Noe Valley Voice January 2019

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Vol. XLIII, No. 1

January 2019

THE NOE VALLEY VOICE Always Ready For Its Close-Up, Video Wave Serves Dreams

Firefly Captures Success with Flavor and Flair Destination Restaurant Lights Up Western Noe Valley

Unique Survivor Enlivens Neighborhood

By Pat Rose

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irefly, the popular Noe Valley restaurant, just celebrated its 25th anniversary. Originally started by current owner Brad Levy and his former business partner Veva Edelson in 1993, the space at 4288 24th St. near Douglass Street features a playful three-dimensional Firefly over the front door. The 60-seat, two-room restaurant employs a staff of 30 in a comfortable, whimsical space. Small tables in the front room are flanked by a cozy wood bar that offers patrons additional seating to enjoy dinner under a giant “Heaven’s Scoop” sculpture created by San Francisco artist Lawrence LaBianca hanging from the ceiling. In fact, all of the art is created by locals—a painting of tricycles by Allison Gildersleeve (once a former server) hangs over the bar and a group of abstract paintings by local artist Jackie Farkus hangs in the upper dining room. Muslin-covered ceilings in both rooms give the spaces a comforting feel. Levy says word of mouth from loyal customers has kept diners coming back—for the popular Mary’s Fried Chicken, Moqueca Baina (Brazilian fish stew), griddled daikon radish cakes, and Japanese sweet potato tostones. Recently, he reflected on the many changes the restaurant has seen, particularly in the past five years. “A few different things came together to kind of shape our identify a bit, one being

Editors’ Note: Noe Valley has many institutions, individuals, and enterprises that make it a unique neighborhood. This month, the Voice takes a look at one, the venerable movie rental emporium Video Wave.

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visit to Video Wave can be a transformative experience unlike that available at any other retailer in Noe Valley, or in San Francisco. What you can rent or purchase at Video Wave is a unique view of the world, an experience both new and familiar that stimulates the mind and the senses—in two words: movie magic. With a carefully curated collection of nearly 20,000 titles that is continually expanding, Video Wave has literally something for every taste: documentary films, festival winners, current hit movies and TV series, an extensive foreign-language section, and films from the critically acclaimed Criterion Collection of modern classics. Other movie options, such as the internet-streaming service Netflix, have only around 7,000 titles. Stepping into Video Wave, one enters a slightly funky library of movie history. Your tour guide, owner Colin Hutton, says, “Let me know if you have any questions.” He’s perfectly ready to expound CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

Lighting the Way. Firefly has proven a draw to all those in search of healthy seasonal comfort cuisine. Photo by Art Bodner

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Who Knows Where the Time Flows Noe Valley in 2018 Featured Many Moves and Some Drama By Jack Tipple

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onstruction started in 2018 at the illfamed site where for 15 years the building that had once housed the Real Food Company sat vacant. After speculators had bought and sold the derelict property several times, a proposal put to the city planning commission was approved in October for three new retail spaces. No housing. This was perhaps the biggest news in Noe Valley last year, but the quarrel that broke out over the attempted move-in of the pet store chain Healthy Spot into the vacant storefront that once housed a Radio Shack also caused quite a stir in the ’hood. Where were you while all of this happened? Take a stroll back in time and remember as we reprise our coverage of 2018, starting on page 17. CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

An Invasion of Pumpkins and Politicians. Noe Courts was transformed into a pumpkin patch on Oct. 27 of 2018, as State Senator Scott Wiener brought his Pumpkin Carving Contest back to the neighborhood. Photo by Art Bodner


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Noe Valley Voice January 2019 by The Noe Valley Voice - Issuu