Distillations: Strikes and gutters at Mission Bowling Club

Feb 15, 2019 | Featured, Front Page, Mobile, Newsletter, SNAPS, Today's Mission, Topics

There is a city surrounded by Detroit, Justine tells me. It’s a city enveloped by another city,...

Distillations: Pop quiz — what’s not to like about Elixir?

Feb 8, 2019 | Featured, Front Page, Mobile, Newsletter, Today's Mission, Topics

Quiz nights are the bane of my bar-crawling existence. I admire erudition, I adore the ability to...

Distillations: Clooney’s is a neighborhood bar in a neighborhood that, at times, no longer feels like one

Jan 18, 2019 | Featured, Front Page, Mobile, Newsletter, Today's Mission, Topics

The Mission on Christmas from Mission Local on Vimeo. There are no hooks along the bottom of the...

Distillations: At Farmhouse they put blinky disco lights on the drinks and light the soup on fire

Jan 11, 2019 | Featured, Front Page, Mobile, Newsletter, Today's Mission, Topics

We needed booze and food, though I was more interested in the booze and Serena was more interested...

Distillations: A clean and well-dimmed place to drink at Laszlo.

Jan 4, 2019 | Featured, Front Page, Mobile, Newsletter, Today's Mission, Topics

“I collect writers,” Flitter told me as we sat by the window at Laszlo, the bar attached to the...

Distillations: Seeing much good in Evil Eye — damn it

Dec 28, 2018 | Featured, Front Page, Mobile, Newsletter, Today's Mission, Topics

Cities build on top of themselves, new layers atop the old. Sometimes that’s literal, which is why...

Distillations: Down and out at Southern Pacific

Dec 21, 2018 | Featured, Front Page, Mobile, Newsletter, Today's Mission, Topics

Is there a bar that all your friends really like but you just can’t stand? And you cringe inside...

Distillations: Big discussions at little Sycamore

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

I was sitting with Alaric in the back patio of the Sycamore, which has been her regular spot for...

Distillations: Past and present at the Royal Cuckoo Market

Dec 7, 2018 | Mobile

I have something on Laura. A year ago, on Christmas, I came over to her house and we spent the...

Distillations: A sense of where you are at the fabulous Alba Ray’s

Nov 30, 2018 | Featured, Front Page, Mobile, Newsletter, Today's Mission, Topics

By the time we got a table at Alba Ray’s, Julian — a trans man from New York — was...

Distillations: Facing the music at Revolution Café

Nov 23, 2018 | Featured, Front Page, Mobile, Newsletter, Today's Mission, Topics, Trouble

There was supposed to be a beat-boxing cellist. Instead there is a jazz quartet. You never know...

Distillations: A return to San Francisco’s greatest bar, Oddjob. How fortunate.

Nov 16, 2018 | Featured, Front Page, Mobile, Newsletter, Today's Mission, Topics

Desmond had something waiting for me when I arrived with a small party at the SRO (Standing Room...

Distillations: Winging it at Teeth

Nov 9, 2018 | Featured, Front Page, Mobile, Newsletter, Today's Mission, Topics

“Luke” was sitting on a bench on the third and highest level of Teeth’s bleacher-style back patio,...

Distillations: Tater tots and margarita tots and everything tots at Benders

Nov 2, 2018 | Featured, Front Page, Mobile, Newsletter, Today's Mission, Topics

“Phil” claims that he invented the margarita at Benders. “A couple of years ago,” he said, “Tom...

Distillations: Me and you and everyone we know at Wildhawk

Oct 26, 2018 | Featured, Front Page, Mobile, Newsletter, Today's Mission, Topics

The moment I stepped into Wildhawk, on 19th, I was absolutely charmed. It’s a small room, but it’s...

Distillations: The Flying Pig Bistro Pub, a refuge from San Francisco and its bad art

Oct 19, 2018 | Featured, Food, Front Page, Mobile, Newsletter, Today's Mission, Topics

“I want to tell you to buy me a drink,” Tessa said to me. “But I need you to know it’s not because...

Distillations: Past and present at the Royal Cuckoo Market

What To Do

Verdi Club: Left 2 Write & Hip Spanic Allstars Bands

Slim’s: BRONCHO, Pinky Pinky

Brick & Mortar Music Hall: James Supercave, Beauty Queen, Low Hum

The Chapel: Pop Rocks

Public Works: Stavroz (Live), Just Emma, and Ramona Wouters