Best Whiskey-Swilling, Hard-Day-at-Work Track: “Steady Rollin’” – Two Gallants Best Sunday Morning Stroll to Tartine Tune: “Crowded Avenue” – Honeycut Best Theme Song for Your Poker Game: “Magic Hands” – Black Fiction Best Song to Construct a Tapestry to: “Sawdust and Diamonds” – Joanna Newsom Best Sonic Motivation to Get Up and Make Coffee in the Morning: “Memory Collector” – Kelley Stoltz Best End to a Bad Night Sing-a-Long: “Damn Shame” – Jolie Holland Best Soundtrack to the Climactic Scene in the Indie Film Version of Your Life: “Freshman Thesis” – Thee More Shallows
PLUS: More Best of Nightlife
Best Way to Numb the Pain
It’s a rare event that can bring laughter, rock stardom and cathartic healing—but that’s just what Mortified has been doing monthly for the past year and a half at the Make-Out Room. The brainchild of Dave Nadleberg, who first started the dedicated evening of diary readings, letters and love songs in L.A., Mortified’s SF incarnation routinely features seven performers reliving portions of their embarrassing adolescent pasts on stage to sold-out crowds (next dates: June 15 and 16; July 20 and 21). Part live therapy session, part stand-up, the shows have brought new couples together and sparked at least one heavy-metal band (Live Evil).
If you’re wishing you hadn’t snoozed your way through Chaucer in college, here’s your chance to redeem yourself. With two-hour classes meeting every other week, courses at the Hayes Valley bookstore Symposium give you the opportunity to work your way through Don Quixote, King Richard III and other classics. Seeking an alternative to the run-of-the-mill book club, Symposium’s founders embarked on a project in late 2006 to bring people together in small groups to discuss the larger themes of life—love, justice, truth, beauty … the usual suspects—as explored by such authors as Plato. “It’s a weird type of leisure activity,” explains Roxana Zirakzadeh, one of the founders. But sometimes weird is good.
Forget flirting with the bartender. SF’s Myopenbar.com catalogs the best places to score free drinks and, oh yeah, catch some new art or live music too. Originally conceived of by Rob Hitt and Seva Granik, myopenbar.com launched in August 2005 in New York and soon spread to L.A., San Francisco and Chicago. SF’s site is maintained by a small but crack editorial team that’s not afraid to really do its homework to find the best open bars in town at any venue—routinely plugging anything from gala receptions at SFMOMA to happy hour deals at Amnesia.
AND: Out and Proud
We say outdoor drinking, you say Zeitgeist, Medjool, Pier 32 or Irish Bank. Here, a few lesser-known options for drinking alfresco.
Mars Bar & Restaurant 798 Brannan St., 415-621-6277 The deal: Palm trees, jasmine vines and bright-red umbrellas shade the container-garden patio at this funky SoMa restaurant and bar. When it gets cold, the overhead heaters keep the always-eclectic crowd warm late into the night. Bonus points: No need to make constant trips inside to get your sidecars and Bellinis; the patio has its own thatched-roof tiki bar.
Wild Side West 424 Cortland Ave., 415-647-3099 The deal: Even if you don’t live in Bernal Heights, the 30-year-old bar’s two-level backyard patio, with an otherworldly garden decked out in wind chimes, mermaid and frog statues and Christmas-tree lights, makes it worth the trip. Bonus points: The place screams low-key date jackpot, with $2 domestic and $3 import beers, and $4 well drinks.
Liverpool Lil’s 2942 Lyon St., 415-921-6664 The deal: Presidio and sunset views? Check. The demographic on the 25-seat front patio defies the stereotypical Marina set, and its two gas heaters will keep you nice and toasty after the sun goes down (if your second pint of Guinness hasn’t already). Bonus points: Still hungry after sampling the complimentary happy-hour hors d’oeuvres? No need to change locations—the 34-year old restaurant-bar serves its full menu until 1 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Park Chalet & Garden Restaurant 1000 Great Hwy., 415-386-8439 The deal: The Golden Gate Park is literally the backyard of this hidden restaurant, which gets packed with large groups of friends enjoying handcrafted ales in low-slung Adirondack chairs or on their own picnic blankets. Bonus points: Specials such as Taco Tuesdays and $1 Beer Mondays keep the backyard parties happy.
Cigar Bar and Grill850 Montgomery St., 415-398-0850 The deal: The large, heated courtyard with its two trickling fountains pairs perfectly with an Arturo Fuente cigar or a glass of Pinot Noir. Bonus points: It’s also a music venue—dance to live Latin jazz from such Bay Area bands as the Josh Jones Latin Jazz Ensemble and Fito Reinoso with Ritmo y Armonia every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night.
Best Whiskey-Swilling, Hard-Day-at-Work Track: “Steady Rollin’” – Two Gallants Best Sunday Morning Stroll to Tartine Tune: “Crowded Avenue” – Honeycut Best Theme Song for Your Poker Game: “Magic Hands” – Black Fiction Best Song to Construct a Tapestry to: “Sawdust and Diamonds” – Joanna Newsom Best Sonic Motivation to Get Up and Make Coffee in the Morning: “Memory Collector” – Kelley Stoltz Best End to a Bad Night Sing-a-Long: “Damn Shame” – Jolie Holland Best Soundtrack to the Climactic Scene in the Indie Film Version of Your Life: “Freshman Thesis” – Thee More Shallows
PLUS: More Best of Nightlife
Best Way to Numb the Pain
It’s a rare event that can bring laughter, rock stardom and cathartic healing—but that’s just what Mortified has been doing monthly for the past year and a half at the Make-Out Room. The brainchild of Dave Nadleberg, who first started the dedicated evening of diary readings, letters and love songs in L.A., Mortified’s SF incarnation routinely features seven performers reliving portions of their embarrassing adolescent pasts on stage to sold-out crowds (next dates: June 15 and 16; July 20 and 21). Part live therapy session, part stand-up, the shows have brought new couples together and sparked at least one heavy-metal band (Live Evil).
If you’re wishing you hadn’t snoozed your way through Chaucer in college, here’s your chance to redeem yourself. With two-hour classes meeting every other week, courses at the Hayes Valley bookstore Symposium give you the opportunity to work your way through Don Quixote, King Richard III and other classics. Seeking an alternative to the run-of-the-mill book club, Symposium’s founders embarked on a project in late 2006 to bring people together in small groups to discuss the larger themes of life—love, justice, truth, beauty … the usual suspects—as explored by such authors as Plato. “It’s a weird type of leisure activity,” explains Roxana Zirakzadeh, one of the founders. But sometimes weird is good.
Forget flirting with the bartender. SF’s Myopenbar.com catalogs the best places to score free drinks and, oh yeah, catch some new art or live music too. Originally conceived of by Rob Hitt and Seva Granik, myopenbar.com launched in August 2005 in New York and soon spread to L.A., San Francisco and Chicago. SF’s site is maintained by a small but crack editorial team that’s not afraid to really do its homework to find the best open bars in town at any venue—routinely plugging anything from gala receptions at SFMOMA to happy hour deals at Amnesia.
AND: Out and Proud
We say outdoor drinking, you say Zeitgeist, Medjool, Pier 32 or Irish Bank. Here, a few lesser-known options for drinking alfresco.
Mars Bar & Restaurant 798 Brannan St., 415-621-6277 The deal: Palm trees, jasmine vines and bright-red umbrellas shade the container-garden patio at this funky SoMa restaurant and bar. When it gets cold, the overhead heaters keep the always-eclectic crowd warm late into the night. Bonus points: No need to make constant trips inside to get your sidecars and Bellinis; the patio has its own thatched-roof tiki bar.
Wild Side West 424 Cortland Ave., 415-647-3099 The deal: Even if you don’t live in Bernal Heights, the 30-year-old bar’s two-level backyard patio, with an otherworldly garden decked out in wind chimes, mermaid and frog statues and Christmas-tree lights, makes it worth the trip. Bonus points: The place screams low-key date jackpot, with $2 domestic and $3 import beers, and $4 well drinks.
Liverpool Lil’s 2942 Lyon St., 415-921-6664 The deal: Presidio and sunset views? Check. The demographic on the 25-seat front patio defies the stereotypical Marina set, and its two gas heaters will keep you nice and toasty after the sun goes down (if your second pint of Guinness hasn’t already). Bonus points: Still hungry after sampling the complimentary happy-hour hors d’oeuvres? No need to change locations—the 34-year old restaurant-bar serves its full menu until 1 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Park Chalet & Garden Restaurant 1000 Great Hwy., 415-386-8439 The deal: The Golden Gate Park is literally the backyard of this hidden restaurant, which gets packed with large groups of friends enjoying handcrafted ales in low-slung Adirondack chairs or on their own picnic blankets. Bonus points: Specials such as Taco Tuesdays and $1 Beer Mondays keep the backyard parties happy.
Cigar Bar and Grill850 Montgomery St., 415-398-0850 The deal: The large, heated courtyard with its two trickling fountains pairs perfectly with an Arturo Fuente cigar or a glass of Pinot Noir. Bonus points: It’s also a music venue—dance to live Latin jazz from such Bay Area bands as the Josh Jones Latin Jazz Ensemble and Fito Reinoso with Ritmo y Armonia every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night.
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