More taquerias should be inspired by Taco Bell. No, not by the fast-food chain's suspect ingredients or testosterone-fueled ad campaigns, but for the unique gastronomic constructs that Taco Bell uses to produce their food-like menu items. Take, for example, this (delicious) monstrosity filled with Fritos. Taqueria La Cumbre on Valencia Street recently started making something sorta, kinda, barely similar: Nachos in a Roll (i.e., a tortilla chip-stuffed burrito), a treat brought to our attention by noted neighborhood blog, Mission Mission. See, for only $5, you can get nachos stuffed inside a flour tortilla with either grilled chicken, steak or vegetarian along with beans, cheese guacamole, sour cream, and salsa. So basically a burrito with chips inside. And yet? Much more. more ›

Spork, the Valencia Street establishment that has been elevating comfort food for five years now, has reached the end of their lease Ms. Tablehopper reports. Friday, December 23rd will be the restaurant's last day to grab their infamous in-side-out burger (two patties, bun in the middle, all skewered with a large steak knife) or the opulent Champagne of Burgers. After the new year, the co-owners plan to focus on their more grown-up concept at Thermidor in Mint Plaza. more ›

A group of Occupyists protesting Mission evictions on Saturday afternoon wrongly accused Tacolicious and its owner, Joe Hargrave, a small-business owner of evildoings. Brimming with Tea Party-like fervor, hope and confusion, "hundreds" of Occupy ilk (some of whom recently re-located to San Francisco and the Mission themselves) converged outside the Valencia Street location take action against evictions in the Mission. The group claimed that Tacolicioius, a noted restaurant serving titular tacos and more, wanted to evict the building at 739-741 Valencia. Problem is that Tacolicious doesn't own the building. They can't evict anyone. They don't want to evict anyone. more ›

In what could be seen as the continued Starbucks-ification of Valencia Street, brick-and-mortar coffee purveyors Ritual Coffee Roasters recently pulled the work of photographer Varese Layzer. It was considered "too serious" for the cafe's walls. While neither visually offensive nor too harrowing at first glance, the exhibit centered around the death of a the artist's mother. Upon reading the artist's statement after the show went live, Ritual owner Eileen Hassi later stripped the walls of Layzer's art and sent her a gracious (albeit somewhat perplexing) letter of explanation, which was then posted to Layzer's Flickr account. Here's what the letter said: more ›

While we haven't seen the inside of a video/DVD store in almost a decade, some of you still enjoy the whimsy of obtaining your movie rentals outside your property line. (You know, to go along with your Sunday paper and morning coffee.) One such place we remember with staunch fondness is Valencia Street's Lost Weekend Video. Mainly because it's named after a movie about a raging alcoholic (and featuring the incomparable Jane Wyman!), but also because its employees are, for lack of a better term, totally rad. Telestar Logistics has a swell writeup on the trials and tribulations of Lost Weekend. Check it out. [Telestar, via Mission Mission] more ›

Oh drats, this is too bad. Little Otsu, that charming store on Valencia Street that sells equally charming stuff (comics, wallets, DIY stuff, vegetable-based ink publishing), is closing its doors. "Eight years seems like a nice, round number," co-owner Jeremy Crown tells Mission Local. "That's going to make running the store the longest job that either of us has ever had." more ›

There's more to the San Francisco queer scene than Harvey Milk, gay marriage kerfuffles, or exhausting penis-in-bottom jokes. Take, for example, the late '80s/'90s Valencia Street staple, Klubstitute. Harkening back to the club kid days, this popular, aggressively alternative gay club helped spawn Trannyshack, among other things. The DIY-ish club night, we're told, was a bastion of creative types, music, spinning and revelry that, to put it delicately, wallowed in the crystalline lifestyle. (Held at various locations throughout the city, one of its venue name's, The Crystal Pistol (now Range), left little to the imagination.) more ›

Last night at 16th and Valencia around 7 p.m.-ish, a man climbed atop a building and threatened to jump. The incident stopped a Trauma shoot, which was filming in the area. more ›

Although some claim to dislike local scribe Dave Eggers -- probably because he is successful, something writers and alleged writers hate like holy hell -- you should read his new book. It's a work of nonfiction. And it's heavy-ish. It's called Zeitoun. What's it about? Well, it involves a Syrian-American man. And hurricane Katrina. And probably some super sad stuff. But why listen to us when Amazon's product description can explain it to you better. more ›

Meanwhile, on Valencia Street... more ›

OK. We lied. THIS will be our final American Apparel post. We know we said otherwise, but you'll thank us when you find out why we're bringing up the beleaguered retail chain one last time. See, after an Oskar Schindler-like awakening, the fine folks over at American Apparel are offering up a mea culpa in the form of a 25%-discount to any and all Mission residents at any of their SF American Apparel stores. (What, no love for LoRi residents? Pft.) Mission Mission has more details. more ›

What with Bush leaving office and local ire having no direct target, layoffs continuing to abound, and the recession devolving into something worse, American Apparel setting up shop on Valencia Street created the perfect storm for a surprising amount of anger on both sides of the argument. more ›

Since your editor is too busy looking for somebody with a vagina who likes other vaginas to take with him to Orson this evening, he couldn't possibly make it to City Hall. (All those Missionites? Heavens no. We just bathed.) But Mission Mission is reporting live from the scene. Allan Hough starts of by describing the scene leading up to room Room 400 at City Hall. more ›

We were happy to find a photo of ourselves -- or is it "ourself"? -- on Flickr the day after we went down to Ritual Roasters to type a letter registering our disapproval of chain stores on Valencia Street. more ›

After venting on one of the many American Apparel threads we have going -- one a day keeps the cold pricklies away! -- SFist commenter Angrybat had a swell idea. He suggests that everyone switch their position and argue for the other side, re American Apparel. Which will, hopefully, be fun. And thought-provoking. And remind you of high school debate class. more ›

In struggle, the Stop American Apparel coalition will meet at The Makeout Room at 7 p.m. tonight to discuss their plans at stopping the clothing store from opening in the Mission. They'll have "full color posters for you to take with you as well as petitions and postcards." If you remember, a few comfortably wealthy folks in the Mission do not want an American Apparel store opening up in the neighborhood because getting old sucks, chains are allegedly ugly (never mind the fact that there is a Sketchers and McDonald's just one block down on the more Latino-laced Mission Street), and they would prefer to keep the area "a corridor of outstanding independent businesses." Judging by our poll, most of you don't care whether or not an American Apparel opens shop on posh Valencia Street. But for those of you who do, you can check out tonight's meeting. Bonus points go out to those of you who snap shots of yourselves wearing American Apparel at the meeting. Tee hee.
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In what's being billed as the retail "hipster wars" of the Mission, 988 Valencia will soon call sleaze designer American Apparel home. That is, if the scraggly elite of the Mission get their way. Local scribe and former prostitute Stephen Elliott is none too thrilled about this "chain store" opening up, going on to clarify the following at stopamericanapparel.wordpress.com. more ›

We've always been more of a mid-afternoon voter, but circumstances brought us past this Valencia St. polling place at 7 a.m. We have mixed feelings at the sight of a long line: lots of people are voting, good; but they must wait to do so. more ›

Contrary to what court rulings say about the halting of the light brown apple moth spray, Modern Times Bookstore's recent window dressing claims otherwise. According to our pals over at Curbed, "[T]his posted propaganda [says the] CDFA will still continue to spray outside of the city— within 10 miles." SO, if you believe what a bookstore window is telling you, head for the hills. The deadly mist might make a return. (Curbed) more ›

The incomprehensible web-log Hipster Runoff went and reblogged an Alt Bingo card, and then tweaked and reposted an improved version -- but it still doesn't feel quite right, at least not for San Francisco's special hipster needs. more ›

Taking a cue from the East Bay's recent restaurant robberies, an armed gunman entered Valencia Street Italian eatery Beretta (formerly Last Supper Club/Radio Free Valencia) on Tuesday morning and robbed the joint. The restaurant was filled a with 10 patrons at the time. more ›

It's Saturday the 26th and the iPhone says we have 26 minutes to wait for the 26 Valencia bus. This is the kind of magic we have always associated with the 26 Valencia, the bus line of which we are most inordinately fond. It's not like the 14 Mission, which we need, or the 33 Stanyan, which we respect, or the 38 Geary, which we fear (in a Jean-Paul Sartre, No Exit kind of way). more ›

Last night's four-alarm fire at Valencia and 25th/26th Streets roared for two long hours, brought the Dovre Club's St. Paddy's Day revelry to a halt, and left 59 people temporarily homeless. Over 130 firefighters were on the scene, and only two people suffered minor injuries. Whew. more ›

If that's the case, then the scarlet- and periwinkle-colored Mission district gangs continue their warring at a steady, gruesome pace.

Last night at the surprisingly gorgeous housing projects HOPE VI revitalization program, Valencia Gardens -- as close to every cyclists' and Quentin Tarantino's favorite local beer garden -- there was a shooting, reportedly, over at 14th Street and Valencia. While we have yet to confirm the incident, according to a tipster: more ›

All together now: We declare our right on this earth to park our cars within 50 feet of our favorite coffee shops, to be drivers, to be respected as drivers, on this earth, in the Mission, where we intend to find parking wherever we can by any means necessary. more ›