39 - Aunt Charlie's Lounge - San Francisco

133 Turk St., San Francisco, Ca. 94102, (415) 441 - 2922

Last visit - January 2006

Aunt Charlie's Lunge

Yes, these are a couple old reviews that I am porting here from a couple years ago. I guess this is a trip through memory lane. It will also start a 5 part series of bars.

(image from unknown source)

The moment you step into the bar, you see it all: the narrow walls, the fluffy cloud-like ceiling, the bar on your left, and old TV hanging on the ceiling. In other words, this bar is small! I think the maximum capacity is twenty.

I went on their dragqueen show night. It was dark and a small crowd of people were drinking by the back of the bar, staring at the curtain to a stage. From there on, drag queens came out in their full made-up appearances and started singing to their heart's delight. It was a loud and rather festive event. I was kind of awestruck because it was my first time at this kind of thing.

The bartender is a old bearded man with a long pony-tail. He serves super stiff drinks. I saw him do my cranberry-turkey, and he let the bottle run up to about three-fourth's full then splashed the top with a little cranberry: the result, a very strong drink. For $4.50, it's a steal.

I think the bar is made up of mostly regulars, but welcomes strangers. It is a bit away from downtown, so it might be difficult to find.

34 - Katana-Ya Ramen House - San Francisco

430 Geary Street, San Francisco, CA. 94102, (510) 771-1280

Last Visit - June 2009

I first went to Katana-Ya to meet some old college friends I haven't seen in years so the event over-took the food. I enjoyed it, but the cramped seating kind of got to me. I'm used to this in Japan, but sometimes I prefer the giant booths you'd find in a regular Denny's restaurant. But the ramen was good and I did find it reasonable to go again.

On my second trip I went there and tried the spicy ramen. That was pretty awesome. The flavor was rich and the broth was thick with lots of seasonings. There really isn't much to say about it because many other people would've told you by now that Katana-ya is THE BEST RAMEN place in San Francisco (or the Bay Area as alleged by some). Go there and you can't go wrong with the food.

But anyway, on my second trip I appreciated the decor a bit more too as the meal proceeded. The room only fits like 10 tables and it creates a narrow pathway for the waitresses to move around. The chef looks like he's really Japanese, but I didn't want to make conversation with him. There is a counter for patrons to eat ramen in and behind the counter they hung a giant gilded Japanese screen. It was actually gorgeous and I felt it out of place for a Japanese restaurant. What made it even more weird were the christmas lights and the gaudy halogen light bars. I wasn't sure if I was in a Tokyo street vendor or an esoteric Japanophile's basement. There actually was a pair of Katana blades there too. To complete the look they should've added a train set like Izakaya Mai's. Either way, it was entertainment for the amount of time it takes you to finish ramen. The people come and go quick, so you'll have a fun time people gazing also. All in all, a winner for the people of San Francisco.

32 - the Candy Bar - San Francisco

1335 Fulton street, San Francisco, CA.94117, (415) 673-7078

Last visited - August 2009

(image from curbednetwork.com)
One look inside you'll notice something different about the bar. It's clientele? Preppy and in their early 30's. The food? Desserts that people don't think about would taste good, but it TASTES GOOD! The ambiance? dimly lit with hints of artificiality. It took me awhile, but the bar didn't look out of place, it WAS out of place. It's the type of bar you'd find in L.A... but in San Francisco.

I did like the fact that they had board games in the bar. It seemed like a good idea to be able to play some Monopoly or Yatzee while sipping on some cocktails, but the tables were amazingly cramped. I guess they wanted to pack more people in, but it's a small issue. We ordered our food and it arrived promptly. My girlfriend had the nacho sundae platter (is it a play on the words "not your sunday"?), our friend had the matcha green-tea cake, while I had some fruit tart thing that's served in a little jar, the white chocolate mousse it looked like creme' brulee. It was made of three layers and garnished with the white chocolate mousse on the side. Reviewing their menu online, I learned that the three layers were Blue berry compote, Kalamansi Sorbet, and Candied Parsnips. Upon the second spoonful I realized it was the Kalamansi sorbet that really excited me. It was amazingly smooth and the chill kept the whole dessert together - a tingling delight at every bite. The blue berries were fresh and the parsnips were delightful. I almost forgot about the mousse. The sorbet was a true winner, and I had a cup of coffee with it that went together really well. The cake was mediocre for the price, but my fruit snack and my girlfriend's nacho desserts were both tasty.

Lastly, I enjoyed the food and the presentation of the food, but I wouldn't make a trip to San Francisco for it. Now if I was already in town, it would be a different story. Bon appetite!

27 - Asia S.F. - San Francisco

201 9th Street, San Francisco, Ca. 94103, (415) 255-2742

Last Visited: August, 2009

Asia SF's Website

To borrow an over-used cliche', going to Asia S.F. isn't just dinner; it's an experience! There is a lot of confusion around even when you go knowing that it's a up-and-coming night club in San Francisco that's hosted by cross-dressers. The waitresses of the night are not women, but transgender men. Knowing this does help, but not too much when you're there.

I went with my girlfriend and her co-workers for a birthday bash/ company gathering. The place was packed and the ladies of the night were walking handsomely down the aisles. We took a preview of the dance floor on the bottom cellar and waited for our table to be cleared, a table for fourteen. As our pre-set meal started coming, we got ourselves comfortable by ordering drinks and making small talk. Naturally the focus was on the waitresses. For the men, it was mass confusion; for the women, it was a guilty stare of shock and envy. I mean, they have made-up faces, tone stomachs, and shaved legs - not to mention well-endowed tops. Surgery can do wonders I guess. But besides that, the food was good.

Our appetizers came and a small show ensued. I guess if this was the old days, I'd describe it as "burlesque". I guess it's cabaret, which reminds me of the word kyaba-kura, or cabaret club for short in Japanese. I enjoyed the pre-set dinner. It was four courses with a baby-back rib entre' and a memorable lamb course. I didn't care too much for the grilled banana dessert nor the ice-cream cones in the end, but it received spectacular response from my fellow dinner mates. I think they were all still gawking at the men/women.

When we finished our food, which came with a gigantic bill, we went down to hang out with the bachelorettes dancing and acting wild. It's one of the gimmicks for Asia SF, and they have regular bachelorette parties. I guess you feel safer getting crazy in a gay bar than a straight one. I ate, I drank, and I danced. I don't think there is much to say about the place besides to just go see it for yourself. The behavior is quite scandalous, but at the same time you're not sure if you should behave or set yourself apart. Boys will be boys I guess.

17 - Luce - San Francisco

InterContinental Hotel - 888 Howard St., San Francisco, CA 94103, (415) 616-6566

www.lucewinerestaurant.com

There were a lot of firsts in this evening, but I guess I should start by saying, it's the first time I've been to this restaurant. It was the first time I had raw deer, and it was the first time I had a six course dinner. Let me see if I can remember it all accurately, because it was a three hour event, and the longest and most engaging dinner I ever had with my girlfriend.

I first read about Luce and its chef, Dominique Crenn, on the pages of this month's Esquire Magazine. They had a six page spread on "restaurants we endorse" and I was intrigued by the column of Luce in San Francisco. There were only three restaurants in the bay area, and Luce was there. I mentioned it to my girlfriend and hinted that I wanted to try it, so she arranged to have a RSVP there for Saturday evening. It was going to be my belated birthday dinner.

We got there half an hour earlier than expected and we got seated right away. The hostess was all smiles and she was very attentive to us, although we seemed like we didn't belong there. Luce is a pretty up-scale restaurant on the bottom of the Inter-continenal Hotel. The clientele seemed like mostly business folk, or wealthy foreigners visiting San Francisco, but not people from Oakland to have a birthday dinner.

Anyway we got seated. We asked about the six-course dinner, and she was delighted to arrange it for us. My girlfriend checked out the wine pairing option and we ordered that also. Why not? it's rare for us to go to a restaurant like Luce. The hostess told us that the entree for the night was lamb, but for $25 more we can have wa-gyu (Japanese Beef or Kobe' beef) that was freshly flown in. I thought about that for a minute, and it has been maybe four years since I had that, so I affirmed that as well. She took an extra precaution and asked us about alergies to anything and mentioned that the first dish would be raw, raw venison. I told her as she left, "Well we're in your hands for the evening" and she smiled back like a magician before a show.

The dinner began with glistening champagin flukes brought to us by waiters dressed in black. The first wine of the evening was bubbly from a little pink bottle. I guess I can finally say I had crystal at a restaurant? I don't know how the rappers do it. It was light and we enjoyed it with the usual basket of bread that they brought out. Then the glasses and plates kept coming, one for each wine and course.

We started with the aformentioned raw venison patte'. Yes, that's deer. I had a hard time eating it, but it lead to some interesting conversation about food and the appreciation of certain dishes. The second dish was Foie Gras or goose liver, our French delacacy for the night. I was hesitant to eat it, but it was amazingly moist when I took my first bite. It was another first for me, and I have to say it was good. We had our flukes removed, and wine glasses appeared along with the first white wine for the evening. The second dish was quail with a side of mushrooms. I had to say, the French do know how to prepare fowl, another tasty treat. So that's how the evening went on. It's hard to recall, but it went something like this:

0. welcoming and bread
1. First Appetizer - Venison Patte with Champaign
2. Second Appetizer - Foie Gras with White wine
3. Pre-Entree - Lobster with Second White wine
3.1 Intermission - Citrus Sorbet Shot
4. Entree - Wagyu Beef and Lamb with Red wine
4.1 Intermission #2 - miso-flaked sorbet
5. Post-Entree - Bread with cheese sampler (and raisins from the Mojavi desert) with Red Wine
6. Dessert - Chocolate Egg with Green Tea tart and Macaroon, with a Dessert Wine.

Somewhere in between the lobster and the entree, I spotted the chef. Dominique wore a white chef's coat with her hair tied up. She had the face of a quarterback and Luce was her field. She surveyed the crowd regularly. There were many things that left great impressions about Luce, but one that we couldn't forget was the Chef herself. She actually came up to greet us! Now that was a first even for my girlfriend. She talked with a French accent and seemed very enthusiastic about food and her customers. It really made our day.

We finished off and walked our merry little way back to the parking lot, five blocks away. We were quite buzzed by the wines, and the thing on my mind was: why do they have grapes in the Mojavi desert? the Hostess made it a point to have us know that. I could spend another five paragraphs about the juicy beef and the succulent lobster, but it's just one of those things, you had to have been there.

It was three hours of my life well spent, with the person who I adore most, so I guess there is a bias, I have to admit. Luce was an experience that I won't forget, and I implore anyone to try it if they have the time. Bring your credit cards, it will be a heavy bill.

P.S. For categorization reasons, I'm putting a $50 plus tag on this restaurant, but it's a lot more expensive than that.

Yelp's two cents.

14 - Osha's Thai Restaurant - San Francisco

Osha's Thai Restaurant - 696 Geary Street, San Francisco, CA 94102, (415) 673-2368

Last visit: August 2008

Osha's website

Osha's Thai restaurant rests on top of a small hill between Geary and Leavensworth in San Francisco. The clientele are your typical hippie west coast connoisseurs. I get there at a quarter to seven and I sit down to order food with my friends; one of them is from Texas.

The food is good. I never tried papaya salad before, and I always thought that it was like the sweet papaya, but it was actually really refreshing. The texture is like turnip, but it soaks in a lot of taste from the salad dressing. I order a Barbecue chicken dish, which is nothing like the chicken that you drench in sweet and sour BBQ sauce. It turns out to be grilled chicken with BBQ sauce on the side. My friends like it though, as we cleaned up the plates.

One thing that I notice is that there are no pictures of the Thai King in the restaurant. That's actually a funny observation that my friend Ivan proclaimed, all Thai restaurants have a picture of the Thai leader put up. Another one is that Thai restaurants require actual Thai people to make their food. It's odd, but it's mostly true.

Oisha's is a good place, and just far enough away from the hustle and bustle of downtown San Francisco.