Category: Dine Burlingame

  • PG&E: Unhappy New Year

    It’s been a rough start to the New Year for PG&E customers from EssEff to B’game and now to San Mateo. Fire in the city caused major problems including for the huge Waymo fleet. Here in B’game the multi-day outage on and around Broadway and California was especially tough for businesses and even more so if they happened to have perishable inventory. The news, like this report from ABC7, keep calling the leak into the utility vault a “petroleum product”. I suppose it could be diesel (does A&A sell diesel), but most likely it’s gas. ABC7 reported:

    Even though PG&E provided generators for those impacted, businesses were told they had to hire a private electrician to do checks before the utility company would hook them up. “To be able to certify that it’s okay to turn on the power and use the generators so we don’t have explosions,” said John Kevranian of the Broadway Burlingame Business Improvement District.

    That sounds odd and not very customer centric. If that is different skill set than PG&E electricians, then shouldn’t PG&E have hired a commercial electrician on the customers’ behalf? (kudos to John for stepping back in after his BID term ended to keep everyone up to date with many texts, etc).

    And of course, all of this happened right as the Little Big Dig started halving the capacity on El Camino and thinking vehicles could reroute to California. As one of our regular, shrewd commenters pointed out on the Drop the Green Flag post, post-holiday rainy season wasn’t the best time to start taking down massive trees and figuring out power line routes.

    ABC7 noted “PG&E is still working to extract all of the petroleum product from the vaults and identify where it’s coming from. They say it’s not something they use with their equipment.” Transformers use heavy oil as an insulator, but this isn’t that. Eventually we will find out if A&A gas was up to date and up to code on the tanks. Note that the station at the other end of B’way did theirs a couple years ago. And both the Chevron (finished) and the Shell stations on Peninsula are doing the same. The Google machine spit out this timely tidbit:

    Older, single-walled tanks face strict deadlines for upgrades or permanent closure (e.g., by Dec 31, 2025, for many systems) due to corrosion risks.

    Here’s a pic of the big generators that got people back online. Reports are they are just as noisy as the folks in the Richmond district reported. Caterpillar stock is up 75% in the last 12 months……

  • Old Post Office starts filling up

    A piece in the SF Comicle today about the Mission Rock development drawing in a new restaurant (Aurelia, as in the Giants shortstop of old) reminded me of recent news about our own big downtown development at the Old Post Office. Two new tenants have been announced here and here:

    CBRE’s Industrious co-working outfit is growing its Bay Area footprint with an expansion in Burlingame.  The Los Angeles-based co-working unit of the giant brokerage has leased approximately 19,800 square feet of offices on the fourth floor of 220 Park. The $180 million development at 220 Park Road recently transformed a former post office into high-end offices in the heart of Burlingame, the San Francisco Business Times reported. (see below)

    Dostart Development Company and Sares Regis partnered to build 220 Park. Industrious’ lease will take up about two-thirds of the building’s fourth floor, making the co-working company the largest tenant the developers have landed so far. Last year, private equity firm SkyKnight Capital leased about 10,000 square feet at the property. Dostart and Sares Regis could also be solidifying another lease with another firm, sources familiar with negotiations told the Business Times.

    “There’s a lot of coworking in San Francisco and a fair amount in Palo Alto, but nothing in Burlingame,” Peri Demestihas, head of real estate for Industrious, told the Business Times. “It’s a pocket filled with folks who say, ‘I don’t want to go into San Francisco or Palo Alto. I want to live and work here.’” And who wouldn’t?

    The other deal that has been announced is fintech company Upstart Holdings relocating headquarters to downtown Burlingame’s 220 Park. The fintech firm, an artificial intelligence-powered lending marketplace, shrinks from 100,000 to 60,000 square feet as part of the move. Maybe they will use some of the co-working space from Industrious instead of dedicated space. The next question is when will the Bacchus operated restaurant open on the street level. Apparently, some code issues associated with the historic part of the building that was moved and returned has introduced some hiccups, but hungry tenants hopefully will move things along.

  • Top Three B’game restaurants by sales

    I won’t bemoan the dearth of fine dining in B’game again–I just did that here. Instead let’s look on the bright side. The city posts a quarterly sales tax analysis on its website here. The Top 20 sales tax generators are called out each quarter, and three restaurants made the cut back in Q1.

    Working alphabetically, Benihana, HL Peninsula Pearl and New England Lobster are our busiest restaurants. All three being out on the Bayfront means tourists are propping up our tax revenues although I love the lobstah place. Restaurants and hotels are the third largest contributors at around $600K that quarter with the Hyatt and the Marriott making the Top 20.

    This list has been pretty stable over the years, but if I can get the latest figures from Finance, I’ll add them as a comment. In the meantime, Dine Burlingame and let’s see if we can get a couple more restaurants on the list. Rumors around one of the largest downtown spaces changing hands to a high-profile Peninsula chain that is always packed might make it happen.

  • B’game: Where is the fine dining?

    We went to dinner in Tahoe City last night with some other B’gamers who are visiting. It’s the “shoulder season” in Tahoe so things are not as busy as the summer and winter peak seasons. Restaurants still like a full house and do some special things to get full–even when they have lakefront views. In our case, it was a five-course tasting menu at one the best restaurants on the North shore–for $55 per person. Add in a couple of wine specials in the $30-40 per bottle (not per glass!) and we were left asking “Why can’t some place like this exist in B’game?”

    Aside from the food at Christy Hill–Caesar with Arctic char, lobster risotto, lamb dolmas, hanger steak and a hazelnut tartlet–the service was exceptional. Team service with a talkative, but not too talkative som, professional server, and timing that could not be better through 5 courses and three changes of stemware. What’s Up, Burlingame? Christy Hill may be the best, but there are another half dozen or more spots in Tahoe City, the West Shore and Truckee that are very close. We all got up in the morning still buzzing about the meal and marveling at the bill. Lately, I have also been having Menlo Park envy as a number of new restaurants open down there to rave reviews. We want to Dine Burlingame, so please try harder!

  • B’way: John Kevranian resigns from the BID

    Broadway was buzzing today with the announcement that the long-time, tireless BID president is stepping down. John’s letter notes:

    After deep reflection, I am formally resigning from my position as volunteer President of the Broadway Burlingame Business Improvement District, effective November 30, 2025. For 25 years, I have proudly served on the Board — including the past 11 years as President.

    Unfortunately, I can no longer continue in this role in good conscience due to a series of troubling developments that have significantly undermined Broadway’s future and my ability to serve with integrity.

    He notes three reasons that I will include here verbatim, so you get the full impact:

    First, the City of Burlingame’s decision to terminate the Broadway Specific Plan — which was intended to guide development and investment over the next 5, 10, and 20 years — reflects a concerning lack of vision and long-term commitment to Broadway’s prosperity.

    Second, the City Council’s continued refusal to support the reopening of weekday Caltrain service at the Broadway station further demonstrates a lack of understanding of the essential role of transit in our district’s history and future. The station, opened in 1910 as Easton Station in what was then known as Buri Buri, was the very reason the Broadway business district and surrounding apartments were built. When weekday service was removed over 20 years ago, the negative impact was immediate and profound. Restoring service should be a priority — not a political inconvenience.

    Third, in late 2023, I opposed efforts by a City Council member and a Beautification Commissioner to weaken Burlingame’s flavored tobacco laws to benefit a personal associate. In retaliation, on October 8, 2023, both individuals called the Burlingame Police Department and falsely claimed I had threatened the commissioner. These fabricated allegations were clearly intended to intimidate and silence me. This misuse of public authority and law enforcement was not only inappropriate — it crossed a line, both legally and ethically.

    I’m hoping BPD did the minimum perfunctory “investigation” of that last item. Item 1 reminds me of the sentiment on B’way that it is the poor stepchild of the Avenue. John has been a leading advocate for said refresh. I like Broadway a lot and actually spend more time there than on the Ave, but it could use a refresh and that takes help from the city. You have to wonder if moving to tiny district elections has narrowed the focus of city councilmembers.

    It’s a shame John is stepping down, but he will always have a prominent voice in all things B’way. You can listen to Mark Lucchesi interview John here as well.

  • “A Walk With Wine” draws a huge crowd

    With lovely B'game weather on a Friday afternoon, wine lovers and those who just like a good party were out in force for "A Walk With Wine".  The DBID is to be congratulated on a huge success.  30 merchants poured wine and chatted up the attendees all of whom were in fine spirits.  I went into several establishments that I pass all the time but had never visited.  That's the point.  Penflora Designs, Margaret O'Leary and Del'Oliva all made positive first impressions.  There were bands at Coconut Bay for the check-in and under the pergola across from the Apple store.  That band, called Edgehill, was composed of all local parents who live on or around Edgehill Dr. and apparently have kids at BIS.  They were good and I would have loved to hear more, but the clink of wine bottles called further up the Avenew.  Seeing lots of locals gave me a "It's still a small town" boost.  Here's Edgehill.  If anyone knows more about them, please add a comment.

    Edgehill band

  • Top Golf: First impressions

    Six years after we got the preview of the Top Golf plans (as described here), I finally made it out to the Bayfront for some swings and refreshments.  We went with a large group and booked two stations for two hours on a busy Saturday afternoon.  The facility is impressive and expansive.  There are 36 hitting stations on each of three levels.  We were on the middle level, and I got a bit of the agoraphobic feeling I had when I did the special event at Oracle Park hitting golf balls on to the baseball field from stations in the stands.  There are nets in front.

    The sports bar in the lobby is likely to draw a good crowd of all ages with the giant screen shown below, a full bar, pub fare, foosball and shuffleboard.  I could see going out there without hitting any balls.  With the soccer field a short walk away, there were plenty of kids kicking back after games.  For the uninitiated, the gamification of the golf shots is not exactly intuitive.  The idea is to set up teams and rack up points similar to pinball by hitting targets.  If I were Top Golf, I would offer some coaching to newbies on how to set it up and perhaps explain why an additional $5 charge per player for "membership" kicked in above the station rental fee.

    The stations are set up for hitting and socializing.  Some have high-tops and all appeared to have couches.  We had a few tag-alongs who didn't hit a single ball and still had fun.  The food appeared to be pretty average.  There were no complaints about the chicken sandwich and fries, but a local hack I will tip you off to is the Mexican restaurant (Gabriel's & Daniel's) in the old driving range building across the parking lot is still operating albeit on limited hours–they closed at 5pm on Saturday.  The food is excellent–probably the best Mexican between Millbrae and San Mateo.

    Another oddity is the drink menu doesn't have any prices on it!  The Angel's Envy Old Fashioneds are $17.75.  A Hendricks Martini is $19.75 while good ole Grey Goose goes off at $12.25.  You don't find that out until the bill arrives.  Those aren't usurious prices, but why not print them?

    We shall see if the business turns out to be the sales tax gusher the city is hoping for.  Other Top Golf sites that are older and perhaps not as cool were reported to be under plan as we noted here last September.  With 108 stations and a fun bar, I hope they do well so we can do well.

    Top Golf bar

  • Sunday Sweets

    I finally got a taste of Salt & Straw ice cream, but I didn't walk over to the Avenew to get it.  On flights to and from Boston on Alaska Air, it was the dessert in First Class.  Chocolate on the way out was…just chocolate.  Returning with the Meyer Lemon Custard with Blueberry Jam seemed more in line with their claim to artisan ice cream, but it was nothing special.  What say you Voice readers?  I hear the new ownership at Preston's is knocking it out of the park.

    S&S

     

  • The New Old Post Office is coming along

    Now that the construction fencing is down around the new old Post Office, the renovations are starting to sparkle, especially at night.  I have it from a reliable source that the interior polishing is a good as what we see on the exterior.  It's been about two and a half years since groundbreaking which seems quick given how other project bog down.  Here's the old new door into what will be the new restaurant.

    New old post office door

  • Parklets on the chopping block?

    Parklets arrived in B'game about four years ago as we noted here.  They were a good idea at the time and helped keep some of our local eateries in business.  That was then, this is now as the city council moves to reign them in.  I don't think many people believed they would still be around four years later and that the $250 per month "cleaning fee" would be insufficient to actually keep the areas around the parklet clean.  That is just one issue.  The impact on street parking, visibility for safe driving (the Rocca parklet being exhibit A) and visibility for storefronts adjacent to the parklets are also drawing council attention.  I would add one more.  The businesses that didn't cover up the orange hydro barriers are contributing to the Make Burlingame Ugly Again (MBUA) trend along with cheesy plastic bollards, floppy crosswalk signs, perpetually empty newspaper boxes, signage overkill, et al.  Add you least favorite street detritus here _____________________.  The Daily Journal is reporting on the council meeting where all of this was discussed

    Originally, the parklets were a vital function of maintaining restaurant business during the COVID-19 pandemic, but they’ve become overbearing for retailers who make important contributions to the city’s sales tax, Mayor Donna Colson said. 

    “I don’t want to jeopardize our balance with hard businesses and restaurants, which are also fun, but are frankly destroying the [Avenue] right in front of the restaurants,” she said. “It’s pitch black, filthy, dirty, they’re not covering the cost, we can’t keep it clean. … I think it’s just a matter of balancing it.”  Currently, 30 parklets in the Burlingame Avenue downtown and the Broadway Commercial district are occupying 63 parking spaces, with 13 extending beyond their business frontages.

    The proposed new rules will likely gut the program.

    Under the draft ordinance, roofs, trellises and tent shade structures will not be allowed and structural elements will not be allowed to extend beyond the top of the walls to allow for better visibility to adjacent businesses. Curb gutters must be kept unobstructed and furnishings cannot be stored in the parklet when not in use.

    Without roofs, the heaters will be much less effective on cold days and diners will be much warmer on sunny lunch hours.  Moving everything out and back in each day probably will motivate restaurants to pull the parklet plug.  We will know by October when the new rules kick in.  It's fun to see the DJ use Bgame in a headline though I prefer it with the apostrophe.

    Parklet rules

    Hyrdo barriers orange

    August 2024 Update:  The new rules went into effect at the end of July and many parklets have been removed.  The city notes that we are down to 14 active parklets complying with the new rules.  In other news, the FLiRT variant of Covid is increasing to seriously high levels in the Bay Area at this moment.  Here is a photo of a parklet being disassembled.

    UnParklet3

     

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