There are countless ways to have some fun and get some culture this week whether you're into celebrating Cinco de Mayo with a party at The Midway or a taco tour of Fruitvale, or feeling more like catching a performance of the San Francisco Symphony or a fresh exhibit at the Legion of Honor, both of which reopen IRL this week.
Plus, browse the shelves at the reopened SF Public Library, check out the new SF Music Hall of Fame, and celebrate Mother's Day with a fabulous drag brunch.
Have a good one!
(Courtesy of Cult Aimee Friberg Exhibitions)
Consider "the new normal" at Janus II, an art exhibition inspired by Janus, the two-headed Roman deity of transitions. Presented by Cult Aimee Friberg, the curation features works by Marcela Pardo Ariza, James Perkins, Rebekah Goldstein, and more. View by appointment through May 21st. // FuseProject, 1401 16th St. (Potrero Hill); reserve appointments (for up to three people) on calendly.com.
Choose a delightful floral arrangement from Dasluz, Cole Valley's newest shop which has opened just in time for Mother's Day (wink wink). // 858 Cole St. (Cole Valley), dasluzsf.com
Browse the shelves at the San Francisco Public Library, which reopens Monday. The new Browse and Bounce program allows visitors hour-long access to the first floor of the Main Library to pick out their own books, music, and movies. SFPL's Chinatown and Mission branches open May 17th and 18th, respectively. // San Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin St. (Civic Center), sfpl.org
Head to Sonoma Plaza to view A Delicate Balance,a public art installation with sculptures by Bruce Beasley, Catherine Daley, Peter Hassen, and Jun Kaneko, presented by the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art and the City of Sonoma; Tuesday through October 19th. // Sonoma Plaza, 453 1st St. E (Sonoma), svma.org
Chef Tanya Holland, Brown Sugar Kitchen(Patricia Chang)
Cooking at home? Make chef Tanya Holland's North African spiced oxtails with vanilla-scented sweet potato mash. Holland's iconic restaurant, Brown Sugar Kitchen, is the second stop on our California Culinary Tour, in partnership with our friends at The Spice Hunter. // Get the recipe, plus Chef Tanya's tips for things to do in Oakland at 7x7.com.
Join Mezcalistas for a food- and drink-filled Cinco de Mayo celebration at The Midway. Expect a four-course menu of Puebla regional dishes by chef Luis Lagos plus mezcal pairings; 6:30 to 9:30pm Wednesday. // Indoor and outdoor tables for two, four, and six ($200-$560) are available at tixr.com. The Midway, 900 Marin St. (Bayview), themidwaysf.com
Peruse photographs by Diane Arbus, Lee Friedlander, Adam Fuss, and more at the Fraenkel Gallery Pop-up; open 11am to 4pm Wednesday through Saturday and by appointment, May 1st through June 30th. // 3695 Sacramento St. (Presidio Heights), fraenkelgallery.com
Thank you to our partners at Fraenkel Gallery.
Get dressed up a little for a live performance of the San Francisco Symphony at Davies Hall. This week brings two special shows for medical professionals and community partners; tickets for public concerts in May and June go on sale this Thursday. // Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Ave. (Civic Center), sfsymphony.org
Enjoy live jazz and craft cocktails at reopened Mr. Tipple's. On the schedule this week: Le Jazz Hot Quartet, Brian Ho B3 Organ Trio, and East Middle West; music at 6:30pm and 8:30pm Thursdays through Saturdays. // Mr. Tipple's Recording Studio, 39 Fell St. (Civic Center), reservations on mrtipplessf.com
Take your small business to the next level during at Girl Gang Craft's #Smallbiz Summit. You'll get advice from successful creatives including Viviana Matsuda aka Mud Witch, plus access to virtual panel discussions, networking sessions, and yoga; Thursday and Saturday this week and next. // Tickets ($75) are available at girlgangcraft.com.
Peruse the San Francisco Music Hall of Fame, which celebrates more 90 Bay Area artists and bands from the Grateful Dead to Tupac Shakur; grand opening on Saturday. // 1353 Bush St. (TenderNob), sanfranciscomusichalloffame.com; tickets ($5) are available on eventbrite.com.
Can't get enough of Tony Gemignani's famous pies? Try the sourdough bread at his newest venture, Toscano Brothers. Look out for his New York-style Dago Bagel and Antonio's Pastries to open within the space soon; Thursday through Sunday. // 728 Vallejo St. (Russian Hill)
Make friends with a couple of giraffes, Tsavo and Zasadi, at the Oakland Zoo. // 9777 Golf Links Rd. (Oakland), oaklandzoo.org
Revisit the wildly immersive sound experience at Audium. Having been closed for over a year, the theater is offering a new Sound Hour for private groups to hear and appreciate the varied noises of San Francisco, ranging from a celebration in the Mission to a peaceful Baker Beach cave; 5pm and 6pm Thursdays and Fridays. // Audium Theatre of Sound, 1616 Bush St. (Pacific Heights), audium.org; tickets (starting at $100 for four people) are available at cityboxoffice.com.
Meet local artists at Marin Open Studios. More than 40 creators—including sculptors, jewelers, and photographers—will open their doors for meet-and-greets and an up-close look at their work; 11am to 6pm Saturday and Sunday. // Industrial Center Building, 480 Gate Five Rd. (Sausalito), icbbuilding.com
Take the Un-Cinco de Mayo Taco Tour of Fruitvale, hosted by Ethnic Ties Travels. With stops at 17 neighborhood taquerias, you just might eat the best taco of your life (team them with micheladas!)—plus, you'll learn the complex history of how Cinco de Mayo has been co-opted for commercial use. After the tour (noon to 2pm), join the community street party to shop local businesses to the tune of a roving mariachi band; Saturday May 8th. // Tickets ($40) are available on ethnictiestravels.com.
Make reservations for dinner or boozy brunch at Wilder. The new Marina restaurant will be serving such decadent offerings as baked goat cheese, Bolognese pasta, and a toothsome pork chop, plus plenty of veggies, martinis, and pitchers of sangria. // 3154 Fillmore St. (Cow Hollow), wildersf.com
Treat yourself (and maybe your mom, too) to a box of goodies from Jina Bakes. While the menu hasn't dropped yet, expect the likes of matcha pound cake, mango panna cotta, and black sesame cream puff; preorder for Saturday pickup or delivery. // Jina Bakes, 1581 Webster St. (Japantown), jinabakes.com
Eat, drink, and shop to DJ beats at Electric Fields, a new monthly daytime event held in the beer garden at District Six (formerly known as SoMa StrEat Food Park); 4pm Saturday. // District Six, 428 11th St. (SoMa); table tickets ($60-$250) are available on eventbrite.com.
Watch Smuin al Fresco @ Cal Shakes. The live outdoor performance will include excerpts from Michael Smuin's The Tempest and Sueños Latinos, plus selections from Smuin's songbook; 1pm and 4pm Sunday. // Bruns Amphitheater, 100 California Shakespeare Theater Way (Orinda); tickets ($50 a person) are available at smuinballet.org.
Join the One and Only Rexy for drag brunch on Mother's Day. Kipper Snacks, Bionka Simone, Kylie Minono, and Chico Chi will also keep you entertained while you dine; two shows at noon and 2pm Sunday. // Curio, 775 Valencia St. (Mission), curiobarsf.com; tickets (available for four or six) are available by emailing powertothepeoplesf@gmail.com.
Explore two new exhibits at the Legion of Honor. The museum's reopening this week marks the start of Last Supper in Pompeii: From the Table to the Grave, which focuses on everyday life before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius; and Wangechi Mutu: I Am Speaking, Are You Listening?, which challenges colonialist, racist, and sexist world views; opening Friday. // Advance tickets are required; Legion of Honor, 100 34th Ave. (Sea Cliff), legionofhonor.famsf.org
