Lan's 33: Double Dutch

Double Dutch

3192 16th St

San Francisco, CA 94110

(415) 503-1670

Went here for Jamie & Jackie's soccer party, in celebration of them making the Pilipino (is there an H or F in there?) Women's National Soccer Team. Hooray for them!

I like that there is a boom box collection on the wall. The Mission is a bit more sceney than I prefer. I like neighborhood bars, but it is always fun being around good friends.

Assgass #19: Primitivo Wine Bistro

Primitivo Wine Bistro
1025 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Venice, CA 90291
310-396-5353
http://www.primitivowinebistro.com/


As the name suggests, Primitivo Wine Bistro is, apparently, a destination wine spot. Bit of a waste on me, who's favorite wine is a $6.99 jug of Carlo Rossi. In any case, the atmosphere and tapas are just as much of a draw. A small, intimate, and lively main room feels like a mix of old european with a touch of southern colonial. and mardi gras. ? Maybe it's the paintings. i dunno. There's an outdoor patio which I didn't get to check out.
Noise and atmosphere are right for either a romantic date, or a group of friends. The tables are crowded pretty tight, but you feel like you're in your own space. Richly flavorful tapas on the mediteranean tip and of course an extensive wine list featuring international and California wineries. They sell half bottles, and have wine tasting events from time to time. It can be affordable-a friend and reviews said $30 per person, though we put away over a bill worth of tapas and shocked the waitress, who was also helpful in picking an appropriate wine that accommodated Charlie's fruity tastes and my nutty tastes-no pun intende). Definitely a great dinner spot. I'd love to go back and try EVERYthing on the menu.

Assgass #18: Sangria

Sangria
68 Pier Ave
Hermosa Beach, CA
310-376-4412

When Cy said, "Sangria at Hermosa Beach," I thought we were going to drink sangria on the beach. Maybe my disappointment in not swigging a jug of Carlo Rossi on the sand carried over. This place is whack. 3 out of 3 drinks that are impossible to mess up, 7&7, captain&diet, and jack&coke, all tasted like a giant lump of cherry syrup. And they replaced my jack with some knockoff without telling me. Two different bartenders, 3 different alcohols, 3 different mixers, still 0% on the drinks. Definitely stick to the bottled beers. Do they even have Sangria? I'd be hesitant to try it. Vibe/crowd kinda reminded me of Agenda in Man Jose, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I think anyone of color out in Hermosa Beach that night was here. I looked at the website's calendar which actually looked like it might have potential with live flamenco and latin jazz on some nights. Unfortunately on this Saturday night, it was a 20 minute wait in line for a $10 cover charge, shitty drinks and un-mixed r&b/pop music. Definitely not horrendous enough to prevent one from having a good time, but damn, at least preparty and try to sneak in through the back if you must go here. Michelle Kwan must not be doing so well to be celebrating her birthday at this spot. For some reason all the pictures I took here are of people's butts. Pretty representative of this place. "this place is ASS." Oh, and parking is also a pain the ass.

Assgass #17: World Cafe

World Cafe
2820 Main St.
Santa Monica, CA 90405

This casual classy restaurant bar looks great, though this shitty ass picture is all I captured with my overrated camera phone. Decorated in vibrant colors with a festive patio, and separate bar/lounge area, I came here for some Thursday night drinks. They had a few beers beyond your standard Corona and Heinken, though I can't remember the names of them. Longhorn? That one was not so good. Our waitress was kinda lame, recommending a Guiness after I said I normally preferred brown ales though was in the mood for something lighter. The food and desserts seemed decent, though on the expensive side. I'd probably go somewhere else to eat for those prices, but their kitchen opens pretty late which is nice. All in all, not a bad choice for a last minute Thursday eat and drink night, if anything for its lively atmosphere and ample space. I'd come back to check out the happy hour which features $2-$3 drinks and bar food-pretty fucking good for a bar in this class.

Assgass #3B & #16: Star Shoes & [Undisclosed]

#3B
Star Shoes
6364 Hollywood Blvd,
Hollywood, CA 90028

No cover, no dress code, GREAT music, and an awesome energetic vibe. Many dj greats have graced the turntables without pay at this Hollywood gem. A small narrow bar that gets super packed, this place always brought a cool, funky crowd that appreciates the good music. Old and obscure cartoons and films are projected on the wall, while unique sequined 40's pumps line the entrance. The staff is pretty lax about smoking up on the narrow balcony strip if you keep it subtle. It's a damn shame this place just closed down. R.I.P. Star Shoes



#16 (Undisclosed name and location)

Ventured over to this hidden, unlicensed reggae after party on invitation from a fellow party-goer. Reggae hits the spot like nothing else. A tiny, 3 room lounge, fully decked out in straw, beads, rastafarian posters and tapestries, with incense burning, they fully transformed this half house into the quintessential reggae after party, if there is such thing as a quintessential reggae after party. A good mix of down to earth good vibed folks down with the mellow after-party. You can openly blaze in one of the lava lamped lounge rooms, and they even had some drink specialties. Ran into and smoked with the brother of the big black dude from "Old School." should i be posting that on the internet? o well. This was a great find. Thanks for hookin it up E. Don't try to take a picture in here.

Assgass #15: Jimmy's Lounge

Jimmy's Lounge
6202 Santa Monica Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90028

Relatively unobnoxious for Hollywood, but then again, half the people were in here for the same double birthday celebration I was. I don't know if anyone paid the $20 cover. Seems they have generous guest list allotments. A square, open warehouse-esque turned club space and dance floor with a dj that played crowd hiphop favorites including some flashbacks, and to my pleasure, a short dancehall set. A nice sized, very crowded patio for the smokers. Not very loungy, though maybe so for Hollywood. Satisfactory drinks and bartenders. Parking's a bitch, valet's expensive.

Assgass #14: Bravo Bistro

Bravo Bistro
8442 Wilshire Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
323.852.6000

I don't know if this place is worth anything as a bar outside of after parties for events at the Fine Arts Theater down the street. Convenient for its proximity to the theater, definitely not a bar you'd seek out. Nothing stand out, nothing to complain about. They have a full menu as a corner restaurant by day which also appears to be nothing stand out, nothing to complain about. More of a mingle bar, no music, but they do have a small TV behind the bar playing sports highlights. The drink glasses look like water glasses from a Chinese restaurant. Place feels more like a modern 50's diner than what the photoshopped lighting in the website photos gives.

Lan's 31 & 32: Abbey Tavern & Gallery Lounge

The Abbey Tavern

4100 Geary Blvd. @ 5th Ave

San Francisco, CA 94118

(415) 221-7767

Met Celeste and her man here for a drink on a sleepy Wednesday night. They have Magner's on tap which they serve in a glass that seems much larger than a pint.

I've walked past here on weekend nights before and it gets pretty loud and crowded. Lots of people who aspire to live in the Marina but can't afford it seem to hang out here.

J was also thrown out of here once. Landed on his tailbone and had to sit on a donut for weeks.

*~*~*

The Gallery Lounge

510 Brannan Street

San Francisco, CA 94107

(415) 227-0449

Met up with Alden and the gang here for happy hour. The bartender is kind of retarded. I asked for a bottle of Newcastle and she said she'd have to go downstairs to check whether they had any cold ones left. I pointed to a fridge that she was standing in front of that clearly had a cold 6-pack of Newcastle. DUH.

After we had burgers at Brickhouse down the street, we returned to find J engaged in conversation with a gay couple who were clearly into him. When we went back up to the bar to ask for two extra dirty Grey Goose martinis, the bartender ended up being a little short for two. Instead of mixing up a little more, she just topped them both off with more vodka...causing a not very dirty martini to begin with to be increbly clean.

Thumbs down to the bartender. Thumbs up to the venue. Thumbs down to the creepy artistic zombie body floating above the bathroom. Thumbs up if you like hot dogs. There's a big vat of dirty hot dogs in the back that you can enjoy for free.

Lan's #20a: Cafe de Wildeman

Cafe de Wildeman
Markt 10
Eindhoven, the Netherlands

On a rare, beautiful, and warm day in the Netherlands, I went to join some coworkers in Eindhoven's city center for some beers and frites at the plaza. Lots of good people watching, since there are a plethora of outdoor cafes in this plaza (which also seems to be Eindhoven's only plaza, since it is quite a podunk town).

In Eindhoven, I just order "beer" and it is inevitably something light, served in a glass smaller than a pint, an 1/4 foam. Luckily, while I'm in Eindhoven, the corporate AmEx pays for everything. If not mine, then someone else's.

The fries weren't very good but the beer and company were just great. The interior of the cafe has a nautical theme, and I accidentally walked into the kitchen instead of the ladies room. Oops!