What Are You Going To Do, Ed Jew?

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom turned up the heat on Supervisor Ed Jew Tuesday, proclaiming that there is evidence that suggests the embattled lawmaker does not live in the district he represents. Newson said that the anti-Jew bandwagon is rolling down the track a little faster every day and urged him to provide a reasonable explanation quickly. Jew is in trouble, there’s no doubt about it.

The fact that Ed Jew hasn’t resigned yet has a lot of people downtown scratching their heads. Does the man think that if he just hangs on for a couple of weeks and keeps a low profile that it will all just go away? He’s deluded if he does. His attorney has accused Newsom of rushing to judgment before getting all the facts. Well, what is Jew waiting for? If I wasn’t guilty, I would present the evidence of my innocence as fast as I could. Jew is stalling and it’s pretty obvious.

Ed Jew is like a guy who got caught crashing a party and won’t leave.

Newsom expressed apprehension about Jew continuing to cast votes while the legitimacy of his claim to his office has been called into question and said he is reviewing city law to understand exactly what power he has to force Jew out of his seat.

'"The fact that I am reviewing the charter and my role ... is suggestive of the fact that there are concerns," Newsom said, adding that he found the results of a city attorney's investigation into Jew's compliance with San Francisco's residency requirements "very damning" and "quite condemning."

He asked Jew to come forward quickly with evidence that he has lived in the district in which he was elected. "Prove it," he said.

Jew was present at the weekly Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday, the day after City Attorney Dennis Herrera took what is believed to be the unprecedented step of asking the state attorney general for permission to file a lawsuit to oust a sitting supervisor.

Herrera's investigation found that while Jew has claimed his primary residence is a home owned by his father on 28th Avenue in the Sunset District, the supervisor moved to the house only recently, after media reports began questioning his residency. City law requires supervisors to have lived in the district they represent at least 30 days before filing papers to run for office.
Jew's attorney, Steven Gruel, said the mayor should not be concerned that the supervisor continues to vote on board matters. "You're drawing a conclusion without all the facts," Gruel said.

The monthlong scandal involving the freshman supervisor is in the hands of Attorney General Jerry Brown, who will decide whether the city attorney's office can sue Jew to remove him from office. That decision could take weeks.

The supervisor's troubles began in May when FBI agents raided his City Hall office, his Chinatown flower shop, the home on 28th Avenue and another home in Burlingame where Jew says he and his family spend part of their time. The federal investigation is centered on $40,000 Jew received from Sunset District businessmen who were having permit troubles in San Francisco.

Last week, San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris filed felony perjury and election law charges against Jew for allegedly lying under oath and falsifying paperwork when he claimed in candidacy papers and other documents that he lived at 2450 28th Ave.

On Tuesday, Newsom was peppered with questions about Jew during a press conference on another matter.

Under San Francisco law, Newsom has the authority to suspend and eventually remove Jew for official misconduct through the city Ethics Commission and Board of Supervisors. But the mayor said he will not take action until Jew submits to the attorney general a response to Herrera's request for authorization to sue for the supervisor's removal from office.

Jew has 15 days to make his case to the attorney general, but Newsom said he plans to encourage Jew to respond to the attorney general well in advance of the July 3 deadline.

"He should step up to the extent that he feels he is in the right and explain it in a public way," Newsom said. "I don't know that it's that complicated to explain residency. I don't know why you need 15 days. You don't need 10 days. Just come forward. Prove it. It seems like an easy thing to prove."

On Tuesday, Jew voted on a variety of city matters during the board meeting. He refused to answer questions from reporters and had to be escorted to the board chambers by a sheriff's deputy who cleared a pathway for him to walk through a throng of media.

Gruel said Jew would like to be able to discuss the allegations against him with the mayor and resolve his concerns. However, he said, the filing of criminal charges by the district attorney makes that impossible because the supervisor would put himself at risk of saying something that could be used against him by prosecutors.

"If he did have a chance ... I think (Newsom) would have been satisfied with the explanation," Gruel said.

Gruel said he and Jew's other attorneys are considering going to court to bring a halt to the city attorney's investigation until the criminal case against Jew is resolved.
Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin has asked Newsom to step in and oust Jew from the board, but Newsom has repeatedly said that he was waiting for the various investigations to be complete. Now that the city attorney's investigation is finished, Newsom said he is waiting for Jew to provide a response.

"I've tried to be very independent-minded here, and I read that report, and it's not good," Newsom said.

Both the city attorney's report and similar evidence cited by the district attorney to obtain the arrest warrant against Jew seem to offer "overwhelming evidence" that Jew does not live in the Sunset District, Newsom said.

"The accusations are codified in two reports and suggest that Ed Jew needs to step up now and make it clear why they are both wrong," Newsom said. "And he needs to do that well before the 15 days because we need to make a determination sooner than later."

Brunching It Up in San Francisco

I just added two new brunch places to www.chowbaby.com's Top 10 Brunch Spots in SF. I love a good brunch! Here are the two restaurants with excellent brunches in this city:

MAMA’S
1701 Stockton Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 362-6421
Hours: (Tues-Sun) 8:00 am-3:00 pm
This legendary North Beach/Washington Square corner brunch spot always has a long line on the sidewalk out front but it’s more than worth the wait. The place is tiny, parking is sparse and they don’t take credit cards, but those are mere distractions when you consider that the breakfast offerings are amongst the very best in the entire city. Signature favorites include Cranberry-Orange-Walnut French Toast, Hash-Browned Redskin Potatoes, Crab Benedict, the Monte Cristo with Raspberry Jam and a wide range of fluffy omelets, poached egg creations, fresh-baked breads, to-die-for pastries and world-class pancakes. Service is fast and efficient in a spot that is constantly busy.

Estimated cost per person for Brunch: $10 - $20

Holiday Schedule: New Years Day-Closed, Valentines Day-Open, Easter-Open, Thanksgiving-Open, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed, New Years Eve-Open

ANZU
Hotel Nikko San Francisco, Second Level
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 394-1100
Hours: Breakfast: (Mon-Sun) 6:30 am-11:00 am; Lunch: (Mon-Sat) 11:30 am- 2:00 pm; Dinner: (Mon-Sun) 5:30 pm-10:00 pm; Brunch: 10:00 am-2:00 pm.
Located on the second floor of the renowned Hotel Nikko, Anzu is fresh and different and cuts no corners when it comes to putting on the ultimate brunch. Their “Smooth Jazz Champagne Brunch” features the finest in local live jazz with a different theme and completely new menu every Sunday. Blending European and Japanese cuisines, it’s East meets West in a fusion explosion of flavors and textures at Anzu. Highlights include Louisiana Crayfish Potato Salad, Dim Sum, Sushi, Roast Ribeye of Beef at the carving station and an amazing Chocolate Fondue Fountain with a plethora of dipping options. Brunches include free fruit juices, champagne and mimosas. Service is professional and experienced and there’s two hours of validated parking, which is like gold in San Francisco.

Estimated cost per person for Brunch: Adults: $50; Children: $28 (Ages 5-12)

Holiday Schedule: New Years Day-Closed, Valentines Day-Open, Easter-Open, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Closed, Christmas Day-Closed, New Years Eve-Open.

Tiger is Human After All!

All of the great golf legends throughout history can breathe a sigh of relief. No matter how great you are at this game, it always has the potential to jump up and bite you on the ass. Tiger Woods has spanked the golf world for a very long time. He wins major tournaments as effortlessly as John Daly downs beers.
Woods has continually made a mockery of a very difficult and demanding game. He’s snubbed his nose at the golf gods as if to say, “What’s all the fuss about?” Well, after this weekend the whole world knows – Tiger Woods is human after all. He’s not invincible. He’s capable of choking like anyone else. The man is infallible. Woods can get rattled. He can be had.
Angel Cabrera hit all the perfect shots when he needed them most to hold off Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk by a stroke on Sunday at the U.S. Open, shooting a 1-under-par 69 at an unforgiving Oakmont and giving Argentina its first major championship in 40 years.
For the second straight time in a major, Woods played in the final group and couldn't get the job done.
Woods squandered birdie chances with his wedge and his putter, and Furyk paid for a questionable choice of driver on the 306-yard 17th hole and fell out of the lead with a bogey.
That left Cabrera all alone at the end.
The only other Argentine to win a major was Roberto de Vicenzo in the 1967 British Open at Hoylake. He was equally famous for signing for the wrong score a year later at the Masters, keeping him out of a playoff.
"It is very difficult to describe at the moment," an elated Cabrera said. "Probably tomorrow, when I wake up with this trophy beside me, I will realize I won the U.S. Open."
Cabrera made his share of mistakes – no one played spectacular golf on this brutally tough course outside Pittsburgh - but he overcame late bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes with a perfect tee shot and a par that gave him the victory.
Woods, a runner-up to unheralded Zach Johnson at the Masters, played the final 32 holes at Oakmont with only one birdie. He missed a birdie putt from 6 feet on the 13th, and the only clutch putts he made on the back nine were for par.
"He put a lot of pressure on Jim and I, and we didn't get it done," said Woods, who closed with a 72 and extended his dubious streak of never winning a major when he wasn't leading going into the final round.
Furyk, the 2003 U.S. Open champion, ran off three straight birdies on the back nine and was tied for the lead when he opted to hit driver on the 17th, where the tees were moved up. He hit so far and enough left that he had no angle to the pin, and the lie was so deep that he didn't even reach the green. His 8-foot par putt caught the lip and spun away.
Needing birdie on the final hole, Furyk dropped the club after contact, and his long putt never had a chance.

Chowbaby.com Mini Reviews

Here are two restaurant mini-reviews that I did recently for http://www.chowbaby.com/. They are my personal additions to Chowbaby's list of the Top 10 Most Romantic Restaurants of San Francisco. I would highly recommend http://www.chowbaby.com/ to anyone who is looking for a good place to eat anywhere in the United States.

JEANTY AT JACK’S
615 Sacramento Street
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 693-0941
Hours: (Mon-Fri) 11:30 am-10:30 pm; (Sat-Sun) 5:00 pm-10:30 pm
Phillipe Jeanty, one of America’s finest chefs, has created a restaurant with an intimate atmosphere featuring classic French bistro cuisine that is expertly prepared and magnificently presented. Located in a three-story building that was constructed in 1864, Jeanty at Jack’s has 14-foot high ceilings, lace curtains and a brass-railed spiraling staircase. Signature dishes include an appetizer called Petit Sale, consisting of cured pork belly with a foie gras ragout; Jeanty’s famous Coqauvin, with chicken, mushrooms, bacon and red wine; Kobe beef ribs and an exquisitely tender Cote de Porc pork chop. Service is executed to perfection with a wait staff that is experienced and attentive. Jeanty at Jack’s provides an ideal setting for first dates, anniversaries and other affairs of the heart.

Estimated cost per person for dinner: $50 - $60

Holiday Schedule: New Years Day-Closed, Valentines Day-Open, Easter-Open, Thanksgiving-Open, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed, New Years Eve-Open

THE SLANTED DOOR
1 Ferry Building, #3
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 861-8032
Hours: (Mon-Sun) 11:00 am-2:30 pm Lunch; (Sun-Thurs) 5:30 pm- 10:00 pm Dinner; (Fri-Sat) 5:30 pm-10:30 pm Dinner
Located in the northeast corner of the famous restored Ferry Building, The Slanted Door has a stellar reputation for serving incredibly inventive food in an awe-inspiring setting. It’s a modern Vietnamese restaurant that features local produce and ecologically farmed meat, game and poultry raised at farms throughout the Bay Area. The food is the star of this gig, but the Riesling-driven wine list, the full bar with its unique selection of specialty drinks and fresh squeezed juices, and the hard-to-find Chinese teas, makes this gem a destination for food lovers from all over the world. The specialties of the house include Spring Rolls with peanut sauce; a Green Papaya Salad with rau ram; Shaking Beef stir-fired with garlic and organic onions and a wood-oven roasted whole fish with spicy ginger fish sauce. Every food experience should be just like this – unforgettable and wondrous.

Estimated cost per person for dinner: $55 - $65 (Prix Fixe Menu: $38 per person for lunch and $45 per person for dinner)

Holiday Schedule: New Years Day-Closed, Valentines Day-Open, Easter-Open, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Closed, Christmas Day-Closed, New Years Eve-Closed

Kid's Insurance For Just a Buck

A lot of people who have kids are getting them children insurance as soon as they’re born. It’s a great investment and a perfect way to get them the security they need. The rate is based on your child's current age and is guaranteed for the rest of their life. And because it is a whole life insurance policy, it builds cash value. By starting your child's policy today their coverage is guaranteed regardless of future changes in age, health or occupation. There is no medical exam, just a few Yes/No health questions, no waiting period and no agent. It is simple — one dollar pays for the introductory period for up to $20,000 coverage.

Old Rock Stars Never Die

A few years ago I met a homeless gentleman on the streets of San Jose, California named Leonard Carlton. Leonard was the singer and drummer for a band called Bad Inflection, a group that had one minor hit in 1965 called “Desert Howl.”

When I met the man, he was a complete wreak, the result of having done too much of every drug imaginable. Besides being a performer and a musician, Carlton produced a lot of records for various bands in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s. I talked to him recently. Well, he talked and I listened. Here is an excerpt from that interview:

“Yes, it’s true – I’ve been through it all. You name it and I’ve been there. Tons of drugs, four failed marriages, enough booze to fill Lake Tahoe, several car crashes that almost killed me, more and more drugs. But, I’m a tough lad, and I’ll be just fine. When my music career came crashing to its unfortunate conclusion, I was strung out on heroin, vodka and naked twister.”

“Yes, I fell hard and it was a harsh awakening, believe me. One thing I’m happy about is that I’ve been able to help struggling young musicians over the years—blokes I came to know on the way up and then again on the way down.”

“Like KC and the Sunshine Band. I tried to tell those guys – hey, KC, the music is solid, but the lyrics, man—they just don’t cut it. I mean, “That’s the Way I Like It,” that song had like a grand total of 10 words in it. It was “That’s the Way I Like It, Uh-uh, Uh-uh.” I said, KC, you need more meaningful lyrics, man. Put some fricking words in that tune. Search a little. Delve a bit. Why is that the way you like it? What are the overall repercussions of liking it that way? The tune leaves a lot of questions unanswered, you know? It’s frustrating more than anything, really. Of course, the song went number one, with just those few words. I thought “Put the Lime in the Cocoanut” was going to be a big hit, so what do I know?”

“Here’s an interesting fact for you. The group, my group -- Bad Inflection was misnamed, a lot of blokes aren’t aware of that little tidbit of nostalgic trivia. The group’s name, the name we selected as a band, was supposed to be Bad Infection, but our publicist at the time was doing a lot of Secenol, that was the drug of choice back then, and he accidentally gave us the moniker of Bad Inflection, which was a bloody stupid name and suggested that we didn’t have it together, like we had problems speaking or something. Which was true, of course, I mean, we never annunciated; nobody ever understood any of the words to our songs. Hell, we didn’t even know them ourselves the majority of the time. It was a completely absurd situation. For years, we were stuck with that silly name.”

“I mean, the Who, if you’re trying to be grammatically correct, should really be the Whom, shouldn’t it? Bands change their names. It happens. Yes was once Maybe. Then they changed to Probably, then they were Most Likely, but that made them sound like a bloody bunch of poufs, so they went back to being Yes.”

“If folks are talking about me today in the context of “Where Are They Now?” all I’ve got to say is -- I’d rather be famous for one minute than spend my whole life being known to only my neighbor and the dry cleaners.”

“Where am I now? I’m right here. On the streets of San Jose, California. And lovin’ every minute of it, thank you very much. Thriving and surviving. Like someone said, it’s better to burn out than fade away. And boy, brother, did I ever burn out. But I never, ever faded away. That’s on record, man. Look it up.”

Poker Pro Phil Hellmuth: Winner or Whiner?

Poker pro Phil Hellmuth has once again proven that he's truly the undisputed king of the poker table after winning the World Series of Poker’s Event #15 and his 11th WSOP golden bracelet.

Hellmuth is now the sole owner of the most WSOP bracelets won by a single player, moving ahead of poker legends Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson, who have both won ten bracelets each.

Playing nearly perfect poker from start to finish, Hellmuth was never out of contention and finished off an experienced final table with a focused, error-free quest for the win and the record. In addition to the elusive gold hardware Phil received $637,254 in cash. Andy Philacheck finished second, winning $369,594.

Congratulations to Phil Hellmuth for a great WSOP record-setting win. He also holds the record for most WSOP cashes at 60.

Phil Hellmuth was born in 1964 in Madison, Wisconsin, and has won 11 World Series of Poker bracelets, more than any other player, including a main event win in 1989.

Hellmuth has been at over 20 final tables at the World Series of Poker and has won over 4 million dollars there. At age 24, He was the youngest player to ever win the championship no-limit event at the WSOP.

When not at the tables, Hellmuth lives in Palo Alto, California with his wife, who is a psychologist, and his two sons. In 2006, he was chosen to replace Phil Gordon as the new co-host of Celebrity Poker Showdown.

At the 2002 World Series, after getting knocked out by Robert Varkonyi, Hellmuth swore Varkonyi could shave his head if he won. Varkonyi did indeed win, and Hellmuth did indeed his opponent to shave his head.

"I said the other day that I'd pay a million dollars to win another bracelet, but (I) had to win it. I didn't know if I'd get there because I came close three times this trip. I'm just so, so happy."

If you’re not familiar with Phil Hellmuth, he’s known throughout the professional poker world as a brat, a whiner, a gloater, a blowhard and a poor sport. Many people call him the John McEnroe of poker. That’s an insult to McEnroe, in my opinion.

Hellmuth is a sore loser and a worse winner. Every time he loses a hand, he calls his opponent lucky and questions their poker skills. He is arrogant and acts like he invented the game. The man has made a fortune producing how-to poker DVD’s and through his web site. He’s the guy poker fans love to hate.

And now, he’s the best in the history of the game. There is no one else out there who has achieved what Phil Hellmuth has in professional poker. But, he’s also one of the most despised men in the sport.

What can I say, results talk and everything else can walk. The man is the best and there’s no denying it. I just wish Chan or Brunson had set the record, because they display a lot more class and are probably better spokesmen for the game.

It just proves that Leo Durocher was correct when he said that “nice guys finish last.” Or in this case, they end up in second place.

It's Time to Flip the House that LeBron Built

Tony Parker scored 30 points, Manu Ginobili had 25 and Tim Duncan added 23 as the Spurs showed the Cleveland Cavs how championship basketball is played for 3½ quarters, overpowering the young Cavaliers 103-92 in Game 2 on Sunday night to take a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals.

San Antonio clearly illustrated just how superior they are in almost every way conceivable -- building a 29-point lead and then cruising in the fourth quarter -- when the Cavaliers stormed back within eight points before the Spurs finally put them away late in the game.

"That's why sometimes I don't like to have a 20-point lead," Parker said. "I'm not going to complain. I'll take it." The Spurs, playing team offense and stepping up on defense, were up by 28 in the first half and were embarrassing the Cavaliers, who are in their first finals but didn't show up until it was too late.

"I think they just took their foot off the gas pedal," Cavs center Zydrunas Ilgauskas said.

The Spurs' Big 3 of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili combined for 43 points -- 10 more than the Cavs -- in the first half. From that point on, it was academic. Those in the know are now predicting a sweep.

One sign in San Antonio said, “Bring out LeBroom!”

The bottom line is that the Cavaliers are not yet a championship caliber team. They have LeBron James, arguable the best player in the NBA, but the rest of their squad consists of players who are washed-up, slightly injured, completely inexperienced or just plain mediocre.
Drew Gooden is a promising player and will continue to improve for the Cavs. Larry Hughes (who didn’t make one field goal last night) has a foot injury, but even when he’s healthy he’s no solution. After that, it’s a cast of pretenders and wannabes who are either several years away or past their prime. Some of these guys never even had a prime, at least not in the NBA.

Until the powers-that-be get a supporting cast for LeBron, this team will never get closer to an NBA championship than they are right now. The good news is that King James is the best building block any team can have. He’s the foundation, but right now the rest of the House That LeBron built is falling apart.

Will Tony Get Whacked Tonight?

With the final episode of The Sopranos airing tonight, viewers all over the world are speculating how the carnage, confusion and betrayal will come to an end. Arguably the most popular cable series ever, The Sopranos never completely jumped the shark, although it dig bog down for short periods of time during the third and fourth seasons, in my opinion. But, if this evening’s episode is a good one, and packs any kind of wallop, all will be forgiven. If it isn’t, bodies could start showing up – most likely those belonging to HBO executives.

Creator David Chase has continually frustrated many fans by not feeding them the formulaic television that they’ve grown accustomed to. Plot lines are left hanging, characters come and go inexplicably and things aren’t always clearly explained. But, that’s the way life is. We’ve grown to expect neatly packaged story lines where issues get resolved. Where good guys triumph and bad guys get their due. But, that’s not reality and David Chase refuses to give in to network pressure. HBO has given him final cut from the beginning and he’s done it his way from day one.

Some people who have watched the series from the start -- back when Tony was skinny -- might be frustrated by all of the questions that have been left unanswered. For instance, is Andriana really dead? We never actually saw the body. What happened to the Russian in the woods? And isn’t there money hidden somewhere in the original Soprano home; the one Tony grew up in?

The burning question right now is how the series will finally end. Who will get whacked? Is there another rat in our midst? Has anyone been cooperating with the FBI that we don’t know about? Will there be any surprises or plot twists? Or will Chase do exactly what he’s done in the past, and give us some silly dream sequence episode that tells us nothing? Will Chase go completely off his rocker and make the finale a musical? (That would be awesome!)

I looked online earlier and I have never seen so many people speculating about how the final show will end. There must be 500 so-called “spoilers” out there. There are some hints from earlier trailers that Phil Leotardo gets whacked, but that might just be an attempt to misdirect viewers. One guy claims that he was on the set when they filmed the last episode and goes into great detail about what happens. He says that the Soprano house gets blown up and that Meadow is the victim of a car bomb. One couple came up with an interesting scenario where Tony turns on the family and becomes an FBI informant. Supposedly, by the end of the episode, he’s living a legitimate life under the name of Kevin Finnerty, the same moniker he dreamt about when he was in a coma after getting shot by his uncle earlier this season. Still other speculate that Paulie Walnuts is either a rat or a double agent.

My personal opinion is that Tony Soprano gets whacked. James Gandolfini doesn’t want to come back and do this show again. He’s been quoted as saying that he wants to make movies and spend some time relaxing. To give the series some closure and make sure that no one attempts to do a Sopranos reunion show in a few years, Tony will have to go.

It will work out well for several reasons. A lot of folks didn’t like the way Tony killed Christopher and he hasn’t been making a lot of friends for the past two seasons with his impulsive and selfish behavior. Not whacking Phil Leotardo earlier was a sign of weakness. Every tragic hero has a flaw and Tony Soprano has several, so it’s going to be adios Antonio tonight. At least that’s my theory. And until someone sends me a fish wrapped in newspaper, I’m going to write what I think!

For the Best Premium Dog Food, Visit www.k9cuisine.com!!!

Premium dog food is a great way to make sure that your dog leads a happy, healthy life. If you’re a discerning dog owner, you want to give your mutt the very best food out there. That’s why I was so happy to find out about http://www.k9cuisine.com/. They have the very best, super premium dog food on the market today. They offer 100% satisfaction, great prices, a wide selection and shipping is free for orders over fifty bucks. Many of their brands use human-grade products and they also carry treats. They have brands like Orijen, Lauth’s Holistic Nutrition, Nutro, TimberWolf Organics and much more. Check them out – you and your dog will be glad you did!