Checking In with the Comstock Saloon, Emperor Norton Fetish and All

Comstock Saloon might not open for another three or four weeks, but thanks to the miracle of YouTube, you can cop a peek at the bar and small-plates eatery emerging at Columbus and Kearny. Owners Jonny Raglin and Jeff Hollinger (both of Absinthe) have a special devotion for Emperor Norton, the city's 19th-century Napoleonic oddball, symbol of the (no-doubt) liquor-fueled frenzy pulsing through the adolescent city. Today, SF Weekly's Joe Eskenazi takes a look at the four-foot-tall Emperor Norton statue (by San Francisco sculptor Peter Macchiarini), installed, shrine-like, above Comstock's bar. Even if you don't give a damn about statuary, the video offers a 54-second walk-through of Comstock, menacing ceiling-fan overkill and all.