Yelp

Victor's invokes looks of disgust and envy..

Scenario: It's Friday night at around 12am. You are strolling down Polk Street, shoving your slice of Chicken and Garlic Pizza down your throat.. like you haven't eaten in days -- intenseNOMNOMNOM, and you walk:

a) by a crowd of overdressed people.. they stare at you in disgust (mostly from the girls)..

reaction: NOMNOMBITCHES! i would throw this at your hair but it's too tasty!

b) into a crowded bar = OMG.. that smells soooooooo good.

reaction: NOMNOM ALLMINE! (but you can go to Victor's)

Victor's Pizza envy is the best!

In fact, I envy you if you're near there right now. My stomach is gurgling and Victor's is all I can think about. I always think I can eat more slices, but 1 does it for me. Price is reasonable. The crust is perfect and not too thick. Toppings perfect amount, and garlic breath ( = LOVE ).  

Future weapon of choice: Garlic Breath.
How: Add as many H's in between words..

Me: WHAAAAT AHHHHRRRRE  YOUUUUUU STARING AAAAHTT??

*crying inside* so hungry... *falls over... twitches*

I just got home from one of the best dining expereince...and it all happend by accident.

My intentions were to go to Yoshi's tonight for some Jazz and sushi. After circling around a couple times and having second thoughts about parking beyond Eddy street, I found the perfect parking spot right on Fillmore. I look up and see this dark lounge on the corner of Fillmore and Eddy. As soon as we got out of the car, I was bragging to my sister that I have good parking karma--we got a sweet spot right in front of Yoshi's.

We walk into this lounge with large wooden doors. The decor is so unique -- upside down lampshades paired with large paintings of the Fillmore past. My sister tells the hostess that we reserved a table for two. She looks down the list twice and doesn't find us. Meanwhile I picked up a business card and was wondering why Yoshi's would ever make their address "1300 Fillmore" so prominant. Hmmm....

Guess what??? We stumbled into 1300 on Fillmore by accident. The general manager, Dave, was so awesome about it. He was telling us all about the food and my stomach wouldn't shut up. We thanked Dave and proceeded to Yoshi's half a block down. Halfway into Yoshi's, I didn't want sushi anymore -- I wanted a hot plate of soul food. I wanted the fried chicken, spicy fries, spare ribs, collard greens. I desired the comforts of cornbread, biscuits, and mashed potatoes. I love sushi just not tonight. (Yoshi's, I'll definitely come back to neighborhood and make a special trip to visit you very soon).

We were seated immediately despite the fact that we didn't have reservations. Dave, the general manager, also became our server and was very knowledeable on food culture and the restaurant, and had a great sense of humor which lighten the night. The food was absolutely heavenly.

In the 2 hours I spent at 1300 on Fillmore, I ate food that was like heaven on earth, I learned about the history of Fillmore, I saw our former mayor Willie Brown, and met a local dwellor of the Fillmore neighborhood, Reverend Townsend, who parted some of his wisdom to us. Now that's what you call an awesome dining experience. I guess it's true what they say: Sometimes, the best experiences aren't planned, but come by accident!!!

I love this place. It's located near 7th and Market so it's a little foreboding but worth the trip. From the outside, you might get the idea that it's one of those gaudy electronic stores where all the merchandise fell off the back of a truck but it's not. It's home of the best stocked DJ store in the Bay Area.  I just go, I don't even call to see if they have what I want. You walk in and the first thing they want to do is help you. The store is packed to the gills but there is no way you'll find what you want so it's best to just ask. If you buy enough crap, they are cool and will give you a good deal on cables or something.

Last year at  WMC (winter music conference) I saw a great mixer at one of the vendor booths. The price was the pre-retail wholesale price so I'm thinking, " I gots to buy it". My buddy said, "hell no" as friends don't let friends buy pricey electronics after going big all day. Let's be honest, I'm Billtron, and the idea that a mixer is going to actually function after an afternoon of pool/beach parties is a joke.

So I come back to SF and low and behold The World of Stereo had it for the same price. Also, Mooklas was adamant that I wait while he got the free3 yr. warranty and $100 mail-in rebate from the back room. Who does that? I think the owners of the DJ equipment companies are tied up in the backroom. That's how they keep the cost low and in that part of town, it would make total sense.

I like how they handle the local flavor too. They are right next to a porn DVD place and the TL and they talk to the crack dealers and customers with the same aplomb. That's not just being a good neighboring business, that's common sense.

If you rock crowds in clubs or just keep the neighbors up at night with your beats...
GO.

I love date night and I love old buildings, as you know, especially ones that remind me of what San Francisco was like in the late 1800s. With Victorian sensibility spilling out of its ears and tons of plants and flowers that look like testicles and vaginas, there's really no way you can have a bad time here. Five stars, baby.

The aforementioned date night brought us here at 8 p.m. for the nocturnal butterfly exhibit. Until sometime in November (ish?) you can come here between 8 and 9:30 p.m. on the first and third Thursday of the month, flashlight provided, and poke around in the nooks and crannies all over this massive greenhouse. After first wandering around the awesome plant life, including orchids of all kinds, water lilies, some Little Shop of Horrors-ish carnivorous plants and stuff that looked like genitalia, we headed over to The Butterfly Zone.

The Zone had butterflies here and there like we expected, and we saw several small, beautiful iridescent blue ones chilling in the rafters. Tons of information (largely to appeal to kidfolk), and a lady walking around with (dead) touchable samples of a moth and monarch butterfly. Since you don't go into any official educational "Zone" without encountering irritating kids, you'll have to let that slide if your patience wears thin on that front.

Several nooks and crannies throughout to sneak some private time (not THAT private, sorry) with your date. One of the cheapest dates ($5 each) you'll have, too, so you can blow that extra money on dinner and drinks.

Ladies love flowers; be a gent and take her here for a real show.

For my 200th review I wanted to write about a business I felt a personal connection with. I wanted to write about a place that really reflected myself and part of the Yelp community and my colorful neighborhood in San Francisco. Unfortunatly, I had already written a review about Vertigo....and I was not so nice...and I learned some important lessons...

See I didn't know what Yelp was about when I started. Oh sure, I got the idea--you write a review, you read a review, blah blah blah.....But I didn't think anybody actually read these things! Oops....

The first person who called me on it was my Vertigo partner in crime (better known as Little One). She smacked me on the head and told me to stop being mean. Although Vertigo and I had issues, I loved it and it loved me. Then came the whole John H. saga...

Based on that I will tell you about Vertigo and give this place the proper review it deserves. The owners, Kenny and Derek are honest, hard working, fun loving guys. They put so much of themselves into their business, to make it open and welcome to both locals and visitors alike. You'll see them frequently tending bar, chatting it up, causing trouble, within the confines of the walls of this place on almost every night.

The feel of this place is a combination of divey and funky. The decor includes voodoo masks all over the walls; touches of plant life and the fans over the bar add to the tropical feel that extends to the speciality drink menu (more on that later). The low lighting adds to the mystique although frankly, I think someone went a little crazy in the 50% off disco ball ornament bin one year Kenny (i.e. the decor over the dance floor). Still, the layout is sectioned off in a way that somehow secures separation from each part (bar in the front, dance floor in the back to the left, smoking room to the right of the dj booth) which is impressive considering this isn't the biggest place.

Speaking of the three sections, let me go into a little more detail. For starters, yes the dance floor can get elbow thrashing, toe stomping crowded (particularly on weekends and if you hear a guilty pleasure-i.e. "that's my song girl!", you and half the club will compete for the same 2 square feet of space). As others pointed out, the dance floor was notorious for lack of room and ventilation but since the first reviews were written there has been a fan added and the dj booth has been moved so that's some improvement to the situation. But you also have the option of dancing on the benches, so if you have any Coyote Ugly tendencies, here's your chance to act them out. The smoking lounge has usually the most room to move in or find a seat at. It's well ventilated and doesn't have that hotbox feel that many smoking rooms in the city have (meaning your buddies who don't smoke can come in here and won't fake cough/ piss and moan too much unless they're total jerks). The bar area itself can get a little sardinish, particularly on weekends (this is also due to the fact that front door is ten feet from the bar) but the wait is quick and more or less painless. I say more or less because the forementioned Little One is only 5 feet tall and has been nearly squished trying to place an order. However the cheery conversation and efficiency of the people behind the bar has kept her from being overlooked more than once (not that she'd let herself be ignored but that's a whole other tale...)  

If you are a liquor drinker, the drinks are top notch. Nearby Yelp favorite Lush Lounge is their sister bar and everyone who works at Vertigo has the skills you'd expect of a 'tender at Lush. Their menu includes all your favorites plus a menu of tropical themed drinks (the Volcano a drink that's on fire and serves 4, has been a birthday request by more than one b'day girl I know) and the specials (featured prominently both outside and above the bar) pack a punch but not on your wallet. The beer selection, though not great, is definatly passible  and there are plenty of drink specials for early birds and Sunday drinkers.

This place can definatly have the feel of a college pickup scene. On some week nights it can also feel like a quiet neighborhood bar. No matter what though, this place tries its best to cater to one and all and provides an upbeat/ chill backdrop to a fun night out. The nights with guest Djs that are becoming increasingly common are quite popular and tend to draw out the locals in the neighborhood. Kenny, Derek, you both have created a place that many of us enjoy that has only gotten better with time. You're welcome to new faces (more or less) and pleased to see those of us who have been around awhile....even if it's a troublemaker like me (and for that I say: I'm sorry about the plant but besides that, you can't prove anything!).
Vertigo: a place you can lose yourself, find yourself or at least find yourself having a good time. Cheers!

I have to say I am in awe of all of the people who love animals so much that they will not bite into their prepared flesh nor feast on their processed byproducts. That is a level of crazy my brain can't process and my soul hides from just so it doesn't completely die.

Well, Rainbow is a savior in my long line of hippie dippie ventures that kept me on the path of "Vegan for a Month". Without Rainbow I might very well have been found in a supermarket meat aisle sitting on the floor with a bottle of A!, eyes crazy and hair a mess, rocking gently back and forth, chanting "raw means rare so back off bitch!" with a t-bone in my right hand and a steak knife in my left.

Rainbow has probably saved many veggies and vegans from exactly this scene. They have all sorts of vegan goods that actually taste like you are eating real food rather than regurgitated earth.

They have stuff in bulk, organic food galore, a cheese section that rivals the specialty cheese shops around town (including a nice selection of soy cheese but God help you if you choose to eat something that more resembles government cheese than anything else), fresh prepared foods that will make your friends think you actually know how to cook if you are smart enough to make a mess of your kitchen and hide the containers, spices, veggies, and everything else a regular store has but a little healthier and a little more gourmet.

I think the awesome selection comes from the fact that this place is owner operated so the people here actually care about you and what they sell you. They apparently care about their salaries as well because I had to knock one star off for the fact that you pay a pretty price to fake that you are eating like a normal person. But, hey, no animals were harmed in the writing of this review, and that has to count for something!

omigoshilovebootcampsomuc h.
Seriously. And I'm like, so not a morning person-really! It takes a lot to get my lazy you-know-what out of bed and into the heart of Golden Gate park at 6 o'clock in the bleeping morning.
But here's the deal:
The other day we ran and stretched and ran again and ended up stretching inside the Japanese pagoda over a lake while we watched the  sun rise, all golden and orange and red  and I'm all 'holy bleepin bleep bleep!'-am I really a 30 something living paycheck to paycheck at a so/so job eking away at endless credit card debt or am I a princess living in some 17th century permanent day dream about heaven?'
Oh--and my waistline? Its totally shriiiiinking. Tracy--the trainer in GG park, is the best. I'm working real hard to be her favorite.

hmmmm...i have finally arrived to the motherland.

the border boys at sfo call me the mermaid since i was born at sea...and i do love my seafood.

no reservations and we snatched a corner table for two on a thursday night.  it was meant to be.

the service was top notch but one stood out. hats off to our server, ezra.  i could listen to that man talk wine pairings through the night.
so sexy to a foodie like me.  

hands down the best kumamotos i have ever tasted.  
the apple, lemon, and wasabi were a superb combination of flavors and acidity.

i opted for the seared foie gras special instead of the regular poached option.  it was cooked perfectly and the reisling pairing was crisp and balanced the rich flavor.

for entrees:

the walu was fantastic.  the foie gras sauce begged for a red wine pairing.  again, a wonderful suggestion from ezra.
the butter poached maine lobster was made even more succulent with the truffle flavor.  

a glass of pinot noir in my hand and i was in heaven.

the desserts were beautiful in the presentation, color, textures, and a touch whimsical.
the caramel mousse bar and the valrhona cube were both very good but the passion fruit glace was outstanding.  crisp in the acidity but light.
a perfect ending for all the rich food.

sure, i could critique the interior design, floral pieces, etc.  but the 5 stars were for service and seafood...and this mermaid was happy as a clam.

Darin I. introduced me to this little slice of nihonshoku tengoku about a month back, and subsequent trips have not dulled the shine off this gem of a restaurant.

A block or two up are a number of small galleries to sate your eyeballs, but make no mistake, the art scene starts here at 430 Geary. The Obesity Industrial Nausea Complex (OINC!) stops dead in its tracks the moment it runs into the artful, epicurical gorgeousness that emanates from within Katana-ya. Jack in the Box, followed by Pizza by the Slice, then Quiznos, then BAM! The "Sword Shop" of SF Ramen houses makes its stand and the blandness is no more.

Their menu has been revamped and the prices on some things, most noticeably their ramen, has gone up in some cases a full dollar, but it's still some of the best noodle-slurping goodness that can be had in SF for under $10.

The times I've been here I've primarily had the "regular" ramen (shoyu base) and some sort of appetizer. The soft-shell crab I ordered had just the right texture: crispy and light.  I hate it when restaurants, especially poor Japanese eats, over-fry their tempura or soft-shell crab, leaving everything a soggy, oily mess. Katana-ya was right on the money. The ramen was soft,  chewy and *plentiful* to boot. The broth a soup-slurper's wet dream. I was a very happy gaijin.

The atmosphere is always lively and the music they play at times is fantastic. I geeked-out uber hard when the iPod they had plugged in started playing some old-school (circa '99) Sugar Soul, Dragon Ash, and Ketsumeishi--- All standards of Japan's delicious "mixture" musical genre. I've heard rumors that they even have Tha Blue Herb, Sapporo's finest and the flag-bearers for the Japanese Hip Hop movement, on shuffle as well. That would be the clincher for me and so I will reserve the final star until I hear this for myself.

When you walk into district, you will be impressed immediately.  The horseshoe shape of the bar and surrounding lounge makes it a great place to people watch and mingle.  At 7pm, there was a good crowd but it wasn't overly packed.  A sophisticated yet casual atmosphere makes district one of my favorite happy hour spots.

I was a little late but when I finally arrived, my friend was doing just fine as she was being entertained by the bartender and owner. Mind you, she would do just fine anywhere she went (intelligent & gorgeous), but these guys were such great conversationalists that they made us feel both comfortable and well taken care of.  I'd copyright the phrase, "the pussification of America" but sadly I didn't come up with that one.  

The fondue was being served just as I was handed my district martini (soju, muddled cucumber, sugar) - perfect timing, Janney!  Thanks!
This little martini was both potent & tasty.

Good fondue is hard to come so I rarely order it, but district's fondue changed my perspective.  It was simple with bread and apple slices to dip into a flavorful medley of cheeses.  

From there, the buzz and girl talk took over as we savored our Bellini cocktails.  Half-way through the cocktails, the owner insisted we try the bread pudding.  Dessert and cocktails don't usually mix well, but when he poured us the Ambres, a muscat that we were promised would pair perfectly, I was sold.  And at first bite, I was addicted.

I'll be back every chance I get for some more of that bread puddin'!