Hot in the kitchen

1300's David Lawrence

David Lawrence, executive chef and co-owner of the high-class soul food restaurant 1300 on Fillmore, is featured in a hot-off-the-press new book, Sexy Dishes: A Guide to Who’s Hot in the Kitchen.

“David is tall, dark and handsome,” the guide notes, with “a British accent, a great smile and dimples.” His philosophy: “All food is soul food.”

One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor!

Joanne Weir: Women love tequila, too.

By Joanne Weir

It all started several years ago when an invitation arrived in my mailbox on Pine Street beckoning me to the launch of a spiffy new tequila in a sexy square bottle.

It took place at Tommy’s, the well-known tequila bar out on Geary, and was mostly men who were sniffing and swirling their glasses of tequila. But the few women who were there were just as enthusiastic.

I discovered that night that women love tequila just as much as men. They go out with their girlfriends for margaritas, and they also savor tequila straight-up with meals, drink it slowly from a snifter and enjoy it mixed into new, innovative, seasonal cocktails. I was thrilled by the camaraderie among these women and pleased to learn that I wasn’t the only one out there who liked a beverage that had long been considered the domain of men.

Local home sales down 65%

Twin Victorians at 2016 and 2018 Buchanan.

The number of sales in March 2009 increased slightly, from nine to 10 properties. However, we are still well below the number of sales recorded during the same time last year, when 31 properties closed. This is more than a 65 percent decrease in volume.

The change can largely be attributed to buyers’ fears about the state of the economy. With so much uncertainty, there is little sense of urgency in the market and buyers are not coming forward with offers unless the properties are well priced and very much in line with what they are looking for. Housing supply continues to run well ahead of last year, with 172 current listings in the neighborhood, compared to 115 at this point last year.

NEW LISTING: An extensively remodeled 3-bedroom Victorian at 2016 Buchanan was just listed at $2.495 million. Along with its sister property at 2018 Buchanan, it was designed by J.I. Devlin, who also designed St. Ignatius Church. It has a three-car garage and is detached on three sides, allowing for a light-filled home.

— John Fitzgerald, Pacific Union Real Estate

Art in a cup at the Grove

Attorney Monte Travis found a masterpiece in his mocha.

By Barbara Kate Repa

At the Grove, at 2016 Fillmore, customers get more than latte in their cups. They get the sun and the moon. Or a flower. Or a fire-breathing dragon.

Manager Dave Harmon says the Grove always served a good cup of coffee, but he wanted a way to give customers more, to stand out from the crowd of coffee joints on the street. So a couple of years ago, he flew to Portland to attend a school offering special training in latte art — figures, flowers and fauna that baristas can pour and paint onto the foam.