Head & Tails: Amsterdam Cafe

Posted on August 2, 2009 
Filed Under Art, Head & Tails, Tenderloin

Up or over, shaken or stirred, we’re looking for the best bets to quench your thirst. This is where we spill it all about the area’s nearest and dearest brewpubs, bars, wine cellars, tasting rooms, package stores, liquor aisles, and well, we ARE thorough.

img_0022

Polk Gulch/Tenderloin has a chill new addition to it’s growing bar/art scene in Amsterdam Cafe. Formerly El Patron Tacqueria, the same owners have given the space a face-lift with lustrous wooden floors and seating, a custom concrete bar, and generous glass doors that bring the front patio right inside, giving the whole space an open and inviting, yet masculine feel—perfect for those sunny afternoons when you’re looking for a quality quaff but don’t want to feel like you’re in a hole.

In fact, that feeling was just what the proprietors were aiming for. Kellie, the matriarch of the establishment, describes how the name “Amsterdam” was the inspiration for a bar the exudes a sense freedom and an “open door policy.” “You get to be whoever you are. [We want] everyone to feel they’re welcome.” In one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the City, this seems an appropriate strategy. To that end Amsterdam is working on an event calendar that caters to all tastes and makes good use of both their rear lounge/dance floor, art-friendly wall space, and prime people-watching outdoor area. Stop in to sample something from their impressive selection of import beers and local micro-brews. The kitchen will soon add eats and sangria to the menu, until then, grab a slice from the bar’s sister business across the street, Irving Pizza.

Mondays promise art openings featuring local artists—visit tonight at 8pm to peruse the visual and sculptural art of James Sumner Leese. An Industrial Design student at the Academy of Art, his work will especially appeal to those of a scientific bent, as he uses things called “Strange Attractors” and “Interference Arrays” to create them. If you know what those are, good on ya, I just know I liked the steel wire explosions that he fashions from X-rays of roses. And I liked my Tangerine Wheat beer from Lost Coast Brewery.

Amsterdam Cafe is located at 937 Geary Street, between Polk and Larkin Streets, in San Francisco.

—Sara

Shareadd to del.icio.us :: Add to Blinkslist :: add to furl :: Digg it :: add to ma.gnolia :: Stumble It! :: add to simpy :: seed the vine :: :: :: TailRank :: post to facebook

Comments

2 Responses to “Head & Tails: Amsterdam Cafe”

  1. Deb-a on August 5th, 2009 4:14 am

    I am SOOOOOOOOOOO…….impressed! Love, Deb-a

  2. Philthy on August 21st, 2009 8:14 pm

    This is a great bar. Amsterdam is a very comfortable bar with an excellent selection of draught and bottled beers, reasonably priced. There is always something happening here, whether you’re dancing to the dj in the back or admiring the art work that adorns the walls. I like to sit in the front patio enjoying a good beer and a smoke and watch the people roll by. I’m looking forward to trying the food. It’s a welcome addition to the neighborhood.

Leave a Reply