"do you remember the... christmas tire?" this was wayne a few years ago. i had met him at a time,…read moredecades later, we termed our missing years... maybe you had some of those? days you can't account for, likely stuck somewhere because you chose wrong, turned down a backstreet and came to a deadend. nothing to do then but hope another bus comes along soon to get you out, and wary that your next move goes wrong, too. at such times, heed the advice given to weekend hikers: "if you get really lost in the woods, stay right where you are and wait... someone will find you". what isn't included in that conventional wisdom is the caveat: "sooner or later". all this came to me as i enjoyed the oxtail stew at the basque cultural center. I'd been curious about it for quite some time and finally decided to check it out. Basque restaurants have been one of my guilty pleasures since i made the wrong choice that lead to those missing years. since then I've sought them out when around Fresno, Bakersfield, Reno and smaller towns like Gardnerville and Los Banos: flat, grassy, agrarian places suited to sheepherding, which as far as I know was originally the main occupation for new immigrants from the Pyrenees where it's something of an artisanal career today. Since the 1800s Basque boarding houses were also in SF and LA, all gone now. Newly arrived Bascos heading to the country for work were advised to get off the train and look around for a place called, usually, the Santa Fe Hotel. The menu at the restaurant was then and is still basic: choose chicken, steak, lamb or pork chops as a main item and the rest is the same regardless (soup, salad, beans with ice cream at the end). There's also a preliminary dish, an "appetizer" that is essentially a separate entree in itself. this varies everyday, often oxtail or lamb stew. That's more or less the offering around today, and would have been all I likely ever knew except for my travels a few years ago to the Basque homeland in the Pyrenees. Basque cuisine is much more diverse there than you'll find at the Cultural Center, but you're closer to here than to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. Everything from the meat department is very good, but I suggest avoiding the fish entree unless it's the daily special. My favorite was the oxtail stew, reminding me of the same dish at the Santa Fe Hotel in Fresno, during the time when I lived nearby during those lost years, longer than I care to remember. In fact, as I enjoyed the meal I recalled my thoughts after wayne mentioned the "christmas tire". at first i completely blanked, what was my old friend talking about? then slowly it came to me, like a dim memory of something said or done during a particularly white and active night before, something so off-axis that the next morning your left eye looks funny and hurts. it was our second christmas in a small farmhouse near madera. i had stupidly purchased it... leave new york to live here forever? ever wanted to grab someone, someone also rootless, and just walk out the door, run away with less than a half-baked plan about what happens next? well that's exactly what we did, my runway model friend of the moment and i. by the end of the 70s we had developed a nasty habit quite common then, not a true physical addiction mind you but a very real psychological dependence. in the end we couldn't pay our "bills" and needed to be somewhere else, like now!, hard to find for awhile. at that moment a portal of change opened, deux ex machina!: a job offer in the middle of nowhere, relo expenses et al. i accepted without ever visiting madera, ca. i suppose after all this you might wonder what that tire thing was about? i, too, wonder. christmas was memorable in my early years but then something unforgettably sad happened, such that i've disrespected religious events since. for a time i took to making odd abstractions of what alternative forms a "christmas tree" might take. that particular year i covered an old truck tire with that canned "snow" you spray on trees to approximate a "white christmas." but this result wasn't a tree at all, instead the remains of one that had been cut down to be decorated elsewhere, leaving a snow-covered hole in the ground where the tree had rooted. That was the concept, merry christmas perhaps you can see from this that my creative energy in this period ran high... wayne and i spent many and regular hours testing various brandy beverages i was hired to develop. but the lovely Dierdre fell back on pricier habits we had vowed to leave behind when we left the apple. soon after she caught the next bus out of town in the form of a wealthy melon farmer. fortunately none of this mattered much after awhile. all that aside, i highly recommend the cultural center for its displays of Basque art and artifacts, a full gymnasium for Basque games, and of course its excellent traditional cuisine.

One of the favorite places to go eat when in the bay area. The food is pretty darn fantastic here…read more Sorry I didn't take all the pictures if what we had but I can assure you it was fantastic. we started with a wonderful potato leek soup followed by the mussels which would have been plenty, the mussels were plentiful and very delicious the next course is a very nice salad of butter lettuce, greens and a delicious yogurt lemon juice dressing for a wonderful palate cleanser. Then came the pork osso bucco over a creamy polenta, that was very delicious, my friend never had it before, I mentioned that Ikea used to have it also but nowhere as delicious as what we were served here. The meal ended with a choice of desserts, I ended with spumoni ice cream, a perfect finale for a fantastic meal again here.

I ordered boba for pick up here and didn't realize it was a Filipino Cultural Center! I'd like the…read morestick around the next time I order drinks because everyone was very friendly and welcoming when I stepped inside. We ordered the Turon Milk Tea and Matcha Buko Pandan. I believe the Matcha became watered down, but that's becsuse we didn't drink it until an hour later. The Turon Milk Tea held up though. Both drinks were very yummy. I loved the consistency and sweetness of the banana milk. The cold foam also helps cut the sweetness and provides a satisfying texture. Turon chips were also included and brought such a nice, almost creme brulee flavor, like toasted sugar. The Matcha Buko Pandan had a nice assortment of flavord and toppings. I loved the gulaman and macapuno! The pandan milk was a nice touch to combine with the matcha, though I wish the pandan flavor was more prominent or maybe sweeter.

My daughter and I decided to stop by Kapwa to try their drinks, which were on promotion for half…read moreprice ($5) last Friday - June 12, Philippine Independence Day. We arrived past 4pm and ordered four drinks: two Mango Floats, a Turon Milk Tea, and a Lychee, Passion Fruit & Calamansi Tea. Although the store didn't appear busy and I was the only customer ordering drinks at the time (my daughter was waiting in the car), the wait ended up being much longer than expected. After about 15 minutes, one of the staff members approached me and apologized for the delay, explaining that they were missing an ingredient but assuring me that the drinks would be ready soon. I appreciated the communication and courtesy. However, it still took roughly 30 minutes from the time I ordered before we finally received our drinks. What made the experience more disappointing was that they had also run out of straws, so none were available with the drinks. In addition, the drinks themselves did not quite meet our expectations. Some tasted watered down, others seemed overly creamy, and none of the drinks included boba. I'm not sure if the missing ingredient mentioned earlier was related, but it may have contributed to the overall experience. While I appreciated the staff's professionalism and willingness to keep customers informed, the long wait, inventory shortages, and drink quality made this visit less enjoyable than we had hoped. I would be willing to give Kapwa another try in the future, as this may have been an unfortunate off day.

For such a tiny place, they have such a wide range of material. Imagine walking into any branch of…read morethe SF Public Library and looking through the myriad subjects of books, except they nearly all have "Ireland" in the title. That's the kind of variety you can expect here, maintained by friendly folk who all know each other well. As in they were joking around the whole time I was there. It's not a lending library - books can't be checked out, though sometimes old duplicates are up for purchase. I suggest either making time to sit and read through your chosen book(s) or writing down the title / author / ISBN to look for later or online. Note: There's a uniformed mannequin loitering in the shaded alcove. Try not to be too startled when you catch it from the corner of your eye.

Amazing place for a venue Buffet was fabulous…read moreThe reception was for a funeral Thank you to the family for hosting

Our family attended Easter brunch here and it was great! The place is beautiful and lots of…read moredelicious food! Couldn't get enough for the prime rib! Great place to come back for Mother's Day brunch!

At SF United Irish Cultural club for the Oscars Watch Party was on Sunday 3/10/24…read more What a fantastic fun venue it was! The organizers are amazing of planning for this Oscar event at the club. There was a full bar and you can order food at the food truck. The place is clean and spacious. There was a stage with microphone and speakers. There was a couple big screen televisions on the wall. Awesome venue with a fun atmosphere and plenty of spaces for all the attendees. And even I won the Oscar! I enjoyed it. I like all the people who work here. Great vibe!

What an epic and unique wedding venue…read more The United Irish Cultural Center has so much history and character. It was the first Irish social center in the United States built entirely by volunteer labor and community contributions (taken from website) and currently it stands as a California 501c3 nonprofit corporation We attended a lovely wedding celebration/reception here. The main dining hall was fantastic with high ceilings and had been decorated for the event, with vibrant yellow flowers. I am not sure if the couple rented tables and chairs, or if the space provided them - but there was ample seating and tables. In addition to a large dance floor, there was a formidable stage, which was perfect for the phenomenal musicians and entertainers which performed throughout the evening. Later in the evening, we descended to their lower basement bar for an intimate evening of karaoke. The bar was set-up with a screen and karaoke equipment, and the whole space was lovely, cozy and brimming with personality. For event planning and attendee purposes - United Irish Cultural Center is remarkably convenient to access. We took an Uber here, but I believe they have plenty of parking which is ideal for event load-in and load out. It felt very San Francisco - having the Sunset fog drape the historical building in its embrace - as we left for the evening. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the The United Irish Cultural Center and I was impressed with how well maintained this space was - from the bathrooms to the main entertaining rooms. I also loved perusing the historical pictures which line the walls. If you are privileged enough to attend an event here - I recommend taking your time to soak up the essence of this space and do a little exploring of your own. So thankful that I was able to experience the wonder of this unique space with such a memorable event. Trust.

This place is so fun to explore, the aisles can get crowded but it's not too bad. Prices are…read moreaffordable and the staff is helpful.

Scrap is exactly what you think it is - odds and ends of art supplies (some new, mostly used or…read moreopen) for the crafty. There is also some original art for sale. Something for everyone to scratch that creative itch. There's a lot going on here but it's organized by category which is helpful. Also, there's an option to donate here which is always great! Agree with other reviewers that the area doesn't feel the safest and is a bit apocalyptic (barbed fence wires with no one walking around) but I think it adds to the charm of the place. Just don't recommend coming here at night and take an Uber/drive if you can as it's located in an industrial area.

I wish I had the time to get to know the JCCC more when we came here last weekend for Cherry…read moreBlossom Festival. It was super crowded so we could not really be able to get to look around much. But from what I could see this place was somewhere that attracted a lot of people with food and cultural displays. I will learn more about this place so I can participate in future events because it looks quite interesting!

These are MY peeps we're talkin' 'bout here. Don't you be talkin' no smack 'round here 'bout my…read morepeeps. It was actually Jamie W. who got me to come here for their Community Kitchen event. Several of us (and not all Japanese-Americans) came, and we were organized into teams to make delish country-style Japanese dishes. I was on the Fruit Sando team, and people were impressed with my whipped cream whisking capabilities. I didn't watch the Food Network for years for nothing. But the center is more than just food. It aims to preserve and promote all aspects of Japanese/Japanese-American cultural heritage, and their calendar of events reflects their charter. At a time when a tragedy like the Monterey Park shootings can occur without provocation, it's more important than ever to have a community-based non-profit organization like this in Japantown. RELATED - Exploring Japantown? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: http://bit.ly/2C8Z4mZ

Cool building, love climbing to the top. This place is a lot bigger than you would expect and is…read morereally fun to walk around and explore. This place has everything from an art gallery to a pool room and a bar. It is pretty awesome for sure.

This is the building at San Francisco State University where all the student organizations are…read morehoused. There are two snack shops, one bookstore, one information desk and an area for quiet study. The pool tables and arcade area are located downstairs in the recreation area. I think this building is very neat in terms of all the amenities and resources it has to provide. I find myself in this building to go to the bookstore for supplies and textbooks. In terms of the design of this building, I wouldn't call it ugly. I practically like how spacious the interior is! The seating is a great place to do some quiet studying, complete homework assignments or research projects. Overall, the resources and amenities always come in handy and useful for students, faculty and staff members. Want a place to sit where you can get up on reading, homework or research project assignments? Need a scantron for an upcoming exam? The campus bookstore is your answer for textbooks, school and art supplies as well as San Francisco State University branded clothing. Come check it out! The Spring Hours for the Student Center are: Monday - Friday 8 am - 7 pm Saturday 8 am - 4 pm

Upgrading this to 5 star. The business owner is responsive after all and very understanding. The…read moredance teacher, Alise, teach a group class I enrolled in is super awesome and amazing at what she teaches, which are very genuine dance training to me and I strongly believe to others as well.

This is a great ballroom dance school for the beginners and advanced students alike. The space is…read morebeautiful. Instructors are professional, kind and welcoming. It's impressive how quickly even beginning students can learn to dance. I've enjoyed the group classes, private lessons, and, lately, renting studio to practice with a dance partner. The dance parties there offer opportunities to perform and practice social dancing. Pick School of Ballroom is a gem!

Los Altos History Museum is such a hidden gem! It's tucked right by the Los Altos Library, so…read moreparking is easy and plentiful, which makes it a low stress outing. Inside, there's a rotating art exhibit that makes each visit feel a little different, plus a beautiful model train setup that is especially great if you're visiting with kids. It's the kind of thing that can keep little ones happily entertained for a bit. Admission is free, though donations are suggested, and it feels like a lovely community spot that's worth supporting. It's not a huge museum, but that's part of the charm, it's easy to pop in, explore, and leave feeling like you discovered something special.

I would highly recommend booking this museum in Los Altos for your wedding or any event, really…read more The venue is absolutely stunning for an outdoor wedding and has an indoor section too. We really wanted a cozy intimate backyard wedding vibe and that's exactly what we got here! Huge plus is my husband loves history, and you get free access to the museum for a year with a ton of other benefits once you have an event here + your donation is tax deductible. You also don't need much decor at all due to the natural beauty but we hired a decorator for the arches, stages, and table settings. Lisa will also give you a list of vendors partners you can work with just in case. Overall, she was really amazing to work with and super responsive because anytime we needed to do a tour walk through with vendors or a tour of the venue, she was there. Thanks Lisa for answering all my questions!! You can't go wrong having your wedding here. We had a spring wedding of close to ~200 folks and thank God it didn't rain but summer or even fall would be beautiful here. For photoshoot opportunities there's a ton onsite and a beautiful orchard just steps away from the museum for sunset shots. A magical day indeed.