Spirits in the night
San Mateo listings, bottle shops, Food Folk, MORE
REAL ESTATE • On the Market
Three properties that came to market in San Mateo in the last 30 days.
→ 2117 Los Altos Dr (San Mateo, above) • 4BR/2BA • 1720 SF • Ask: $1.93M • fully remodeled 1961 build w/ detached flex structures • Days on market: 7 • Agent: Eric McCafferty, Golden Gate Sotheby’s.
→ 511 Yale Dr (San Mateo) • 3BR/2BA • 1650 SF • Ask: $2.495M • single-level 1941 build w/ views of Mt. Diablo • Days on market: 7 • Agent: Lina Yang, KW Advisors.
→ 430 Hillsborough Blvd (San Mateo) • 4BR/3.1BA • 2830 SF • Ask: $4.595M • classic San Mateo Park mcm • Days on the market: 11 • Agent: Serena Conti, Compass.
REAL ESTATE LINKS: Empty nesters are flocking to SF • Race to build downtown SF’s next tower intensifies • Ghirardelli Square sold to Embrace Real Estate.
GOODS & SERVICES • The Nines
Bottle shops
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.
Bitters & Bottles (NoPa), deep selection of well-priced gin, rum, and whiskey, as well as artisan cordials, bitters, more
Swirl (Castro, above), wine shop and wine bar w/ sandwiches, also features full spirits selection
Ales Unlimited (Pacific Heights), craft beer store w/ full, high-end booze array
D&M Wines & Liquors (Pacific Heights), hard-to-find bottles, rare Champagnes, fair prices
Cask (Downtown), fine scotches and bourbons, local distillers
Healthy Spirits (multiple locations), bourbon, mezcal, and tequila specialists, beer offerings are also good
The Whisky Shop (Union Square), longtime purveyor of rare, very high-end Scotch, Irish whiskey, American bourbon
PlumpJack Wine & Spirits (Cow Hollow & Noe Valley), Gavin Newsom’s wine and spirit business, in operation for over 30 years
San Francisco Tequila Shop (Bernal Heights), unassuming corner store w/ SF’s best selection of agave spirits
GOODS & SERVICES LINKS: At SF auction, Grateful Dead memorabilia prices soar above expectations • SF’s first Crocs shop lands at Stonestown • Bed Bath & Beyond can’t quit CA • Retailers could close more than 40K stores over next 5 years • Chris Black talks taste.
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Shop
Spice is life
Food Folk, a narrow retail space on the Inner Richmond’s bustling Clement St., might have one of San Francisco’s most idiosyncratic selections of goods. Opened as a specialty foods shop in December, the business has expanded its offerings by leaps and bounds since then.
But one thing’s remained the same: owners Kevin and Sam Elmore are intensely passionate about each and every item on the sales floor, from a $14 bag of chips made with organic heirloom potatoes and double-fried in rice oil (“they taste like potatoes straight from the farm,” Kevin notes) to a vintage cheese board he insists you remember to treat with wood-preserving oils.
This is the place to assemble the greatest, most indulgent gift basket ever, a welcome to the HOA present, perhaps, or an “I’m sorry I missed your dinner party” gesture. A2 sheep’s milk labneh that can otherwise only be found in Los Angeles is across the shop from small-batch, Savannah-made Greg’s Famous Hot Sauce (the secret to its flavor? Squid ink, Kevin says). Crocheted potholders made by a neighborhood resident hang from a shelf, next to an unusual tin of oysters, a 1950s bakelite mug, and three different flavored versions of MSG.
The entire shop feels like a peek into the Elmores’ minds — this is truly a place they’d be shopping if they didn’t already own the business. And though it’s tiny (300 SF or so), it’s made for lingering, with a delicious surprise in every nook and cranny. –Eve Batey
→ Shop: Food Folk (Inner Richmond) • 210 Clement St • Wed-Sat 10a-6p, Sun 9a-5p.
GETAWAYS LINKS: Avianca launching SFO-GUA (Guatemala) service starting in July • In Honolulu, Pagoda Hotel unveils new look… checking out the yakitori omakase at newly opened Yakitori Torishin • United’s campaign to snap up struggling airlines.
LOST & FOUND • Behind the Paywall
→ A handful of favorite Bay Area restaurants from new subscribers: House of Prime Rib (Van Ness) • Pomet (Oakland) • Saul’s (Berkeley) • Raymond’s (Point Richmond).