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It’s a BEER bar…

As soon as we got to the Toronado and saw that Ian and Robert were working, we knew we would have to stay for more than one or two beers. Ian always does an Underburg with us right away, without us even having to ask, and both of them are just plain fun to talk to.

It seems that school is back in session here in San Francisco, and that means a lot of clueless college students coming into the city. We heard two or three phone calls from students asking for directions while we were in Body Manipulations getting our ears stretched to 6 gauge, sat next to a group of three of them having a rather heated discussion about Einstein at the sushi bar, and saw may of them walk into the Toronado last night. I say clueless because a) they’re dressed up like they’re going to a 4-star restaurant in Marin for Sunday brunch and b) order things that the bar doesn’t even have. The most entertaining moment of the night was when a blonde Ken-doll-type guy wearing a white sweater ordered “three double Stoli’s, a glass of ice water with a wedge of lemon (that was his exact water order…how shi-shi!), and a light beer” (whatever that is.) This was Robert’s response: “Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!” He put the glass of water in front of the guy and said “Ten bucks.” After everyone had a few laughs and told the guy that the Toronado only serves beer, he then said “OK, then, three beers.” After 15 or so minutes he and his stick-figured Barbie friends left the bar, leaving their beers practically untouched. Now, first of all, chances are if you see 46 taps and no bottles of vodka or gin or scotch, chances are that the bar in question probably only serves BEER. Secondly, who goes to a bar that serves a multitude of different types of beers and orders “A beer?”  

The award for the second most entertaining moment of the night goes to the three obvious college kids who got kicked out for sneaking a Budweiser into the Toronado (who, of course doesn’t sell any “corporate beer”), pouring it into regular pint glasses and then, forgetting that this is against the law, left the bottle on the bar right in front of the bartenders! Again, I have to wonder why someone would sneak a beer as bad as Budweiser into a bar that has, like 46 beers on tap! Oh, those wacky college kids…

Posted in The Barfly Chronicles.


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