More >>

Blue Chair Launches Jam CSA

SusieFoodie/FlickrBlue Chair's jam CSA offers San Franciscans access to seasonal flavors. These are from 2008.​Who needs a jam CSA anyway? Cat ladies living off English muffins and pots of Constant Comment, with jar-a-week habits? Hoarders stuffing their larders? The answer, for lovers of Blu ... More >>

J-Pop Party, Indie Erotica, Amoebapalooza, Comedy Day, Mexico's Independence, and More

Killbossa bring tropicalia to the Make-Out Room this Sunday​Already sick of your classes? Feeling a bit sluggish at work? Let San Francisco ease your pain with ten stress-soothing events for less than a bottle of self-medication. Here's our list of 10 cool events this weekend for under $10: Frida ... More >>

Grand Lake, Ash Reiter, Sunbeam Rd. and Burrows at the Milk-Less Milk Bar

Grand Lake​Grand LakeAsh ReiterSunbeam Rd.BurrowsSeptember 16, 2010@ Milk BarBetter than: Shows where there aren't pictures of kittens on the kick drum.Maybe it was the waves of dense fog soaking trees and buildings on Haight St. late last night -- making it feel like more the empty dead of winter ... More >>

Listen to Oakland's Grand Lake Cover Pavement's 'In The Mouth of a Desert'

File this under bizarre: Oakland's Grand Lake have just covered the classic Pavement tune "In the Mouth of a Desert." So how does it sound? At first listen: weird. Second listen: very weird. Frontman Caleb Nichols tweaks Malkmus' lines in a nasally vocal spray over a persistent, distorted drum-machi ... More >>

S.F. Rising: Three Challot for a Friday

Jonathan KauffmanMoscow and Tbilisi's challah (non-Kosher).​A weekly survey of bread in San Francisco ― the baked and the fried, the artisan and the novelty.Challah #1 Source: Moscow and Tbilisi Bakery, 5540 Geary (at 20th Ave.) 668-6959.Price: $4 for a large, $0.85 for a smallKosher? No Toast- ... More >>

Tuesday's Pick: Grand Lake Vinyl Release Show

Grand LakeIt's For Free GraceSean Smith & the Present MomentJames & EvanderCafe Du Nord9 p.m., $10Caleb Nichols is often asked why he left Port O'Brien two years ago, right around the time the neo-folk outfit was getting quite a bit of attention. His answer is simple: He was tired and needed ... More >>

Tweet Your Concert Love and Win Tickets to Grand Lake Tomorrow Night and a Copy of 'Blood Sea Dream'

​Oakland's Grand Lake are celebrating the vinyl release of Blood Sea Dream, their debut full-length, tomorrow night at Cafe Du Nord. We can hook up one lucky reader with tickets and a copy of the album, which mixes post-punk and Pixies-esque proto-grunge in a spacey landscape that never quite lets ... More >>

Exclusive Free MP3: Grand Lake's 'Spark'

​A standout among the many Oakland/East Bay alt-rock bands who love tempo changes and reverb, Grand Lake is a (sonically) ambitious outfit worth noting. The song "Spark," from its recent Blood Sea Dream album, shifts between triumphant march, dreamy plea, and decaying guitar noise -- not unlike cl ... More >>

Mission Creek Festival Trots Out Fresh & Onlys, Grass Widow, More for Day in the Park

Brian PritchardThe Fresh & Onlys​San Francisco suffers no lack of indie-focused music festivals. But the summertime Mission Creek Music and Arts Festival has a particular homegrown charm to it, lining up a good slab of local talent each year. This year's lineup looks especially solid. The fest ... More >>

Video of the Day: Grand Lake's "Spark"

Shot at Twin Peaks and Lake Temescal, Grand Lake's new video for "Spark" is a perfect, shimmering visualization of the song's melodic twinkles and twangs. The video uses split screen to divide up the same scene in four shaky, simultaneous images of horsey-headed lovers, mostly frolicking at Twin P ... More >>

Farmers' Market Favorite Vesta Flatbread Looking for Restaurant Space

Tamara PalmerVesta's beef short rib sandwich ($8.50).​Vesta Flatbread launched at the top of the year, serving its house-made flatbread sandwiches and other fare at three Bay Area farmers' markets: Thursdays at San Rafael Civic Center, Saturdays at Oakland's Grand Lake, and Sundays in Walnut C ... More >>

Out of Oakland: Barreling in a Blood Sea Dream With Grand Lake

​Referring to themselves as an "extremely artist-centric label", Hippies Are Dead Records delivers Grand Lake's Blood Sea Dream as their first release. The S.F. and New York based label chose this band for its chemistry not only in the studio but on stage, as the label as a huge focus on live musi ... More >>

Last Night: Grand Lake, Two Sheds, Fake Your Own Death and Kuma/Koshka‏

Two Sheds​Grand Lake, Two Sheds, Fake Your Own Death and Kuma/Koshka‏ SF Winter Fest Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010 Thee Parkside Better than: Watching the final season premiere of Lost. Absolutely, certainly, definitely. (Right?) "It breaks my heart to be alive sometimes" was among the weighty, memora ... More >>

SF IndieFest: Our Picks for the Local Acts You Shouldn't Miss

Judgement Day​We love our music festivals here in the Bay Area, but most seem occur in the spring, summer, or fall, when the weather's nice--or at least decent--and there's plenty of other stuff going on. Well, for 2010, the good folks over at SF IndieFest (known heretofore for indie film) have pu ... More >>

5 Things To Do This Weekend for Under $10

AJ FarkasMatmos, at SFMOMA on Saturday​Our apologies for the shorter list this week. We came down with the N-Flu (you know how it goes, sick folks ride the N to work and infect the whole Muni line). So there's only 5 Things on our list for cheap weekend entertainment. But they're good things. To m ... More >>

Last Night: Rad Cloud, Arcadio, and Grand Lake at Cafe du Nord

Anna McCarthyArcadio at Cafe du Nord​Last night, Cafe du Nord featured an eclectic mix of sounds: the mournful indie-rock of Grand Lake, the dark twang of Arcadio, and the new wave, choppy beats of Rad Cloud. But all three acts had one commonality--they were all from the Bay Area. "This is sort of ... More >>

A Nice Ride

Pretty Oakland

Movie Night With the 9/11 Truthers -- Conspiracy Theories, Bad Music, and, Hey! Free Popcorn!

​An evening at the 9/11 Film Festival -- sponsored by, among others, the San Francisco Bay Guardian -- which commenced last night at the Grand Lake Theater in Oakland. The vibe here is mild, friendly, and decidedly Baby Boomerish. The guy who takes my ticket jovially announces that there's "fre ... More >>

No More Popcorn: Another Big Theater Chain Pulls Out of Chronicle Movie Listings -- And Bay Area Indy Cinemas Threaten to Follow, En Masse

It's 106 miles to Chicago, we've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark out and we're wearing sunglasses. How many lines was that? How much do we owe the Chronicle?For those who eschew hand-held digital devices, the San Francisco Chronicle used to be your best bet when you need ... More >>

Reps Etc.

Reps Etc.

Reps Etc.

Reps Etc.

Reps Etc.

Reps Etc.

I Feel Exposed

Filmmakers and freedom

No Shades of Gray

Race, sex, and drink make an explosive brew in a feature debut

Out of the Fog

Bound for Glory

East Is East

Miss Saigon

Dog Bites

More Millennial Angst and 72 Degrees in Your Head

The Red and the Black

Tense Alliance

A conversation with the makers of Blacks and Jews, a highlight of the 17th annual San Francisco Jewish Film Festival

Behind the Scenes

Shooting Stars

Valerie Solanas throws a murderous wrench into the gears of the Factory in I Shot Andy Warhol

Chan Reaction

Rumble in the Bronx brings Jackie Chan's brand of action movie to mainstream America

Shrunken Shakespeare

The new movie version of Othello is an Elizabethan soap opera

Love and Death and Brotherhood

The Brothers McMullen relocates Woody Allen's ethos to an East Coast Irish clan

Night+Day