Saturday night I abandoned a Muni Pub Crawl after only two stops, the Tunnel Top and Rosewood. Both are cool places. The Tunnel top has its trademark wine bottle chandelier, and Rosewood has its namesake ….um…. wood.. The creamed brick wall separating the small lounge area is a nice detail, as is the lite-bright backlit wine rack that spells out a Giant “R”. Rosewood also keeps a bottle of Stroh on the rack. This magnificent rum presents and interesting dilemma: Too big of sip and your head will explode, too little and it evaporates before you can taste it. Either way you’re left with a great buttery apple aftertaste.
I left that group to head over to Crow-Bar and eventually meet up with ex S.F. Native Brad. I have always liked the Crow-Bar, which looks exactly how a pool-hall dive-bar juke-joint should look. I wouldn’t change a thing. Oh, and they have a terrific Juke-Box containing tons of old SST albums, but no Dinosaur Jr. Five dollars got me 18 plays and used them all, though I had to ask for help navigating the locals-only cd’s. Von Ivas was a nice recommendation. But it was the Dropkick Murphys that hit the spot.
I was disappointed to see only the latest Modest Mouse CD in the same box that had Lonesome-Crowded 5 years ago. Back then I had never heard of them, but had a strong recommendation from one Kate Klaire, who is an incredible local S.F. musician. I used to take the rental car straight from SFO to Noc Noc bar to catch her set. Her music is original, familiar and honest. Nearly every song I heard had nearly all of those qualities. The Noc Noc looks like the set of a claymation Tim Burton movie about a Alien Shipwreck. I first tasted Delirium Tremens there, listening to Kate play, and will therefore always return. (The DT’s I’m referring to is a masterpiece bit of Belgium brewing, so that last sentence isn’t playing as fast and loose with tense as you might think). So I’m talking to Kate after that first show when a Modest Mouse CD comes on. She gets excited and I make a mental note. A few days later I’m at the Crow Bar and there is LonesoneCrowded, which started a chain of events that ended somewhere near the Mas Sake-like Eola Wine bar,
So anyhow. Kate, if you are reading this, please email me, I seem to recall that we have some business to discuss.
So I am at the crow bar last night. For all the reasons I just mentioned, and also because I continue to try to run into Leah, who used to work there and the Blue Bar and will always be one of my favorite bartenders. She gave up the job many years ago to go back to school. I am dying to see if
Me: Do you know how to make a Vodka Tonic
Her: Asshole
Me: Don’t make it like a girl
Her: Here, Asshole
Two years later I walk into the Blue Bar , on a date, and without missing a beat she says to Nicole “Your not with him are you. God help you”. If anyone knows how to get in touch with her, let me know. Leah that is, not Nicole.
Sunday Night Update:
Just got back from A-16 on Chesnut. The Cannelloni beans are going to be a Sunday night staple. Told some woman at the bar that I would meet her at the A-16 sporting goods store in LA, but then forgot to go find her table and ask her when. Then an Iranian woman sat down and started bragging about her Pinot Noir. But the really interesting thing was that the Bartender recognized me from the Pub Crawl: She also works at the Rosewood. She defended my Cerasuolo against the incessant pooh-poohing coming from the Persian Contingency, though I will admit to it being a poor Sunday night selection. I wanted to try it though, before I opened the bottle I have at home. I’ll be drinking lots of it cold on Sunday Afternoon though.
Notes:
Tonic has a surprisingly good Jukebox. CrowBar's reminds me of that bar on
Bob Schneider is at the Independent on Thursday, and then I are off to Vegas. Yes, I are. (Hey, if Microsoft says its so, its so)
