Moss wall
Cheung Hing, Sunset Dunes, Populus Seattle, Woodside living, Urban Ore, Bernal Heights dining, MORE
The FOUND 45 is our list of favorite restaurants in San Francisco — Essentials, New Guard, Neighborhood, Fine Dining/Special Occasion, Subscriber Favorites.
WORK • Friday Routine
Folk music
KEVIN ELMORE • co-owner • Food Folk
Neighborhood you live in: Outer Sunset
It’s Friday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
We open by 10a, though with two kids under two, my wife and I are usually up no later than 7. Turning on our espresso machine is always step one, then it’s the morning routine — getting our dog out, kids changed and fed, and entering negotiations with our toddler over something different every day. Once I get to the shop, I try to knock out admin work first — invoices, emails — before starting a game of Tetris (i.e., getting new backstock into the fridge and storage shelves).
What’s on the agenda for today?
Beyond the usual stuff, I’ve been spending a bunch of time on our liquor license lately. The months-long application saga is finally in its final stretch (just got Lurie’s OK!), which means a lot of decisions all at once: landing on our initial beer, wine, and sake curation, getting distribution in place, and figuring out where everything will actually go. That’ll likely mean at least one new fridge, which always brings more spatial challenges and, possibly, a visit from our electrician. Exciting stuff though — we can’t wait to host a beverage selection sourced by the same standards as our food offerings and introduce the neighborhood to a bunch of producers we’re geeked about.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
We cook at home a ton, but feeling lazy tonight, so we’ll probably start the rice cooker then grab a pound of char siu and an order of chow fun from our neighborhood Cheung Hing. I also obsess over a good burrito, and for me, nothing beats the al pastor from Taqueria San Bruno. And while down the Peninsula, we love splitting a monstrous sandwich on Dutch crunch from Little Lucca in Burlingame, a spot we both grew up on. If beer is involved, we’re usually at Woods Outbound or Cellarmaker.
How about a little leisure or culture?
Shopkeeping lands me inside most of the day, so when I’m off I like to get out and explore. Mostly around the city, though I love dropping into Pacifica and Half Moon Bay for beaches and day hikes. Otherwise, the usual rotation of stroller-friendly spots is between Golden Gate Park, Sunset Dunes, the SF Zoo, and the Discovery Museum in Sausalito.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
I’m a cast-iron enthusiast, and recently caved to my YouTube algorithm and built an electrolysis setup at home for restoring pans (a large tank, car battery charger, piece of steel). It’s been a total game changer, and it’s been fun bringing old skillets into the shop now to find new homes.
What store or service do you love to recommend?
I love sending friends to check out Scrap (SF) and Urban Ore (Berkeley) for secondhand treasures, supplies, art, vintage, and furniture. And Narrative (Oakland) hosts my favorite dealers of midcentury and antique decor, whether I’m just window shopping or trying to find something special. I’ve also been going to Treasure Paws Thrift (Burlingame) since I was a kid. They’re a nonprofit thrift/donation shop where I almost always leave with something, plus you get to support a good cause.
Where are you donating your time or money?
My wife and I give to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. It’s a cause close to our family, and they’re doing incredible work in the search for a cure and advancing treatment.
GOODS & SERVICES LINKS: USF-area Lucky to shutter next month • AI-run Andon Market continuing its candle-heavy experiment for at least three years • Shoppers turn to Reddit for beauty/wellness recs.
REAL ESTATE • On the Market
Three homes that came to market in Woodside in the last 30 days.
→ 26 Big Tree Rd (Woodside) • 4BR/4BA • 2483 SF • Ask: $1.888M • 1963 build surrounded by mature trees • Days on market: 7 • Agent: Matthew Dapolito, Intero.
→ 188 Martinez Rd (Woodside) • 3BR/2BA • 2304 SF • Ask: $2.175M • single-story 1960 build on 3.25 acres • Days on market: 13 • Agent: Mercedes Roses, Compass.
→ 245 Heacox Rd (Woodside, above) • 7BR/5.1BA • 8885 SF • Ask: $2.87M • expansive estate on private hillside • Days on market: 29 • Agent: Aaron Derbacher, Bay Area Estates.
REAL ESTATE LINKS: SF’s skyrocketing apartment prices prompt ‘renter fatigue’ • Shuttered San Francisco Centre sets new buyer bid date • Groundbreaking approaches for 270-acre masterplanned community at Candlestick.
GETAWAYS • Seattle
Space, needled
The Skinny: The Populus Seattle touts itself as carbon-positive — sequestering more carbon than it emits — thanks to its adaptive reuse of a historic 1907 warehouse. Another green touch: the new hotel, which opened last year, includes a six-story moss-covered wall that runs from the lobby to the rooftop skylight.
GETAWAYS LINKS: Tracking SFO’s $11 billion capital improvement plan • San Jose-based air taxis move forward • United launching new daily flights from SFO to CVG (Cincinatti) and DJT (West Palm Beach) this fall • Delta launches in-air DraftKings access — but don’t call it gambling.
RESTAURANTS • The Nines
Dining, Bernal Heights
The Nines are FOUND’s distilled lists of the best in the Bay Area and surrounds. Paid subscribers have access to the complete Nines archive.
Claws of Mantis at Fat Cat (Mission St), innovative and challenging Vietnamese in charming and queer wine bar setting, intel, walk-ins only