A Calming Bar in Hayes Valley

Review of: Absinthe Brasserie & Bar

By: Avery Glasser

Rating: 4

Read review on Judy’s Book.

(Bar review only)

So, here’s a typical saturday for my wife and me. Head into Hayes Valley in the late afternoon to get a couple of Blue Bottle cappuccinos followed by a stop at Absinthe for a couple of beers before heading home.

The bar at Absinthe is very well appointed, with a selection of whiskys (especially scotch) that is one of the best in the city – many extremely well priced. On our last visit, we found a 1979 Murray McDavid bottled Highland Park for only $12.50 a serving.

The bar only has four beers on tap: Murphy’s Stout (my personal favorite Irish Stout), Trumer Pils (the best California pilsner), Chimay Tripel and a rotating tap that currently has Sierra Nevada Celebration. With these four taps, there is enough variation where most beer drinkers can find something they like.

On the cocktail front, the Sensation (gin based) and Ginger Rogers (ginger and vodka) are well prepared, though they could be a little stronger.

Great knowledgeable bartenders and fantastic whisky at a fair price. Highly recommended.

Happy, Happy Monkey

Review of: Koh Samui & the Monkey

By: Avery Glasser

Rating: 4

Read review on Judy’s Book.

Ah… the Happy Monkey.

Considering I can see them from my apartment window, and that they’re a block from the office, I’m there at least a couple of times a month.

The decor? Industrial chic. Substantial wooden chairs and the bathrooms have “lost pet” note cards from all over the world (you need to see it to really understand).

The lunch specials are a little pricy, but you get a tremendous amount of food for the money. For $10.95, I can get a good portion of Panang Beef, two chicken satay skewers and rice. The barbecued pork and chicken lunch specials are also quite good.

For dinner, the prices are about the same as most upscale Thai restaurants – but the portions are about 50% larger.

Refined Tea in Hayes Valley

Review of: Modern Tea

By: Avery Glasser

Rating: 4

Read review on Judy’s Book.

For the past few months, I’ve been patiently watching and waiting for Modern Tea to finish their renovation of the practically cursed space at the northwest corner of Hayes and Laguna. I’m a tea lover, but just don’t like sipping tea while dealing with the constant hiss of a steam wand while people are making cappuccinos, and the pseudo-Asian styling of most tea houses is, for some reason, a turn off (though real Asian tea houses are aces in my book). Sometimes, I just want a peaceful, calming almost spa-like environment without any chatter or clatter.

When this is what I need, Modern Tea fits the bill.

The scene is serene – a muted pale green color scheme, honey colored wood, and light jazz in the background. The first thing I noticed, or actually didn’t notice, was the typical jarring beeps of the timers for the tea pots – instead, the timers flash and vibrate to alert the staff to attend to the tea. The attention to detail is evident throughout the cafe, from the petit-fours (the texas sheet cake is fantastic) to the soap in the bathrooms (rosemary and lime).

The tea selection is well chosen, about 18 varieties ranging from black teas, oolongs, green teas and tisanes. The Pu-Erh was extremely good, as was the taiwanese oolong. Instead of the more common method of using a large pot of water for the steeping, small teapots are used, accompanied by a carafe of hot water. As long as you keep the leaves damp, you can get at least 4 cups out of each serving of leaves and as the tea oils are leached out during each brew, the flavor changes – giving the drinker interesting experience and a more precise level of control.

I can read the tea leaves… and they say I’ll be back soon…

Great Natural Cheesesteaks

Review of: Metro Caffe

By: Avery Glasser

Rating: 5

Read review on Judy’s Book.

In my book, there is only one reason you go to Metro Caffe, and if you follow my directions, you’ll have a five-star experience. Stray from the path at your own peril.

First off, you only go to Metro Caffe for a cheesesteak, and no, there is no such thing as a chicken cheesesteak or turkey cheesesteak or soy-protein cheesesteak. Steak comes from cows, in this case Niman ranch hormone-free cows, which I unapologetically love to consume, especially here.

What else goes on a cheesesteak? Let’s revisit the name… we already have the steak so let’s go back to the cow and get the cheese, American cheese in this case. Add in onions, mushrooms, hot and sweet peppers and you have a perfect cheesesteak. Well, not yet… you do need double meat and double cheese otherwise the sandwich is just an anemic San Francisco interpretation of a cheesesteak. Bulk it up and you have a damn fine artery-clogging heart-stopping cheesesteak.

What do you want on the side? The fries are good (especially with chili and cheese), but the onion rings take top spot next to such a perfect sandwich. Add in a root beer or grape soda and you’re on your way…. probably to the doctor for an angioplasty, but isn’t it worth it?

Louck o’ the Irish near the Shopping Centre

Review of: The Chieftain Irish Pub

By: Avery Glasser

Rating: 4

Read review on Judy’s Book.

Hm… what to say about The Chieftain. As one of my local Irish pubs, even though it is a 15 minute walk away, there’s something I like about it. Maybe it is the real Irish staff, or the fresh Murphy’s stout, or the generous pours of whisky, or the Magners cider in large and small bottles, or the fact that they rewards locals with a little discount.

I don’t know why I really like the place, because the crowd here runs from constuction workers to neighborhood regulars to the occasional street person asking to use the bathroom. It’s not my scene, yet somehow it’s my style.

Anyway, it’s comfortable, the beer is fresh and the glasses are clean – and there’s nothing wrong with the place. Hell, they even have Setana Sports on the TV, another plus. With all of the plusses, you would think it is a lock for five stars, but it was hard to give it the fourth.

If you’re in SOMA and craving a whisky and a pint, you could do much much worse than The Chieftain.

Dice Bar Chic!

Review of: Tunnel Top Bar

By: Avery Glasser

Rating: 3

Read review on Judy’s Book.

Yeah, I’m scratching my head about the Tunnel Top. It’s not a dive bar by any stretch – it’s a bar designed to evoke a dive-bar charm for Marina dwellers that have ventured down to Union Square for a show, dinner, or a drink before heading home.

Then again, the bar offers a buck off their beers (Leffe Blonde, Beamish Stout, Sierra Nevada, Stella Artois were all on tap if I recall) during happy hour and $3.50 shots of Fernet Branca… I guess that’s sort of dive. Oh, and they’re cash only, that’s dive as well. Actually, the whole bar is pretty well an authentic dive bar, except for the fact that the crowd was pure hipster who wouldn’t venture into the Lower Haight even on a dare.

The bar gets a 3 star rating. Nice bartenders, well constructed cocktails and a very small selection of beer on tap ranging from Leffe and Beamish all the way down to the drek that is Stella Artois, the beer any self-respecting Belgian would hesitate to drink. Bring an ATM card because it’s cash only (but they do have a bank machine). Make sure you have a fresh bottle of yuppie repellent if you want to have a real dive experience… but beware, spray it on too thick and you might be the only one left there.