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.
It’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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Art On Coffee High
When you’re a city mouse you know, city dwellers greatly benefit from a handful of peaceful moments in the fresh air, near green living things once in a while. One of the major perks of living here is the proximity of Golden Gate Park and an abundance of other parks and green spaces, plus easy access to nature in the raw form. But when you’re in downtown SF you have to work a little harder for your sunshine daydreams. You gotta know the spots.
The newest place to find your inner peace is five stories above Yerba Buena Gardens. Sunday, May 10th, SFMOMA unveiled the Rooftop Garden, the new home to a collection of large-scale sculptures, and featuring a Bluebottle Coffee outpost—rejoice!
Award-winning San Francisco-based Jensen Architects won the project after a 2006 invitational competition; construction of a multifunctional space for year-round use began in early 2008. The result is, as Mark Jensen describes it, “a gallery without a ceiling.” A glass-enclosed bridge creates a seamless transition for guests to move from the fifth floor into a pavilion dividing two open-air spaces. A panoramic window across the back of the galleries fills the museum with light and offers an elevated vista of the garden.
The sculpture collection represents a diverse range of materials, techniques, and styles—abstract and figurative. It is comprised of well-known, rarely seen, and recently acquired works spanning the last five decades by artists working locally, nationally and internationally—Robert Arneson, Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder, Ellsworth Kelly, Mario Merz, and Henry Moore, to name a few. The sculptures entice guests to move around and between them, and to take in the changing layers of color, texture, shadow, and reflection in the garden as a whole.
Gingko leaves flutter, flashing spring green in the sun. The beginning of a lush landscape reaches up from planters along the lava-stone walls that enclose the space, framing the sky and sections of the surrounding cityscape. Over time, the grey walls themselves promise to take on the green shade of lichen. The noise and bustle of the city below don’t exist here—it’s a true urban oasis.
At least I can imagine it is, when it’s not opening day and free to all comers. I’m going to get an SFMOMA membership so I can make the rooftop garden my exclusive coffee joint and place for crossword puzzles. This is gonna be one caffeinated, cultured, and stress-free city mouse.
Beginning Thursday, May 14th, Bluebottle is serving up their cult-worthy organic coffee daily, except Wednesday, 11-5, staying open till 8 Thursdays. “Thursdays at SFMOMA” means your visit is half-price 6-8:45, first Tuesdays are always free. SFMOMA is located at 151 Third Street (between Mission & Howard), in San Francisco. 415.357.4000.
—Sara
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Something Mythic This Way Comes
Many claim he’s the stuff of legend. Others swear by his existence, citing eye-witness accounts and footprints as fair proof. The apelike man-beast said to roam the snowy Himalayas is notoriously publicity-shy. But our fascination with the snowman is anything but abominable. And if last Saturday’s line up on a quiet street in SOMA was any indication, I’d say we’ve found our new star of Yeti proportions.
No stranger to rabid fanfare, Gama-Go swung open the doors to San Francisco’s newest retail attraction and proudly put their mythic mascot on display. Their playful product assortment of tees, polos, hoodies and accessories all pay deserved deference to the Yeti and a motley crew of animated costars.
Gama-Go’s illustrative other-world is inhabited by cig-toking birds, ninja cats, giant squids and anthropomorphic cassette tapes. Even Culturcosm’s own Sara couldn’t resist Gama-Go’s charms and made off with a choice tee and toxic critter rainbow wallet. I’d be remiss not to also mention their messenger bag collection, with a stand-out design that’s sure to win over your next TSA agent.
Summer or winter, theirs is a wonderland that just begs for thrill seekers. And, by the looks of it, San Francisco’s full of them.
Gama-Go is located at 335 8th Street (at Folsom) in San Francisco. Three blocks southeast of BART’s Civic Center Station. 415-626-0213. Shop their collection online at www.gama-go.com.
—Michael
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Tag, That’s Art
Love it or loathe it, graffiti is a provocative form of expression we all live with. Widely considered the deplorable craft of vandals and gangs, even the ancient Romans were plagued with cleaning up the wall scrawl of prostitutes and renegade polticos rife with something to say. Long before we had the internet and blogsites to quell our innate desire to be heard [ahem], graffiti has provided a means to voice our inner creative. And its continued evolution has served as a breeding ground for some of the more original contributions to the world of art and social commentary.
Street art, as it is now commonly categorized, has become something of a global phenomenon. With world-class museums such as London’s Tate Modern providing a forum for collectives of international street artists, the art world and the public-at-large is finally starting to take notice. And, on a scale that typically engulfs the buildings and alleyways on which they’re produced, who wouldn’t notice?
Artists cite influences from comic-book legend Robert Crumb to Spanish surrealist Joan Miró. But unlike more traditional forms of art, street art maintains a critical involvement with the urban environment. English graffiti artist and stencilist Bansky uses his work to satirize politics and challenge principle. Commemorating the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Bansky created a series of works on derelict buildings in and around New Orleans. Although many fail to see beauty in the blight, many of Bansky’s original works go on to sell for hundreds of thousands at auction.
San Francisco’s 111 Minna Gallery recently played host to its own celebration of local street art. The event launched Bay Area Graffiti, a collection of distinctive and innovative works documented by photographer Steve Rotman. Featured at the gallery was a diverse collection of tagged found art and mixed-media projects by many of the book’s writers and contributors. Though continually misaligned and misunderstood, it is just these sorts of projects that are capturing public fascination and critical praise. There’s a new Renaissance afoot and it’s happening in the streets.
Bay Area Graffiti, official website http://unaesthetic.net/bay-area-graffiti/, can be ordered at amazon.com.
—Michael
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Hauntedly Ever After
Call me a traditionalist, but I’ve always preferred the more old-fashioned modes of film-making. We’ve made some amazing advances with the advent of digital photography and CGI, true, but there’s no substitute for realism. As schlocky as it may have come across the first-time out, Jabba the Hutt was just infinitely creepier before he got the digi-treatment. With all due respect to Mr. Lucas, there was no magic without those puppets. I might be fighting a losing battle here, but something tells me Jim Henson’s got my back.
Now the Portland-based animation studio LAIKA is set to bewitch me and a myriad of other believers with Coraline. We are invited to follow the story of a young girl who discovers a secret door to a parallel world with spooky similarities to her own. Coraline promises to deliver the tried and true grass-is-always-greener parable in unusual nightmarish design. Director Henry Selick is the visionary mind behind the cult classic “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” But, this time out, he’s taking his audience on a more interactive ride with 3-D. Selick looks to “expand the other world, draw people into the screen.” An enticing ticket, no question.
For a limited time, The Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco is showcasing a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into the intricate world of the LAIKA art department. Browse through production stills, illustrators’ concept sketches and an impressive array of real puppets. This is silver screen magic at its up close and personal best. It may not be the next Muppet movie but Coraline looks certain to become a classic all its own.
Coraline opens in theaters Friday, February 6. The Art of Coraline is on exhibit through February 15 at the Cartoon Art Museum, 655 Mission Street, SF. Open Tuesday-Sunday, 11am-5pm. (415) 227-8666.
—Michael
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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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About
Culturcosm is your online authority on the climate of trend throughout the Bay Area. Your roving reporters are taking to the streets and chasing down the real story. Be it stormy or serene, torrid or just plain tragic, we will break it down before you hit it up. Stay tuned. There's a new trend breaking every minute.
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Michael, founder / editor-in-chiefmichael@culturcosm.com
Kay, founder / contributing editorkay@culturcosm.com
Sara, trendcaster / managing editorsara@culturcosm.com
Heather, social commentatorheather@culturcosm.com
Taylor, music trendcastertaylor@culturcosm.com
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