Anyway, after months of looking at the amazingly overly-vandalized walls of their restroom (which I snapped on a whim in April), I walked in today and found that the Club's owners gave it a fresh velvety-red start. We'll see how long this lasts. See many more before-and-after photos after the jump. --Janine Kahn
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The Restroom documents San Francisco's classiest and shittiest cans. Got a place in mind? Comment below and we might check it out.
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San Francisco Cocktail Week returns next week (May 13 - 19) with a whole slew of very cool booze-centric events scattered around some of the city's finest watering holes, and while it's hard to choose a favorite from the roster of events, next Saturday's "Literature, Booze, and History" discussion in The Salon at Hotel Rex (562 Sutter) seems uniquely poised to fulfill Cocktail Week's mission of honoring SF's "vibrant cocktail culture." The illustrious panel includes cocktail historian David Wondrich, author of Imbibe! and Killer Cocktails: An Intoxicating Guide to Sophisticated Drinking, local writer and bartender Jordan Mackay, and San Francisco Magazine's Scott Hocker. As a regular at the Make-Out Room's very own Writers With Drinks reading series, I can say from personal experience that you haven't really heard a writer talk about their work until you've heard him/her do it drunk. Maybe the most exciting part: guests will be treated to a version of the San Francisco classic Pisco Punch as interpreted by the mixologists at the excellent Cantina. It happens May 17 from 5:00 -- 7:00 p.m.; $30 per person. For reservations visit www.sfcocktailweek.com.
-- Brian Bernbaum
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I know what you're thinking: Holy crap! Mother's Day is this Sunday! After you finish freaking out about how to thank the woman who brought you into the world (card? flowers? fancy bath soap?), you might want to consider taking her to one of the gazillion area restaurants offering special Mother's Day menus. One word: brunch! As always, OpenTable has lots and lots of ideas to choose from. Check out the a la carte brunch at Portero Hill's Baraka (288 Connecticut) featuring Lobster Tartine, Lamb Skewers, House Cured Salmon Gravlax, and French Toast. And for those of you who really love your mothers (kidding), check out the "luxury" three-course brunch at Campton Place (340 Stockton) for $58 per person or the special wine-paired lunch menu ($65) at Luce (888 Howard in the InterContinental Hotel) in SoMa. In any case, if mommy dearest lives nearby, you have no excuses.
-- Brian Bernbaum
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It's that time of year again folks: This Saturday, May 10, marks the 15th Annual KFOG KaBoom! Get ready to wait in long lines, drink tons of beer out of plastic cups, listen to music, and (if you're still cognizant by the time the sun goes down) watch a huge fireworks display synchronized to loud rock 'n' roll. What could possibly be better on a Saturday?
Well, if you prefer your booze in a glass and your munchies a little more upscale (no offense hot dogs, I still love you), then you'll want to check out Waterbar Restaurant's KaBoom party. For $65 a pop, you can chow down on a ton of hors d' oeuvres and partake from a full cash bar while watching the festivities from the chic comfort of Waterbar's digs. Billed as the best spot in town for the fireworks, the party runs from 7 to 10 p.m. and the menu includes oysters on the half shell, prawn cocktail, pizza, gougere sandwiches, artichoke crab crostini (told you it was upscale), risotto fritters, salt cod fritters, gravlax, ceviches, tartare, and mini-meatballs. For tickets visit www.waterbarsf.com.
-- Brian Bernbaum
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San Francisco's latest addition to the world of upscale yet laid-back Italian dining comes in the form of Uva Enoteca (568 Haight at Steiner) in the Lower Haight, which, despite being open only a few weeks, is quickly gathering a roster of loyal regulars. "We've been full since we've been open; a lot of neighborhood people are coming back multiple times," says owner Boris Nemchenok, who explains the inspiration for his new restaurant thusly: "[New York City's] Inoteca was part of it. But we all love Italian culture in general; the wine, the food, the way the dining experience is at enotecas in general. For us, it's all about finding that middle ground between a restaurant and a wine bar. People can come in, have a bottle of wine, eat some cheese. It's a really casual environment, but we're still very serious about the food and wine experience. It's something we wanted to bring to San Francisco." Nemchenok's menu favorites include the caponata ($4.50) and the Umbrian salumi from Napa's own Fatted Calf ($8).
Packing more than 100 different dishes, many of them exotic Sichuan specialties, into at least five different menus, Zone 88 (2428 San Bruno at Silver) in the Portola District is quickly gaining citywide attention as a place where even the most finicky Chinese foodhounds can find that special something. SF Weekly's Robert Lauriston headed straight for the infamously spicy Sichuan hot pot ($9.95-$16.95), a cook-it-yourself dish good for large groups. The adventurous gourmand won't want to miss the dry fried pig intestine tossed with chiles, scallions, garlic, and ginger, or the similarly prepared spicy tea-smoked duck ($8.95). Check out Lauriston’s full rundown in the latest issue of SF Weekly, on newsstands today.
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Wang's exhibit will be on display until May 25. More photos here.
Hat Tip to David Pescovitz at Boing Boing. --Janine Kahn
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The Mission's newest nod to upscale gastro-pubbiness, Monk's Kettle (3141 16th St) has provided a welcomed (to some) dash of sophistication to that crazy stretch of 16th Street between Guerrero and South Van Ness often referred to as the heart of the Mission. They certainly know their beer at Monk's Kettle. Pictured above is my personal favorite of the five or so draft brews I tried: Honey Bunny Blonde Ale out of Iron Springs Brewey. But do the hoity-toity munchies hold up as well as the beer?
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Giant pretzel with stone-ground mustard and cheddar ale sauce ($6.50). Suggested pairing: Amber or pale ale. This is a great eye-opener if, like me, you grew up going to ballgames and county fairs with your hopes pinned on squeezing a few bucks out of your parents for a giant pretzel, only to have those hopes ruthlessly smashed after actually tasting the stale, over-salted so-called pretzel. This is how they're supposed to be: very large, very hot, and very chewy. Highly recommended.
Pan seared goat cheese, wilted Knoll Farms spinach with garlic confit and a Quetzel Farms organic tomato relish ($9.25). Suggested pairing: Hefe-weizen or Vienna lager. This was one of those strange dishes where the description was really more of a mouthful than the actual food on the plate. The cheese was wonderful, the spinach was indeed wilted. They should have gone a much heavier on the tomato relish though, to help cut some of that creamy cheesiness. And the garlic confit: what garlic confit? Oh, there it is: hidden underneath the cheese.
-- Brian Bernbaum
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Monday getting you down already? Not to worry. Tomorrow night's Argyle Wine Dinner at Silks Restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel (222 Sansome at Pine) should help you loosen the workweek bolts a little. Hosted by Chris Cullina of Oregon's Argyle Winery with a special five-course menu prepared by Silk's Chef de Cuisine Joel Huff, this promises to be a highly refined, vino-fueled evening of merrymaking. And who couldn't use something like that to help get the week off to a good start? 7:00 p.m.; $150 per person. For reservations call 276-9787.
-- Brian Bernbaum
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Drag queens, pizza, and charity: sounds like a good time right? The first Tuesday of every month Thick & Thin Pizza (3600 16th St) -- located in the Lookout bar -- teams up with the highly decorated (pun intended) reigning Miss Gay SF and Miss Desperate Diva, the one and only BeBe Sweetbriar in an event called Dining For Drag. Miss Sweetbriar brings along her lovely regimen of drag sisters to help wait tables and perform, with fifteen percent of the evening's sales going to a different charity each month. The next Dining For Drag event happens this Tuesday, May 6, at 7:00 p.m.
photo courtesy/www.myspace.com/bebesweetbriar
-- Brian Bernbaum
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SEXISM rears its foodie head -- moms get foofoo desserts, dads get crispy-beer-battered onion rings with roast green chile sauce. It may be an "unprecedented move in its 43-year-history" (Read: the recession hits T.G.I. Friday's), but the underlying message is as old as the hills.
Full press release behind the cut. --Meredith Brody
]]> T.G.I. Friday's(R) Restaurants to Treat Mothers to a Free Dessert on Mother's DayCARROLLTON, Texas, May 1 /PRNewswire/ -- In an unprecedented move in its 43-year history, T.G.I. Friday's restaurants today announced it will treat mothers across the United States to a free dessert with the purchase of an entree on Mother's Day at participating restaurants.
"Mothers are always special guests at Friday's," said Mike Archer, president and chief operating officer of T.G.I. Friday's USA. "This day is about Mom. We invite mom and her family to have fun, experience great food and drink and at the end, mom receives a special treat from Friday's ~ a free dessert."
According to Archer, moms may be offered one of the following Mini Dessert Shots: Orange Cream, Rocky Road or Chocolate Chip Mint; or perhaps Oreo(R) Chocolate Cake.
Also on Mother's Day at Friday's at participating restaurants, Dads will be provided with a certificate redeemable on Father's Day for a free order of crispy-beer-battered onion rings with roast green chile sauce.
Carlson Restaurants Worldwide Inc., the parent company of TGI Friday's Inc., is a privately held company owned by Minneapolis-based Carlson, a world leader in the hospitality, travel and marketing industries. As of April 2008, Carlson Restaurants Worldwide owns, operates, franchises or licenses more than 1,000 restaurants in 60 countries. For more information, visit http://www.fridays.com.
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