Head & Tails: Eve Lounge

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.

eve2It’s no wonder there is a lasting interest in San Francisco’s prohibition era speakeasies—this city had a uniquely rebellious relationship with America’s “Noble Experiment.” It’s estimated there were around 6,000 speakeasies in the city toward the end of the era and we continue to celebrate those gathering places with bars either reminiscent of the Jazz Age, or even built on their very foundations as with Bourbon and Branch.

Coming to you from the team behind John Colins, there’s a new addition to the City’s collection of bars romanticizing the days of prohibition, and it’s a beaut. Eve Lounge, just down the street from her big brother bar in SOMA, is a swanky tribute to the bad girls of the Roaring Twenties.

The sultry pin-up style paintings, the feathers and chains hanging from the chandeliers, and the peep-show-like windows along the entry hallway all seem to celebrate the Flappers and the modernism and new-found sexuality they represented back in the day. The handcrafted wooden bar top by local furniture company Tree to Table, along with a long curvaceous banquette, all contribute to the warmth and sensuality of the decor, further encouraging patrons to relax and let loose.

And if beats from some of San Francisco’s finest DJ’s don’t have you rolling down your stockings to cut a rug, the menu of ‘20’s era-inspired cocktails, created by mixologists Scott Baird and Josh Harris of 15 Romolo fame, is sure to.

Everything is $2 off during happy hour, daily 4-7pm. Every Monday night Eve Lounge presents Original Sin, a recurring industry event, sharing “love for the people that serve the City,” with DJ Kash orchestrating a rock hopera. Check Eve’s facebook page for ongoing weekly and special DJ events. And don’t show up looking like a scrub, Eve has a strictly enforced dress code to maintain its air of sexiness.

Eve Lounge is located at 575 Howard at 2nd in San Francisco. Open Monday-Friday, 4pm-2am and Saturday, 8pm-2am. 415.806.0075

—Sara

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Head & Tails: Lake Chalet

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.

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Where Labor Day signals the end of summer throughout most of the country, in the Bay area it cues our eagerly-awaited heat wave. September heralds those warm halcyon days that are typically thwarted by June and July’s blankets of fog. So, toss off those North Face jackets and hipster hoodies. It’s time to soak up some sun.

Enter Lake Chalet, the East Bay franchise of San Francisco’s ever-popular Beach Chalet and Park Chalet. The Mission Revival rendezvous breathes new life into Lake Merritt’s historic boathouse and (finally) brings an outdoor oasis to the inland waterway. In addition to the contemporary California fare and fresh seafood served inside, patrons can enjoy a burger or weekend brunch on the expansive dock.

But really, what better way to rejoice in the beautiful rise in temperature than with a refreshing cocktail. High marks go to the Gondola Sour, which pairs aged amber rum with hints of amaretto and lemon. Then, continuing in theme, set out on a panoramic tour of Oakland and the newly refurbished park banks on a Venetian-style cruise, courtesy of Gondola Servizio.

Sail on, Oakland. It looks like your ship has come in.

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Lake Chalet is located on the western shore of Lake Merritt at 1520 Lakeside Drive in Oakland. 510.208.LAKE.

—Michael

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Head & Tails: Amsterdam Cafe

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.

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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

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Head & Tails: CYO Signature Cocktail

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.

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The Fourth of July is one of our nation’s finest excuses for enjoying a little R&R and BBQ with your BFFs. In fact, it should be a law. But while there is much to be said for tradition, sometimes the thought of yet another year of BYOB can feel rather, well, ZZZ.

For this year’s celebrations, why not put your John Hancock on the party by creating your own signature cocktail? It’s easier than you think. Start with a color (green, red, white), a liquor base (bourbon, gin, vodka), or a cocktail type (frozen, shaken, stirred). Find a recipe that supports your vision and use it as the foundation for drafting your signature libation. Use only the finest ingredients. Christen your new creation with a snappy name and serve.

If you don’t feel like thinking that hard this weekend, please have a theme or two on us. And drink responsibly.

Red, White & Blooter
1/3 oz. blue curaçao
1/3 oz. grenadine
1/3 oz. peach schnapps

Like our inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, this shooter should be layered, one ingredient on top of the next. Pour the grenadine into a shot glass. Float the peach schnapps on top of the grenadine. Float the blue curaçao on top of the grenadine. Pow!

The Culturcollins
1 ½ oz. gin
1 oz. fresh lemon juice
¾ oz. simple syrup
3-4 fresh raspberries
3 oz. club soda

In a Collins glass, mash up the raspberries with simple syrup and lemon juice. Add ice, gin, and stir well. Garnish with lemon and an American flag. Do it for your country.

— Kay

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Head & Tails: Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon

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.

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If there’s one thing urbanites seek out when the weather turns radiant, it’s making the most of their time al fresco. Summer has held its official kick-off party and given us the all-clear to shed our winter wardrobe, as long as the fog cooperates. Even deprived of the typical heat waves that engulf the rest of the nation, I have no doubt we’ll still manage to find plenty occasion to employ our sandals and shorts.

Oakland’s Jack London Square is one neighborhood that makes ample use of its outdoor space. Situated on a picturesque stretch of inner harbor, Jack London’s waterfront is teeming with new developments planned to revitalize and reinvigorate the historic square. In the works are new restaurant concepts, a bakery and a schedule of nightly live entertainment set to have you kicking up your heels. The crown jewel of in-progress improvements— a seven-day-a-week farmer’s market and artisan food emporium set to rival that of San Francisco’s Ferry Building.

Jack London’s newest outdoor haven however is none other than its oldest surviving hideaway— Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon. Originally opened in 1883 as the only watering hole for a then dry Alameda County, today it stands a living testament to Oakland’s formally-vibrant shipping industry and ever-popular drinking culture. The redevelopment effort has graciously added an expansive outdoor deck to its dramatically off-kilter footprint. (Heinold’s famous titling bar floor is a consequence of the catastrophic 1906 earthquake.) Among Heinold’s many-storied customers, Jack London himself is said to have penned The Sea Wolf and Call of the Wild right at their very tables. This summer, I’m heeding the call; Heinold’s is beckoning.

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Heinold’s is located at 48 Webster Street in Jack London Square, Oakland. Open daily. 510.839.6761.

—Michael

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Head & Tails: Fly

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.

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If you were mourning the loss of Brick Restaurant, don’t. Instead, celebrate its reincarnation as Fly Bar & Restaurant, the second. That’s right, as of May 1st, the ever-popular Divisadero destination has branched out to Nob Hill, and in more ways than just location. The new Fly touts a full bar (no offense to sake cocktails, but sometimes a girl needs a real drink!), a new 35-bottle beer list, and an arcade room—no chance of getting bored when you’re boozing here. The extra bonus? Brick’s executive chef Nate Cooper stuck around, so you know you can count on fresh and very tasty eats to go with your drinks, including the Brick Burger you know and love, finger-lickin’ fish tacos, towering nachos, and more. Try all ten thin-crust pizzas—they’re half off during happy hour, 4-7 daily, featuring $3 drafts and $5 signature cocktails. And check the “professionals” selection of made-for-each-other beer-and-a-shot combos, like El Jimador Reposado with a 16oz. Tecate, they’re all $8 anytime. All in all, the new Fly is, well, super fly.

The newest Fly Bar & Restaurant is located at 1085 Sutter Street, at Larkin, in San Francisco. 415.441.4232.

—Sara

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Head & Tails: Cask

Head & Tails 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. Up or over, shaken or stirred, we’re looking for the best bets to quench your thirst.

Think you’re familiar with the liquor store formula? Think you know all your premium single malts from your ryes? Well, think again. The booze-friendly team behind the Tenderloin speak-easy Bourbon and Branch are about to school you. Enter Cask. In a market that is becoming increasingly more conscious of the independent and artisanal offerings, Cask would like to introduce you to the smart and sophisticated world of [gasp] artisanal distillers. From their single-batch bourbons to select Sonoma County wines, they don’t carry anything that hasn’t been hand-selected and personally tasted. Think of it as them having already done the dirty work for you. (Not that I would be complaining.) And for the at-home mixologist, Cask also carries a comprehensive collection of bar tools and reference books. With the experts at Cask hard at work on refining your palette, the only thing left for you to work on improving is your tolerance.

Cask is located at 17 Third Street, at Market, in San Francisco. 415.424.4844.

—Michael

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Head & Tails: Flora

Head & Tails 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. It’s conveniently refreshed every Thursday, when surely you’re at your thirstiest.

Flora
1900 Telegraph Ave.
Oakland, CA 94612
510.286.0100

Need further proof that Uptown Oakland is revving for revival? Substantiation and substance abound at Flora, a modern-day Art Deco diner that’s like a willful flower churning up the concrete of winter. Located across from the Fox Theater, which is currently under renovation, and surrounded by up-and-coming condos, Flora beckons to passersby with its crisp, inviting façade reminiscent of an Edward Hopper painting. (Yes, that Edward Hopper painting.) Inside, the cool ambience continues with rich deco-inspired wallpaper, oak appointments, and elongated wall sconces. The wraparound bar showcases a connoisseur’s selection of rare and wonderful liquors, and it’s no surprise that absinthe, making a due revival of its own, is a key ingredient of many of Flora’s signature cocktails. Other concoctions, such as the Accelerator, the Blood and Sand, and the Trailer Smash, are crafted with utter devotion by bartenders clad in traditional white button-downs and wide black suspenders. Should the need arise to supplement drinks with dinner, Flora also serves up organic, locally grown California cuisine, as is the taste of the locals. If the full house at the end of the night were any indication, this gem of an establishment is already establishing itself in a neighborhood that’s just about to bloom. Some say quality is coming back in vogue; Flora, seeming as though it’s been a neighborhood favorite for decades, would say it never went out.
—Kay

Head & Tails: Clock Bar

As the newly opened bar in Union Square’s Westin St. Francis, Clock Bar firmly establishes itself as one to watch. Its drink menu provides a satisfying range of house favorites and seasoned classics. Of note, the Napa Sour offers an interesting, if not overly saccharine, twist on the whiskey sour with its introduction of local red wine and egg whites. The Uptown Manhattan is bold and impactful, though little distinguishes it from the original excepting a dash of cherry brandy. The music selection varied confusingly from smooth instrumental jazz through to favorites like Nina Simone and Al Green. Overall, however, I would say Clock Bar was a gem. Its well-considered drink selection, friendly staff and slick Vegas-like interior provides a pleasing respite to the crowds and congestion of Union Square. Clock Bar is mostly right on chime.
– Michael