Welcome to FOUND Fridays
Cow Hollow listings, Bar 49, San Ysidro Ranch, best hot springs resorts, Valor Provisions, Cal Night tix, MORE
REAL ESTATE • On the Market
Prime cuts
Often conflated with the Marina, its neighbor to the north, Cow Hollow is its own animal, a bedrock-based neighborhood that largely withstood the 1906 earthquake. The former dairy farm and pasture is now home to the Union Street retail strip, as well as quiet, tree-lined streets of homes. Of the latter, 17 have changed hands in the past year, for a median price of $4.65M, Compass reports. Meanwhile, 53 condos have sold, at a median of $1.84M. Here, three listings to consider in the historic area:
→ 3131 Pierce St #101 (Cow Hollow) • 2BR/2.1BA, 1731 SF condo • Ask: $1.795M • last available unit in new MURANO building • Days on market: 40 • Agent: Edward Deleski, Vanguard.
→ 2853 Broderick St (Cow Hollow) • 6BR/5.1BA, 4526 SF house • Ask: $8.99M, down from $9.5M on 9/17 • copper-roofed 2020 build with Golden Gate Bridge views • Days on market: 250 • Agent: Fadi Rabadi, GD Commercial Real Estate.
→ 2567 Union St (Cow Hollow, above) • 5BR/6.2BA, 7035 SF house • Ask: $19.995M • four-level 1906 build with sauna, steam room, retractable skylight • Days on market: 82 • Agent: Joshua McAdam, Sotheby’s.
REAL ESTATE LINKS: Bay Area tops global billionaires list • LendingClub buys 88 Kearny St. for $74.5M • Neil Mehta’s Fillmore buy-up plans still murky • Wells Fargo’s $54M HQ might get revamp to housing • LinkedIn drops $75.2M on Sunnyvale tech office.
BARS • First Round
Fine point
Though Bar 49 made its debut last summer in the prominent, flatiron-shaped space in the Castro — once the longtime home of Bagdad Cafe — it wasn’t until last month that the gay bar, which also offers a solid food menu, was able to serve cocktails in addition to beer and wine.
The new drink menu celebrates SF and drag culture, with cocktails like the (Juanita MORE!-themed) Miss MORE!, with vodka, Aperol, guava, lime juice, and pink grapefruit soda; the 7x7 features Vida Mezcal, raspberry puree, OJ, lime juice, and soda. A current favorite is gin sour-inspired The Empress — named in honor of the original Empress I of the SF-founded Imperial Court, Jose Sarria — featuring purple Empress Gin (made with butterfly pea flowers), peach liqueur, lime juice, simple syrup, and egg white.
The well-curated beer and wine list features a number of drinkable natural wines and local brews from Temescal Brewing and Russian River Brewing Co. Live music brings a buzzier vibe with it on weekends, with jazz crooning and Irish folk.
Owner Colm O’Brien, an alum of nearby Hi Tops, has geared the food menu toward Ireland, offering dishes like bangers and mash (with onion gravy and mashed peas), corned beef and cabbage, and an excellent fish & chips in addition to bar food staples like chicken tenders, sliders, and tacos. –Jay Barmann
→ Bar 49 (Castro) • 2295 Market St • Mon-Thu 4p-12a, Fri 12p-12a, Sat-Sun 10a-12a • Walk-ins only.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Bear With Me
San Francisco Giants vs. Texas Rangers • Cal night • Oracle Park (Embarcadero) • Fri @ 730p • PFC120, $243 per
Isaac Mizrahi • Hume Hall (Civic Center) • Sat @ 730p • orch, B111, $85 per
Josh Radnor • Eulogy II tour • Great American (Tenderloin) • Sun @ 7p • GA, $25 per
CULTURE & LEISURE LINKS: Castro opens boozy entertainment zone • Union Square launches May-Oct events series • Roxie Theater kicks off campaign to buy building • Waymo robocabs to San Jose in the works • CA’s recreational salmon fishing season will return.
GETAWAYS • Santa Barbara
Ranch-dipped
The following post appeared in a recent edition of FOUND LA. Want more Los Angeles in your life? Subscribe to FOUND LA, with new issues dropping each Thursday.
As spring and summer approach, seemingly everyone will jet off to vacation destinations across Europe and beyond. But for me, nothing could be more sublime than an escape to the San Ysidro Ranch. Recently, I was fortunate enough to experience three nights of bliss there during the holiday season. Now, I daydream about long summer nights on the grounds.
It’s easy to settle in at The Ranch. All rooms are private bungalows, dotted around the lush property, each featuring a stone fireplace, clawfoot tub, outdoor shower, hot tub, and spacious patio covered in bougainvillea. But what really got me were the wallpapers, a woven floral design with delicate fringed flowers in the main living area, and an exquisite, hand-painted floral design in the bathroom.
To alleviate the sticker shock of booking a stay, it helps to know the room rate includes three meals a day at any of the hotel’s restaurants or through in-room dining. We loved easing into the day by having breakfast delivered to our patio each morning. The menus are well done, but not extensive, so if you plan to take advantage of the all-inclusive dining, three nights feels like a sweet spot. (Yes, the seafood tower and the caviar service are included.) For a special dinner, reserve the Old Adobe private room, the resort’s oldest property structure, dating back to 1825.
The landscaping and grounds are the hotel’s best feature, and nothing like I’ve ever experienced before. Hummingbirds are everywhere, constantly darting between rosemary lawns, big beautiful trees, famous rose garden set against the mountain vista, and the gorgeous herb garden frequented by the chefs. The pool has views of the Pacific Ocean and also features an impressive mini golf course, bocce court, and a lovely open-air restaurant, perfect for a late leisurely lunch.
The salon and spa are charming but intimate, so book treatments in advance (and note that the spa doesn’t have a sauna or private relaxation lounges to wait before or after your service).
To make an incredible situation even better, the hotel is extremely dog-friendly. They offer a “Pampered Pets Program,” which will ensure that your cottage has the proper pet bedding, bowls, and a peanut-butter-adorned welcome treat (to say nothing of the special in-room dining menu specifically designed for pets). The Ranch is also connected to more than 17 miles of dog-friendly hiking trails up the San Ysidro Canyon, which our pampered pup, Scout, made the most of every day. –Sarah Jackson
→ San Ysidro Ranch (Santa Barbara) • 900 San Ysidro Ln • Rates from $2695/wknd night.
GETAWAYS LINKS: Hanging out at Rosewood, Lake Tahoe’s buzziest restaurant • Yosemite anxiety gets real • Inside British Airways’ new SFO lounge • American joining free wi-fi race, eyes 2026 debut for 90% of fleet • Checking in to new Waldorf Astoria Osaka • Why water is the hottest amenity at luxe hotels.
GETAWAYS • The Nines
Hot springs resorts, NorCal
The Nines are FOUND's distilled lists of the Bay Area’s best. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@itsfoundsf.com. For the full archives, click here.
Vichy Springs (Ukiah), no-frills historic landmark, North America’s only naturally carbonated mineral bath resort, $350
Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa (Sonoma), full-service spa, five geothermal pools, Roman-style bathhouse w/ sauna + steam room, $385
Indian Springs (Calistoga), Olympic-sized mineral pool + smaller adults-only pool fed from on-site geysers, both open until 12a, $643
Solage (Calistoga), luxury spa emphasizing mud and mineral water therapies, self-serve Mud Bar, $1065
Dr. Wilkinson’s Backyard Resort & Mineral Springs (Calistoga), three mineral pools, vintage-modern daybeds and cabanas, $450
Calistoga Motor Lodge & Spa (Calistoga), hip restored motel, three spring-fed pools, clay w/ volcanic ash from Mt. St. Helens, $336
Roman Spa Hot Springs Resort (Calistoga, above), 50-year-old family-run resort, spring-fed pools, mud baths rooted in Wappo tribe traditions, $335
Calistoga Spa Hot Springs (Calistoga), four geothermal pools, fire pits, daily massage service, $407
Esalen Institute (Big Sur), holistic retreat center w/ clothing-optional hot springs overlooking ocean, $645
All rooms king or queen, one night, April weekend (some require minimum stays); day passes may be available for non-resort guests.
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Larder
Farms to tables
Even in cities where great protein purveyors abound, finding an online butcher to deliver high-quality, ethically-raised proteins from independent ranches is a major perk. Valor Provisions offers exactly that: excellent quality Wagyu and Black Angus beef, heritage pork, and more sourced from small, American-owned farms. U.S. Army veteran Patrick Montgomery, who owns the Kansas City ranch KC Cattle Company, launched Valor’s online retail shop last November as a way to support American ranches embracing these agriculture practices.
I ordered pork chops, black Angus cowboy, black Angus brisket, wagyu ribeye, and wagyu skirt steak. The meat arrived within a few days, packed with ice packs. My husband and I are traditionalists for the most part when it comes to cooking beef — he usually does a reverse sear on steaks, first cooking it low and slow in the oven, then finishing it in a pan to caramelize the outside before serving. It’s so easy to buy flavorless beef at a regular market (and even expensive markets), but I found the beef from Valor to be very high quality — everything we tried had great flavor.
In addition to shopping à la carte on the website, a one-time $100 fee activates a lifetime membership with discounts of nearly 40% off. Customers can also sign up for pre-order options for beef shares in different sizes, allowing them to purchase portions of Wagyu or Black Angus beef directly from partner farms. –Kat Odell
→ Shop: Valor Provisions • à la carte & memberships $100 per.
LOST & FOUND • Behind the Paywall
→ A handful of favorite restaurants from new subscribers: Hook Fish Co. (Mill Valley) • The Morris (Media Gulch) • Tadich Grill (FiDi) • Umami Sushi (Central Richmond) • Bar Zola (Palo Alto).