MediterraneanGrocery Wholesalers in San Francisco, CA

SAN FRANCISCO -- Some nights, it feels like a single play can mark the difference between a win and a loss. That sentiment was undeniably present in the Brewers' clubhouse after they dropped their fifth straight game in Friday night's 6-4 loss to the Giants.

The little things have eluded Milwaukee during the club's season-long losing run, building to a frustration that has become all too familiar of late.

"The big inning hurts tonight," starting pitcher Corbin Burnes said. "We played a great baseball game, just had the one big inning that got away from us. That was kind of the deciding factor."

The inning in question was the bottom of the fifth, in which the Giants put up a three-spot to go ahead for good. Burnes, who was charged with his second loss after allowing five runs (two earned) on four hits and three walks, put much of the onus on himself, though in reality there was more at play.

With one out in the frame, Burnes had retired eight consecutive batters before allowing a base hit to San Francisco's Brett Wisely. The Giants soon had runners in scoring position when Wisely stole second base, then advanced to third when Willy Adames made an errant throw while fielding a Cal Stevenson grounder.

Burnes was an out away from escaping the jam after freezing LaMonte Wade Jr. on a cutter up in the zone, but he bobbled a high chopper off the bat of Thairo Estrada that came right back at him.

"I make that play reaching across me nine times out of 10," Burnes said.

Estrada's infield single brought a run home, and after J.D. Davis drew a walk, the bases were loaded for Joc Pederson -- who made the Brewers pay with a two-run single.

"It's just an unfortunate inning," manager Craig Counsell said. "Probably the comebacker was almost like a changeup comebacker that got Corbin off-time a little bit and was high enough to just be a tough play."

Said Burnes: "It was a straight top-spin at me. I just thought it was coming off the bat harder, so kind of one of those instinct, swipe-at-it kind of deals, and it just hit around the palm of my glove and bounced out."

All of a sudden, San Francisco was up a run, thanks in no small part to Milwaukee's miscues in the field. Earlier in the game, it briefly seemed like it might play out the other way around.

Considering the Brewers' well-documented struggles against left-handed pitching, they were able to hold their own against Giants southpaw Sean Manaea, charging him with four runs (three earned) on six hits -- but not without a little luck on their side.

Hitting in the leadoff spot for the first time in his career, William Contreras wasted little time by launching a double to right field to open the ballgame. Owen Miller followed that up with a base hit up the middle, and Adames went the other way for an RBI single, breaking out of an 0-for-18 rut in the process.

Milwaukee capped the frame with another run, though it came across in a less conventional way. With two outs and runners on the corners, Manaea had worked an 0-2 count vs. Luke Voit when Brian Anderson -- who had drawn a walk -- made a break for second base. He was caught in a rundown and tagged out to end the inning -- but not before Miller scored from third, putting his team up 2-0.

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"We did a nice job with that," Counsell said. "It's an 0-2 count, so it's a time when maybe you take a little risk in that situation."

The Brewers took advantage of another mistake from the Giants in the top of the fifth, when Joey Bart's throwing error allowed Tyrone Taylor to score from third and put Joey Wiemer in position to score on a sacrifice fly.

But those flashes of success don't mean much to the team when the desired results aren't there. Until the Brewers put an end to their extended stay in the loss column, they won't be satisfied with the little victories.

"We're trying to win every game we play," Burnes said. "No one's going to sit back on their heels and say, 'Oh yeah, we were 10 games over .500.' … No one wants to go out there and lose five games in a row. We're playing our [butts] off; we're trying to win baseball games."

For many San Franciscans, this winter and spring’s wet weather meant soaked shoes and a miserable commute.

For those who live near the N Judah’s terminus at Ocean Beach, it also meant frequent screeching as the train circled the tight turnaround to head from west back east.

The SFMTA fielded complaints about the ear splitting noise and says it’s monitoring the situation. The issue has spurred enough exasperated emails that it was raised by a member of the SFTMA Board of Directors at its meeting on Tuesday.

After rainy days in early April, “the noise was reported to be perceptible on the track after wet weather events have removed the lubricant,” SFMTA spokesperson Stephen Chun wrote in a statement to The Examiner.

Subsequent monitoring by the SFMTA found noise levels minimal. This reporter visited the turnaround on Friday and found the trains to be quiet as they circled by.

But, at times, the noise can disrupt nearby residents and businesses.

At its worst in January, the noise led guests at the SeaScape Inn to ask for a refund, according to hotel manager Vijay Patel. Many guests typically request a room on the back side of the building instead of its street-facing front, he said.

Some online reviews for the hotel even mention the noise.

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One noted guests will “wake up by the trolly as they start up early,” while another said “trains are loud since they are right outside the motel. This could bother light sleepers; not good sound proving!”

Proximity to transit obviously was also a highlight to some. One recent reviewer described the inn as a “no-frills place to stay,” but added “location is unbeatable and I like it here. The N line literally begins outside the door and the beach is across the street.”

So why is the train noisy, anyway?

The noisiest hotspots are, naturally, where friction is greatest, such as on curves and tight turnarounds.

Muni runs rail lubricating machines through its system, which leave behind a water-soluble lubricant that meets California’s environmental standards.

But because it’s water soluble, the lubricant can easily wash away in the rain. Maybe it wasn’t so noticeable in years past, but in case you haven’t been outside in a few months, San Francisco has been more than a little drizzly.

After each rainfall washes the lubricant away, replacing it takes time.

“Because it usually takes several days for the vehicle wheel flanges to collect and distribute lubricant over long stretches of dry track, our routine following a storm or any periods of multi-day drizzle is to dispatch track maintenance teams out on the system to manually lubricate the inside edges of our curves and turnouts,” Chun explained. “Our team has been out at the area of Java Beach multiple times to reapply lubricants manually and reverify lubricator performance.”

When the century-old Roosevelt Tamale Parlor closed its doors last year, the Mission District mourned the loss of a San Francisco institution. Now, new blood is moving into the historic restaurant space: Tacos del Barrio, as first reported by the San Francisco Standard.

Hector Ordaz told SFGATE that when he and co-owner Norberto Granillo first found the space on Craigslist, they weren’t familiar with the history.

“Right after we signed the lease, we started hearing from the neighborhood,” he said. “People would come in and they were telling us history, like, ‘I used to come here with my mom, with my grandpa.’ So that was when I realized like, oh man, this was an important place for the community.”

Out of respect for their predecessor, they decided to keep the tamale parlor’s neon sign up, which they’ll be getting repaired in the next few weeks. They also freshened up the building with a new paint job, but kept the colors the same.

“We respect the community, we respect the heritage of this place,” said Ordaz. “That’s why we are keeping the design and we are trying to keep it traditional.”

Tacos del Barrio, however, will be a completely different restaurant.

A michelada, left, and carnitas tacos, right, at Tacos del Barrio (Courtesy of Tacos del Barrio).

“Basically it is just a taqueria, but what we’re trying to do is different from everything you’ll find in the Mission area,” said Ordaz. “We’re from Mexico City, so we wanted to bring the street food scene from Mexico City here to San Francisco.”

This is Ordaz and Granillo’s first restaurant, but Ordaz is a chef who has worked in Bay Area restaurants including Gott’s Roadside in the Ferry Building. Tacos del Barrio’s menu will feature a variety of tacos and quesadillas, including carnitas, cueritos, buche, cabeza, birria, quesabirria, suadero, chorizo and tripa. There will also be ceviche and aguachile, as well as beer, micheladas and margaritas.

Tacos del Barrio’s logo features both a BART train and a Mexico City Metro train, with the Golden Gate Bridge as well as Mexico City monuments in the background.

“That’s what the name Tacos el Barrio means: where we came from and then where we are right now,” said Ordaz.

The restaurant is celebrating its grand opening Friday with a Cinco de Mayo party beginning at 5 p.m. Special deals on food and drinks are planned for the first 75 customers, as well as musical entertainment.

Tacos del Barrio, 2817 24th St., San Francisco. Open Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m.

When Roosevelt Tamale Parlor closed in September 2022 it took 100 years of Mission District culinary history with it. Now there are would-be inheritors to that lineage taking over the lease at 2817 24th Street. The San Francisco Standard reports newcomer Tacos del Barrio will open on May 5 from co-owners Hector Ordaz and Norberto Granillo, two childhood friends from Mexico City.

Ordaz brings cooking chops from Umami Burger, Gott’s Roadside, and the now-closed Cafe de Paris L’Entrecote to the project. Guests can expect tacos and quesadillas, but also ceviche, aguachile, guacamole, and chicharrones. And, according to the outlet, the owners aren’t taking the history of the location lightly. Neighbors still miss Roosevelt Tamale Parlor and asked the two to keep the red and green neon signage. “We want to do that for the community,” Ordaz told the Standard. “We really respect their history.”

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The Cats, a roadhouse at 17533 Santa Cruz Highway with roots dating back to 1896, just reopened under new ownership. The East Bay Times reports entrepreneur Richard Tam’s business ChefCentury is behind the rebirth, with Adrian Pham — a North Carolina cook with barbecue chops — as the new executive chef. Tam also hired a wagyu specialist, Rafael Lim of Angry Cow Master Cuts, to ensure the Cats begins its new tenure with a bang. Tam plans to “build upon the ChefCentury model by introducing other chefs and adding their culinary specialties,” the outlet writes.

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With major retailers including Nordstrom and Whole Foods pulling out of San Francisco’s downtown, what happens to the food businesses inside a Union Square mall? The Chronicle reports that while the Westfield Mall chose not to comment on vacancies, reporters for the paper counted six empty storefronts in the food hall. Dat Thieu, the owner of Westfield’s Umai Savory Hot Dogs, told the Chronicle sales are about 30 percent lower than he anticipated when opening in 2021.

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The 100-year-old Roosevelt Tamale Parlor closed last September, but now less than eight months after its closure, the new Tacos del Barrio opens there Friday night. And they’re keeping the vintage neon sign!

Last September’s closure of the 100-year-old Roosevelt Tamale Parlor at 24th near Bryant Street was not the first time the tamale parlor closed. Roosevelt Tamale Parlor had previously closed in December 2015, but reopened a year later with the strange name Roosevelt Sip ‘n’ Eat, which did not go over well, and it just went back to being Roosevelt Tamale Parlor again before closing permanently in 2022.

But the SF Standard reports that the former Roosevelt Tamale Parlor is reopening Friday night under new ownership as the taqueria Tacos del Barrio.

And with a Cinco de May opening, there are Cinco de Mayo specials, starting with their opening at 5 p.m. According to an Instagram post, Tacos del Barrio says “To celebrate, we're offering a special deal to the first 75 customers who show this post with any purchase of $6 or more. Choose between a free quesabirria, a drink, or a choice beer!”

But best of all, that classic neon sign is staying, and even being restored. SFGate reports that the new owners say “Out of respect for their predecessor, they decided to keep the tamale parlor’s neon sign up, which they’ll be getting repaired in the next few weeks.”

Those new owners are Hector Ordaz and Norberto Granillo, and their new concept celebrates the Mexico City street food scene. Ordaz is a veteran of the old Cafe de Paris L’Entrecote in Pac Heights, the Ferry Building Gott’s Roadside, and Umami Burger. You can find interior shots of the new Tacos del Barrio here.

So it will be Tacos del Barrio, but the sign will continue saying Roosevelt Tamale Parlor. This kind of arrangement is not unusual on 24th Street, as the old Casa Sanchez location is now a pupuseria called D’maize, but still has the Casa Sanchez sign.

Tacos del Barrio opens Friday, May 5 at 5 p.m. at 2817 24th Street (near Bryant Street). Hours going forward will be Sunday - Thursday, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m., Friday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Related: Photos: One of 24th Street’s Largest Ficus Trees Has Been Reduced to Sawdust and a Stump [SFist]

Image: Jack K. via Yelp