You know that bar you dream about where the booze selection is great, the service friendly and knowledgeable, the decor unassuming, and the chance of hanging out on a Friday night without body-crushing crowds and/or soul-crushingly awful music is actually pretty good? Well, it exists...in Berkeley, CA...next door to a post office. Located in a … Continue reading Acme Bar & Company, Berkeley – A Review
Bar Reviews
The Hideout – Bar in a Bar review
Admittedly, I've been in San Francisco for way too long. I take absolutely no pride in being part of the young, white, professional (barely in my case) horde that descended upon the Mission District in the mid-90's, paving the way for the tech-y gentrification that followed, and now the rampant foodie-ism and smug, way-too-deliberate (and sometimes … Continue reading The Hideout – Bar in a Bar review
The Alembic Bar- Review
In San Francisco these days, food and drink is king. The celebrities in this town are not the actors and rock stars of LA (or at least we pretend they're not), they're the chefs and bartenders who are one Osso Buco or one Blood and Sand away from their own Food Network show. If you … Continue reading The Alembic Bar- Review
Whiskey Thieves, San Francisco – Review
It seems most whiskey bars fit into two categories: the ancient, wood-worn, Gaelic-influenced, cozy shrines to all things malt or the hyper-stylized, faux-vintage, deftly lit meccas of drinking and striped shirts like 7 Grand in LA. One's authentic and one's damn near impossible to move around in on the weekends. Then there are rare places … Continue reading Whiskey Thieves, San Francisco – Review
Nopa: Sherry, Supernova & Firelit Liqueur! – Review
NoPa is a neighborhood in San Francisco, its moniker standing for North of Panhandle, the Panhandle being a thin strip of tree-lined park jutting eastward from beautiful Golden Gate Park. Nopa is also the name for neighborhood's best restaurant and cocktail gathering place. We've dined there several times and have always enjoyed the excellent California … Continue reading Nopa: Sherry, Supernova & Firelit Liqueur! – Review
Nihon Whisky Lounge – Review
"Dangerous" means different things to different people. Some might consider walking across the street dangerous while others don't really see danger coming until it appears as an irate, hungry, 8-foot tall grizzly bear ((Ursus arctos horribilis), barreling towards their remote campsite early in the morning before they've even had a chance to put on coffee. Still … Continue reading Nihon Whisky Lounge – Review
Whisky Cocktails at Bourbon & Branch
There is no surer sign that this whole cocktalian revolution has gotten out of hand than the two small jars of homemade bitters infusing in my kitchen as we speak. I can barely get out the door without someone shoving some rye & whipped egg-white combination in my face. Cocktails unearthed from the Crimean War featuring … Continue reading Whisky Cocktails at Bourbon & Branch
THE CASKS 