Coffee News in the Glenview

February 1, 2010 in gourmet g'view, neighborhood | Tags: , , , , , | 1 comment

image of the ultimate grounds coffeehouse

This morning shed a little light on Ultimate Grounds.

T.S. Eliot once wrote, “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.”

His poem, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” flows as a stream of consciousness. Yet, for most Glenviewers who stumble into the local coffeehouse every morning, caffeine is what they seek to quiet those inner monologues of dreamland.

Located at 4225 Park Blvd., Ultimate Grounds has served untold cups of coffee (and spoons) to neighbors since opening years ago. Last week, the owners changed hands. But the coffeehouse will stay in the family.

Mr. Campbell, who taught at Skyline High School before retiring, and then starting a coffee business, has sold “The Ultimate” to his cousin Sammy Cha. There will be some changes under the new ownership. Ice cream is off the menu but Mr. Cha, who also owns the successful Berkeley Bagels, will serve his specialty New York-style.

“Mr. Campbell and his wife Christina will still help us in running the coffeehouse,” Mr. Shea says. “We’ll still have fresh coffee, and now fresh bagels. Most everything will be the same.”

And yes, that includes free Wi-Fi. With the purchase of some java, your Internet streams flow for free.

GNA 1.0

January 21, 2010 in neighborhood, urban planning | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

(Glenview street banners, courtesy of Maja Brugos Design: www.brugosdesign.com)

Yesterday’s clouds dumped another inch of rain onto Oakland. More t-storms may be in the stars for the Bay today, with more precip. into next week.

Some of the banners along Park Boulevard have buckled in the harsh weather, flapping in the high winds and in some places, coming loose from their streetlight mounts. Below them runs the garden median; the city nearly shut off its drip water system last year due to budget cuts. Today it’s soaked. Water brims, then runs down the Glenview slope and into the sea.

Next spring, the Glenview Neighborhood Association (GNA) plans to host a gardening party on the median. But while winter still reigns in Oakland, they’ve been busy with a little virtual refurbishment.

Yesterday the GNA launched a new Web site, and invite you to tour their virtual home today: GlenviewNeighbors.com.

Visit your GlenviewNeighbors online and consider making a donation. Your membership will go to feed the plants on the median; they will fund online projects with the neighborhood youth. It could also purchase new flags for the Glenview—a nice distraction from the potholes on Park.

Tonight: “Bands of the Bay” at Lounge3411

January 16, 2010 in events | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

In case you haven’t noticed, a new venue has opened its doors in the Dimond district. Lounge 3411 is a new bar and live music hot spot with a new take on Bay tunes. It has a warm ambiance (think pomegranate-colored walls and plush love seats) and a neighborhood feel. Tonight they showcase their monthly “Bands of the Bay” series, which culls together a diverse sampling.

On the play list for tonight is a band named Fancy Dan. Its lead singer has a country swing  (think Cash meets Chris Isaak) and a rockabilly feel. Born in Michigan to a preacher and teacher, Fancy Dan moved out to the Bay to find an audience for his songs and found a thriving music community at San Francisco’s Hotel Utah.

His latest group dynamic—Michael Loebs on guitar, Mark Underwood on bass and Joe Gusich on drums—recorded the band’s second album in December. Rather than travel to Nashville, Tennessee, the site of Fancy Dan’s debut effort, they cut their recent tracks in the neighborhood, at Tiny Telephone.

(band photo)
In the studio with Fancy Dan, Michael Loebs, Mark Underwood and Joe Gusich (courtesy of FancyDanBand.com)

“We’re excited about the new album since its a lot different from the first one,” Fancy Dan says. “The sound of the band is evolving and we’re kind of getting away from the country and rockabilly style a bit. There’s still that American music influence for sure, but we’re doing some things that are a little out of our comfort zone.”

Their new tunes are a little less Hank Williams and a little more Ben E. King.

“For this new album I was very interested in blues, soul and R&B and couldn’t stop listening to people like Solomon Burke and Ben E. King when I was writing songs,” he adds. And as always, Fancy Dan mixes current and older sounds to set the tone. The result takes the self-described “humdinger folksinger, country stroller rock-and-roller” to a new level of soul. Like serving up a barbecue steak with a side of fried okra.

In other words: a Bay Area blend.

Get a taste of the Bay tonight, as Fancy Dan joins three other bands to pack Lounge3411. Singer and guitarist Dan (not the Fancy one) Eagan hosts the series.

The details: