Aidin Vaziri, Chronicle Staff Writer Kevin Hunsanger is an owner of Green Apple Books and Music, an Inner Richmond institution that regularly appears on
these lists. He is also the book guy on the KFOG morning show and a regular food and wine columnist for various local publications. We decided it was time to find out about some of his favorite spots in the Bay Area, and he was more than happy to tell us about the best places to dine on pumpkin pancakes, watch the game or sip a martini. Tosca Cafe, 242 Columbus Ave. “Oh my, just think if these well-painted walls could talk. This boxy oasis has been home to raconteurs of all ilk for generations, and on any given night you may well witness high and low culture collide. The house cappuccinos are legendary, as is the storied back room within some circles. The staff has made me feel like family. Heck, I even just celebrated my wedding there.” Section 138, AT&T Park, 801 Third St. “These are the best seats, among the best fans, in the best ballpark. Wear your orange and black, sneak in a flask of anti-freeze for those ‘Stick-like night games, and if anyone asks, ‘What’s the matter with any left fielder from any visiting team here’ you’d better remember that, ‘He’s a bum!’ ” J’s Pots of Soul, 203 Octavia St. “Two words: pumpkin pancakes. J’s makes them like you’ve only dreamed they could be made. J’s is the real deal of brunches, paradise on a plate seven days a week, but never open past 2:30 p.m. Just please don’t crowd me out of my place in line next Sunday – or the next.” The Hypnodrome Theatre, 575 10th St. “Home to the Thrillpeddlers troupe, this spooky black box theatre has revived the long-lost art of the Grand Guignol, or Theatre of Blood, popular in France during the 1910s and ’20s. It serves it up in custom-built ‘shock-boxes’ for two. Next on their list, however, is a revival of the Cockettes’ ‘Pearls Over Shanghai,’ so there’s certainly something here for every oddball taste.” Mountain Lake Park, Ninth Avenue and Lake Street. “Many lunch breaks from the bookstore are spent on the picnic tables at the dog run here. From there, it’s just a short path into the Presidio, and its Andy Goldsworthy-adorned 1000 Steps nature walk. Mountain Lake itself is a gem, one of only three natural lakes in San Francisco. The park’s playground still has a concrete slide.”
Great American Music Hall, 859 O’Farrell St. “One of my favorite things about San Francisco is its vibrant music scene, but more important to me these days than who’s playing is where are they playing at If Great American is hosting the bill, it’s certain to be a fine time and going there will be all the excuse I’ll need to check it out.”