Category Archives: San Francisco

Taco Tuesday at Azucar Lounge: Mostly Not About Tacos

Taco tuesday at Azucar Lounge was almost exactly what you would expect from a bar in SOMA: not having anything to do with good tacos. I still have some things to say about it though.
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Tacos: At first bite the two specials on the Taco Tuesday menu reminded me of taco nights at my dad’s house when I was a kid. Now my dad makes mole and chile verde, and like much of America has evolved his taste for Mexican cuisine. But back in the day taco night was as midwestern as he is: hard taco shells, canned refried beans, ground beef, mexican rice, thickly grated orange cheese, shredded lettuce, and chopped tomatoes. Azucar’s tacos were about the same, except for the vegetarian version with squash, the wimpy tortilla, and the more appropriately thinly shredded cheese. My friend Ramses described the horror he experienced after moving to the US and seeing hard taco shells for the first time, I felt that same horror trying to hold together these wimpy tortillas as they fell apart under the weight of the filling. $12 for unlimited tacos, if this is still your thing.

Drinks: We went for the $5 margarita special ($25 for a carafe which serves six drinks). It’s not a bad margarita for $5.

Hot dog: Being with Ramses, who is from Sonora, we were obligated to try the Sonora dog. Which they apparently don’t offer on Taco Tuesdays, but made an exception. Except that it was missing the salsa verde and the beans, so I think they just said they made an exception and put together their Mexican dog and Sonora dog, which basically is a lot of Mexico happening to a hot dog. Pretty much involved a bacon wrapped hot dog, mustard, ketchup, grilled onions and peppers and queso fresco. It should have been warmer when it arrived, but the real hard truth is I’m not going to spend time analyzing a $5 danger dog because we all know they’re good when we need them.
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Place: This is a winning place to drink away the evening for so many reasons. I’m so done with a crowded SOMA bar where I have to fight my way to the bartender to order some cheap drink by the time happy hour is over. Here it’s the opposite. Make a reservation (I did it probably two hours in advance) and you’ll get to sit on a couch or love seat, partitioned so that every seating arrangement feels private. Streamers, art, vintage chests, and soft lights make it feel warm and colorful, but the windows are slightly opaque so it’s dark and cozy. Juanes is on the speakers (yes!) The servers come to you, and they’re charming and attentive.

In the end, I will be back for a drink and I will add this to the list of places for late night eats, the kitchen is open til 1 am on Fri and Sat. But I will probably not be back on a Tuesday.

http://www.azucarsf.com/about.html
99 9th Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 255-2982

Winter Dark Corner Drinking: My Favorite Dive Bars

I’ve recently been approached more than usual for dive bar recommendations. I guess we’ve already shaken off the healthy eating resolutions. Not that we can’t eat well on top of our drinking. Here is a full list of my reviews for SFWeekly including dive bars with food, and a few more thrown in.

SF
The Tempest
Probably the only place in SOMA where you can avoid the techie takeover happy hour. A motley crew, cheap drinks, and a kitchen that makes chicken in waffles. Sometimes on weekends they play ’90s hits so loud you keep singing everything in the tune of deep-voiced Nate Dogg hooks for several days.

Buckshot Bar and Gameroom
DSC01537Things get weird here on the weekends. And by weird I mean clubby. Otherwise, this is an interesting mancave-like dorm room place to stop while in the Richmond. Get some skee-ball in, have a sloppy joe, but don’t order a stupid drink because according to their chalkboard it costs extra.

Sweeties
I recently visited this scrappy little ruby for the first time. It’s on a quiet street in North Beach, just far enough from the tourists, just close enough to pasta. The lettering outside looks like some ’50s generic island restaurant logo. Inside there’s a kitschy Buddha sculpture next to the lone pool table. The armchairs I sat in while looking out the window were plastic and sparkly red. I had a $3 anchor. A man standing outside actually opened the door for me. There was some truly funky art on the walls. I love this place.

East Bay
DSC01992Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon
Oakland’s oldest bar is a shack built from the timbers of an old whaling ship in 1880 and has noticeably slanted floors. So no, you’re not that drunk, it’s just the floor. Have another. If you go on a Sunday you can sit outside and enjoy snacks from the Jack London Farmer’s Market.

Hotsy Totsy Club
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This place got a serious revamp a few years ago, so you can expect a little more from the cocktail menu. But you can still find a longtime regular, cheap drink specials, and some damn good tacos from El Autlense parked outside.

I’ll be back with more soon.

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