I was unaware as to whom Harmon Leon was until reading this “article” (the quotes are for the op-ededness of it):

There’s always the old, cranky bartender at Ha Ra Club in the Tenderloin. Carl–the bartender has kicked people out for playing pool too loud or ordering a margarita. (“We don’t serve that fancy s**t in here!”) As the evening wears on, he’ll openly make fun of you. Personally, I think he puts on the mean, cranky bartender schtick for the tourists because some guidebook must have said the Ha Ra has a mean, cranky bartender.

Admittedly I’ve never actually been to Ha Ra, so I have no idea if this is actually the case or not or is this dude just has an article quota to write each week, since the tone of the whole thing is a bit lame and watery. And I don’t know why Red Stripe pisses me off. Probably because it’s a hipster beer and I don’t like hipsters. That and I don’t think it’s a particularly good beer.

Anyways, feel free to chime in if this is the case or there are other crappy bartenders out there in the Loin who will kick you in groin for ordering a Red Bull and vodka, because I just might want to go to those places.

Or maybe, it’s 901 or 905 Post Street. I don’t really know. All I do know is that I’ve walked by this place a great many times and always wanted to see something done with it as it’s a nice, early 20th century building. According to SF city records, it’s owned by some property group in San Diego who do little more than paint over the graffiti once the city cites them on it. It also seems to have been a privately owned laundry a long, long time ago with the couple who owned it also living there. Whatever the case, I am curious and if anyone has any information, I’d love to hear it.

So here’s the thing, I’ve actually been to real UN markets, except on a mission, they’re called the PX and they’re kinda strange as they have a bizarre assortment of products from all over the world which is an attempt to sate the appetites (poorly) of all the international people staffing the mission. For example, “Oh, you’re from Central America? Well, we have a incredible choice of salsa. No, I didn’t mean to say, ‘salsas’.”

This is why the U.N. Market blows my mind just a tad as while there is the usual corner store booze and cigarettes there, there is also some random stuff as well from all over the world. And of course, the prices are a great deal like those at a real UN PX in that they’re sucky and give the impression there is nowhere else you can shop for lavash.

The reviews on Yelp (I refuse to link to that crap site) are not favorable and it makes sense as Cala, while being the equivalent of purgatory with cash registers, is just up the hill with better prices and selection. Personally, I’m a big fan of Good Vibrations for groceries. Their new produce section is amazingly fresh and diverse.

I would say that Bacca da Silva actually drifts out of most anything Tender and is part of Union Square, but at the same time, I’ve also been rather curious how that lump of turd stays open on the corner, especially given that it was an art supply store for decades. A reader wrote in wondering the same thing:

I’m a journalist who lives in Tendernob and every day I walk past Bacca da Silva on my way to work. I don’t understand how they’re in business. According to their site baccadasilva.com the location on Sutter and Mason is their “flagship” store but I’ve NEVER seen anyone in there, not even when I walk home and back for lunch every day. Their stuff is way out there and almost Gaga-esque, I can’t imagine many people buy it. Anyway, I’d love to go in there and ask them how many items they sell in a month but I don’t have the balls. There’s also a weird Euro-influenced store further down Sutter, right by E&O, that sells only shirts. Hideous shirts. I don’t know why these stores selling cheap-looking but expensive clothes are popping up on Sutter, but hope it’s a trend that will end with the recession.

Yes, one can only hope that the crap clothing movement spawned by the hipsters will indeed die off in favor of the shit-you-can-wear-more-than-twice movement. I’m really getting tired of lumping it down to Kohl’s in Colma via Bart for all my jeans.

Um, so sorry, Heist Gallery (blog), you had written in about a show you were opening, hmm, last Friday was it? And then we kinda flaked on writing up something about it and by “kinda” I mean, “crapped out”. Usually we’re much better at pimping the local scenes in a more timely fashion, but my blogging foot has had a cramp lately.

Anyways, to our 25,000 readers (we’re huge at Sutter & Larkin) and scurvy, check out Heist if you get the chance. I love the fact that galleries are popping up in the Loin. This one is a 679 Geary and is worth checking out as a) it’s not stuffy and b) any gallery that can be next to the “Bridge-Tube-&-Peninsula” Ambassador Club has balls (or ovs as the case may be with the owner, Julianne). I hope the success is boundless.

Oh, if you’re not someone on a political campaign and you want your business/biznak promoted, feel free to write in at thetenderblog@gmail.com. We’re much better with email as it provides a constant guilt trip, sitting there in the inbox screaming, “deal with me!”