Lan's #17: White Horse Tavern

White Horse Tavern
635 Sutter St
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 673-9900

I was going to meet J at Cantina, but when I walked in, I realized I'd already been here last year (a review of this blog shows that the bar was called Lucid at this time last year. The decor hasn't changed). So, I walked up Sutter and happened upon the White Horse Tavern & Restaurant.

In Berkeley/Oakland, there's a gay bar by the same name on Telegraph. Here in SF, it is just a pub with a restaurant in the back. There seem to be a lot of tourists in this bar, which makes sense considering its proximity to Union Square hotels. In fact, while I was waiting for J to arrive (sipping Jameson and reading Camus--how obnoxious), a tour bus stopped in front of the tavern and dropped off a whole bunch of seniors. Most went to their respective hotels but some trickled in.

An old man with hairy ears stuck his hand into the bowl of pretzels/peanuts in front of me. He threw some of the pretzels back. EEEW. Good thing I wasn't eating those. Bartender was quite friendly, too.

Went to the subterranean sushi place for some uni and sake and called it a night.

Lan's #15 & 16: Alembic & Club Deluxe

Details to come:

Alembic: lots of whiskeys & scotches to choose from. Yummy sweetbreads, bone marrow, mussels, and frites. Knowledgeable waitstaff.

Club Deluxe: more whiskey and some comedy. Mostly bad but some good. Women's toilet doesn't flush.

Lan's #14: Cortez

Cortez
550 Geary Street
(between Jones St & Shannon St)
San Francisco, CA 94102

Wandered in here with J and 3 friends on a Friday afternoon after some drinks and snacks at Grand Cafe. My original destination was Ponzu but they were closed for a private party--boo!! I've heard good things about their small plates, but the prices are a bit ridiculous. Since we weren't hungry, I opted for a glass of Viognier...which tasted like the bottle had been open for a while. Service was slow and a bit retarded (there was a waitress staring blankly at us).

Free rosemary popcorn, which was nice. The decor is kind of random and the crowd is ooooooold. Probably won't be back although the foie gras looked good.

Jamie took us home and we met some folks at Godzilla for sushi and copious amounts of sake. I did not run the ascribed 10 miles the next morning.

Lan's #13: Olive

Olive
743 Larkin St
(between Ellis St & Ofarrell St)
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 776-9814

This is where the Marina folks head when they want to get "dirty" in the TL. I came here for a drink while waiting for hh for dinner @ Pagolac (Vietnamese food for the Marina folk when they want "authentic" TL...but another story for another time).

I sat down at the bar and it took a while for the bartender to get to me. During these 5-10 minutes, I looked at the limited food menu (the only interesting thing was pizza and only because I like pizza) and tried not to make a face every time a girl would scream. What is it with drunk white girls and high pitched screeching? This place is LOUD--not just because of the people but because of the concrete interior. I hate having to yell.

Well, the bartender finally came over...but first, he took two fernet orders from some old guy that had JUST wandered in. Bartender probably noticed my dismay at the wrongful order of orders so he asked me what I wanted: Kaffir Lime & Basil martini. Fernet is just OBNOXIOUS (and disgusting). My drink tasted watered down but it did the trick at almost 9pm on an empty stomach. HH wandered in and ordered a beer...a very flat beer.

Would I go back? Probably not. I'd go up the street to Rye where I don't have to yell and the bartenders don't complain about making the drink specials.

There's a pic on my cell phone that I'll upload later.

Lan's #12: Royal Oak

Royal Oak
2201 Polk Street
(between Bonita St & Vallejo St)
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 928-2303

After dinner (where our alcohol tab surpassed what we actually ate) at Luella (don't miss the oxtail gnocchi, skip the mac n cheese), we stopped in at Royal Oak for a post-dinner drink. I had a 10-mile run scheduled for Saturday morning so opted for a glass of wine. Beer would have been a better idea. This is a cozy lounge, none of the modern, minimal furnishings of the swanky downtown lounges. These were more like tables and couches you'd find at grandma's house.

We got a big round table...Drew showed up, and then a bunch of characters from Austin Powers showed up. It was Austin Powers' bachelor party. I'm assuming his fiance must have put the kabosh on something truly fun. Goldmember was a little scary.

Not a bad spot for being right in the middle of Russian Hill. The 10 miles was postponed to Sunday. I have until the end of April to do 40 pushups. Yikes.

Lan's #11: The Metro

Metro
2124 Market St
(between 15th St & Church St)
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 703-9750

First stop, Anchor Oyster Bar (NOT the right spot for $1 oysters...oops) for a Hoegarden (sp?) and an oyster shooter while we waited for Bill to get out of his doctor's appt to tell us where the $1 oysters REALLY were. My bad for not confirming...

Second stop, Blue, for mac n cheese and a glass of wine. By the time Bill arrived, oyster happy was over (for future reference, its on Market & Church). Bill's car was parked in front of the Metro so we stopped in for a drink after dinner. It was gay pool night and one of the boys was into Bill (and Britney Spears). I was too full for beer so I had a glass of red...a bottomless glass. It took me FOREVER to finish.

The evening ended at the good ol' Pig & Whistle. Tuesday night, but no Andy. We miss Andy. I had forgotten how much I love Magner's. It doesn't fill me up as quickly as regular beer.

Lan's #10: Rickshaw Stop

Rickshaw Stop
155 Fell St
(between Franklin St & Van Ness)
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 861-2011

Last night was one of those rare "summer" nights in SF. I was walking around outside after dark with just a tank top...in March!

Went with Tania to see Tilly & the Wall at Noisepop. There were three opening bands and we arrived just in time to see the last opening band, also from Omaha, but not very good. The singer made the unfortunate fashion decision to wear the cowboy neckerchief...which hipsters love but I think looks ridiculous.

The space is pretty small and intimate. Security at the door is smooth and the bartenders are prompt. I enjoyed my $5 sangrias. My only complaint? Why do indie boys have to smell so bad??? Tilly & the Wall came on promptly and put on a great show. They make me smile. So does unusually warm weather. Why am I moving to cold, cold Chicago??

I have jury duty today. Boo.

Lan's #9: Izakaya Lounge

O Izakaya Lounge
Hotel Kabuki
1625 Post St
San Francisco, CA 94115
(415) 614-5431

On our way to Tanpopo for some ramen, I noticed that Dot Lounge (which had been closed for a few years) had finally reopened...as an Izakaya Lounge! I love Izakaya (basically Japanese bar food) so we abandoned the idea of ramen (which I'd been craving all week) and stopped in to try this new spot. It has been totally remodeled and looks nothing like what it did during the Dot Lounge days. The hotel has also been remodeled and renamed.

The entrance from Post St is not the main entrance. The bartenders just kind of stare at you and we stare confused back. To get seated, you have to walk over to the hotel entrance towards the right. Strangely, none of the servers in this Japanese(-inspired) place are Japanese...I think the water lady was Chinese. The head chef is from the Americano down by the Embarcadero as are many of the cooks.

J ordered a $3 Guinness from the can and I got a Pinot Noir. You're supposed to drink beer or sake at an izakaya, but I was in the mood for wine. I've had too much beer this week and my belly shows it. For food, we ordered pork belly and beef loin yakimono (skewers). Sadly, they were out of Hamachi belly yakimono. I wish they were served a little hotter.

We also got yakisoba, which seemed to be pan-fried ramen noodles with a teriyaki sauce and some tofu & vegetables. SKIP THIS.

Finally, we got the O Lounge Burger, which is pretty good. Sooo...the best thing at this izakaya was the burger. However, their burger does not make it onto my list of elite burgers (Bistro Aix, Chez Maman, Zuni, Absinthe, and the Richmond).

Lan's #8: Red Devil Lounge

Red Devil Lounge
1695 Polk St
(between Clay St & Sacramento St)
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 921-1695

This one is slightly out of order since we went here the night before I flew out to Orlando. We went here to see Digital Underground. Got a nice spot up by the balcony but some drunk chick kept trying to push me from my spot. Her boyfriend kept telling her not to push me, her ass kept trying to push me away, she was leaning her whole body weight on me (if I stepped back, she stumbled towards me), and her elbow came an inch from hitting my face more than once. This happened many, many times before I elbowed her in the back and shoved her into her boyfriend. After that, she never came back. So, Joyce, I suppose that's the closest I've ever been to a real fight. There was physical contact this time instead of just yelling :P

Had a couple beers but I was feeling like ass (coming down with a cold) and J had wanted to drive. I was the owner of the keys.

This place gets too crowded and though I've never liked crowds, I'm now REALLY too old (and short) for crowds.