Distillations: The young and the restless — and blockchain — at Blondie’s Bar and No Grill

Oct 12, 2018 | Featured, Front Page, Mobile, Newsletter, Today's Mission, Topics

Blondie’s Bar and No Grill is very dark when I walk in, and very quiet — except for the...

Distillations: The food and drinks at True Laurel are great — but is it a great bar?

Oct 5, 2018 | Mobile

So many people have been gushing to me about True Laurel that I’d expected to walk into some kind...

Distillations: An existential voyage into San Francisco’s greatest bar, OddJob

Oct 1, 2018 | Featured, Front Page, Mobile, Newsletter, Today's Mission, Topics

“This is my new friend Lawler,” Alaric the bartender said to me, indicating the man I was...

Distillations: The Nihon Whiskey Lounge, Tinder date envy and $150 flights

Sep 21, 2018 | Featured, Food, Front Page, Newsletter, Restaurant Reviews

The menu at The Nihon Whiskey Lounge is compact: eight pages of single-spaced, small type,...

Distillations: Magical thinking at Homestead

Sep 14, 2018 | Featured, Front Page, Mobile, Newsletter, Today's Mission, Topics

“Can I buy you a cocktail?” Sarah asked me as we were all sitting down in Homestead. A table big...

Distillations: Shotwell’s, a refuge from San Francisco, radioactivity, and radioactive parakeets

Sep 7, 2018 | Featured, Front Page, Newsletter, Today's Mission, Topics

“Okay,” I said to the bartender at Shotwell’s, who has just that right combination of it would be...

Distillations: Wine, wisdom and wild animals at 20 Spot

Aug 31, 2018 | Eating Now, Featured, Food, Front Page, Mobile, Today's Mission, Topics

“Abigail” said she likes bars that are mellow and have wine, so we decided to try 20 Spot, which...

Distillations: Running aground at Gestalt

Aug 24, 2018 | Featured, Front Page, Mobile, Newsletter, Restaurant Reviews, Today's Mission, Topics

Illustration by Molly Oleson The best thing about a dive bar is that it can accommodate your whole...

Distillations: Numbing the pain and making heroes at the Wooden Nickel

Aug 17, 2018 | Featured, Front Page, Mobile, Newsletter, Restaurant Reviews, Today's Mission, Topics

“What’ll you have?” the dirty blonde-haired bartender asked me, seeming more curious than...

Distillations: Lost and found at Amnesia

Aug 10, 2018 | Featured, Front Page, Mobile, Newsletter, Restaurant Reviews, Today's Mission, Topics

Back in another life, when I taught college students things, I got into the habit of grading their...

Distillations: The mystifying — but undeniable — charm of Paprika

Aug 3, 2018 | Featured, Food, Front Page, Mobile, Newsletter, Restaurant Reviews, Today's Mission, Topics

Paprika, which was described to me as “an Eastern European-themed gastropub” on 24th off Mission,...

Distillations: Giordano Bros. is a perfect sports bar, save for one thing — the sports

Jul 27, 2018 | Featured, Front Page, Mobile, Newsletter, Restaurant Reviews, SNAPS, Today's Mission, Topics

Sports bars have a lot of advantages: They’re casual, the food is usually cheap and surprisingly...

Author: benjaminw

Distillations: The food and drinks at True Laurel are great — but is it a great bar?

Distillations: Wine, wisdom and wild animals at 20 Spot

What To Do

18 Reasons: Risotto Primer

The Chapel: Banda Sin Nombre

Elbo Room: Literary Death Match at Litquake feat Meg Elison and Mac Barnett

ATA: Periwinkle Cinema: Halloween Spooktacular!

Brick & Mortar Music Hall: The Hottman Sisters, Ruby Force, The Morning Drive