Hedonism in a Tin Can Chezchez, Valencia St. Mission District, SF

Since we live only about three miles to the now-gentrified Valencia St., we could not help but observe how much things have changed. We complain about the soaring prices of things yet we are also drawn to the innovation in food, drinks, and energy that these changes bring to the neighborhood. We bear witness to the closing of one establishment to the next in this neighborhood. We have seen the challenges every un-housed person in the the city face; we feel powerless. We voted for Chesa and tried to remain steadfast in our belief about equity and social justice (despite being a victim, one afternoon, to a violent mugging on the street of SF). We understand that crimes and mental illness are clear symptoms of how the state can fail its citizenry. They are also symptoms of an apathetic society attached to the trappings of the prevailing economic and social trends' unbridled hold on its captive consumers. We try to rectify by teaching; by reading Marcuse, by writing our elected officials, and yet, we are still drawn to our guilty pleasure, trying out new things, risking being labeled as we sample the aperitivos offered by Chez-Chez.

At Chezchez, the ambience is definitely suave, relaxed and bourgeoise. The outdoor patio is hauntingly boho chic. We ordered a mixed cocktail, a house red, a cheese plate and a burrata. The bread tasted superb! We thought of all the tapas bars we walked into in Barcelona and sighed. We laughed at the portions, but we truly enjoyed sitting under a heated lamp, bistro-style on a very cold winter twilight. Nothing could faze us. Expect nothing, accept everything. C'est la vie at Chezchez.