Vegas Baby

As the boys in Swingers say "Vegas Baby"

My annual pilgrimage to the desert starts tomorrow, a four day weekend, to catch part of the NCAA tournament and too participate in acts of debauchery. After today's no post until next Monday or Tuesday . When I return there will be plenty recount, while still leaving the Vegas filter in place with the old Vegas adage of what happens in Vegas . . .

Before I head out, I just wanted to give you a short story about my one of my first trips to Vegas with my buddy Brad. The year was 1988, and because we had more time than money we decided to drive from the San Francisco Bay Area to Vegas. We left after work and drove most of the night stopping in some of the Central Valley's best towns: Fresno, Bakersfield only stopping for beer and snacks. Brad's friend Neil worked at the Old Aladdin Hotel (now blown up), the site of Elvis and Priscilla's wedding, and he got us a deal on a room. Neil even got us into the Penthouse suite for a night because some Whale did not show to use the room. The views of Vegas were intoxicating, or the Jacks and Coke. One or the other.

We gamble, had 25-cent breakfast, ate 10-cent chicken wings and visited some of Vegas' lesser known spots. A good example was Larry's Villa. Larry's is a bar and strip club in a strip mall next to a laundry mat. The strippers were bad, but the pitchers of beer were $4 and they had microwave burritos if you got hungry.

Our journey home was just as adventurous. Instead of going the traditional route through So Cal and up I-5 or 99, we headed up Nevada's I-95 towards Reno, cut over at Tioga Pass through Yosemite and back to the Bay. The four days had eaten up most of our cash, so we filled up in Vegas and the tank was hitting empty in Yosemite, we wrote a bad check for the last bit of gas and a 12-pack, since there was no money in the account anyway. Some how we got back home in one piece.

Good Times. (Speaking of Good Times: Jimmie Walker is from Vegas)

Over the years the trip have gotten more elaborate and more expensive, but like many things the first time is the best. Will try to have a good time, and will double down even if it is my last $100. Because I'm Money Baby.

A Good Friday . . . to you

A Good Friday . . . to you

Call this an only in San Francisco event. With Easter Sunday this weekend the annual Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Easter Celebration and Hunky Jesus Contest at Dolores Park is approaching.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are a perfect San Francisco organization, kabuki-make-up wearing cross dressing “nuns”, throw the most interesting and unique Easter Sunday maybe anywhere in the world. For a little history on the Sisters see (the Wikipedia entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisters_of_Perpetual_Indulgence ).

Easter morning starts with good old fashioned fun the Easter activities for the kids include face painting and an egg hunt at 10:30am. As morning turns to afternoon the activities turn more adult. (This is a warning; the activities in the park are not child friendly when the Band starts playing). This year’s live music will be the B-Cups, Charm-School Dropouts and Ex-Boyfriends perform, an Easter bonnet contest at 1pm, an all-boy burlesque show 2pm and at 3:20p the afternoon is capped off with the Hunky Jesus.

Bring a picnic lunch and stay a while. The day is always fun and interesting; you just don’t know what the Sisters or the Crowd will do. The Sisters use the event to raise funds for community organizations.

A couple places to drop into if you do not bring food. The Dolores Park Café is right across the street. It will be very crowded on Sunday but the food and coffee is very good. Pizzeria Delfina is on 18th , try the Margherita and or four Cheese.

Easter Day at Dolores Park
Address: Dolores and 18th Street, San Francisco, CA
http://www.thesisters.org/

The Dolores Park Café
www.doloresparkcafe.org

Pizzeria Delfina
www.pizzeriadelfina.com

The Greatest Four Weeks of the Year

Cal and New Mexico Last Night

For sport’s fans, today open’s the greatest four weeks of the year, the start of the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament. For me this is the best sporting event of the year, more exciting than the NFL, more passion than the NBA (that’s not hard to beat), two to three buzzer beating shots each day of the first two weeks, and a good reason to take an extended lunch if your team is playing an afternoon game.

Since my California Golden missed the NCAA Tournament, again, I sat through an opening round game of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) as the Bears hosted New Mexico. I had not seen New Mexico play this season but the game had peak my interest with former Indiana star Steve Alford coaching. Alford, the former Mr. Basketball for Indiana, is the same age as I am and enjoyed watching him play. In 1987, Alford led the Hoosiers to the NCAA Championship Game against Syracuse. The Hoosiers won the game on a late baseline jumpshot by Keith Smart. But, Alford did his part, shooting 7-10 from the 3-point line, scoring 23 points.

Alford as a coach has his team shooting the three. In his first year with New Mexico he and the Lobos went 24-9, and led the nation in three-point shooting at 42.5 percent. Just like Alford in his playing days this was a patient and disciplined team. Down by 10 at half they climbed back into the game on the back of JR Giddens, who had 26-points, 13 rebounds and six assists. The big fellow could do it all, and you could tell was well coached in the motion offense that Alford learned from Bobby Knight. The Bears pulled out the win (68-66) with two freethrows by Jamal Boykin, but I was impressed with the Lobos.

After the exciting finish, I stopped at Blake’s on Telegraph. They have recently remodeled and the place looks cleaned up. I never went to Blake’s as a student because I could not afford to eat or drink there. As a got older it has become a standard when I head over to campus for an event. They have 11 beers on tap and drink specials every night. It looks as if they are trying to get a younger crowd with drink specials every night of the week. An example is: $5 Long Island’s on Monday’s, $1 Beer on Wednesday’s or $3.75 Jack and Cola on Saturday. The food at Blake’s is always very good, but the service at times can be slow. Try the Burger and the fries.

http://www.blakesontelegraph.com/

St. Patrick's Recap

Front Street -- St. Patrick's 2008

So St. Patrick’s Day came and wen,t with a few pints of Guiness and a couple of Irish Car Bombs. For those of you not familiar, an Irish Car Bomb is essentially a Boilermaker with different ingredients. (3/4 pint Guinness stout, 1/2 shot Bailey's Irish cream, 1/2 shot Jameson Irish whiskey). So after partaking in the Holiday, I need to thank the bartenders, servers and public transit workers that kept the drinks coming and getting me home safe.

I made the journey down to Front Street in San Francisco and it was a mad house. After a few hours of bouncing around the bars and listening to Wonder Bread 5 pump out the party music, great band to get a crowd in the mood, my friends and I started heading back to the Transbay Terminal and hit two bars with smaller crowds on the way.

We also ran into Alameda's own Kenny Da Klown, making baloon hats for the Adults playing like children. As the Klown would say "True Dat"

One had no name on the Front, but I learned it is called “83 Proof” it on First street close to the Walgreens. 83 Proof has quick bartenders with very good knowledge of their spirits and they keep mind that their customers are coming in after a grueling day in the office. The bar has a balcony with comfy leather couches that overlooks the busy bar below.

The second Bar was John Collins. This bar has a real lounge feel. Even though music is playing its volume is controlled so you can talk to your friends. Attentive bartenders, which seem to have a hip-hop feel, young hip and looking for tips. The crowd is very professional and willing to plop down $6 for a cocktail. A great place because it is close to Transbay terminal and a short walk to BART.

After taking the bus ride back to Alameda, we stopped in at the Fireside for a night cap. Normally the Fireside is closed on Monday’s but a drinking holiday could not be passed up. With all the alcohol a quick run to Nation’s Giant Hamburgers after our final stop. The bus stop was just across the street so it was the final mile on AC Transit to finish of a good St. Patrick’s Day.


83 Proof – 83 First Street

http://www.83proof.com/

John Collins -- 90 Natoma St
www.johncolins.com

I Once Was A Swinger

Dodge Dart Swinger, Similar to 1973 I owned

I was out running a work errand and as I was heading back to the office and at 580 to 80 West interchange, I saw a car sitting on the side of the road, the owner gas can in hand refilling the tank. Normally, I would have not paid any attention to the stranded motorist, but it was car that caught my attention.

It was a well maintained Dodge Dart Swinger (73 or 74). It brought back a rush of memories, especially the filling of the tank. The reason is the 1973 Dodge Dart Swinger was my first car and the gas gauge did not work. The Swinger name, introduced in 1969, was applied in 1970 to all Darts that had two-door and hardtop.

The Swinger was essentially a two-door Dart with styling similar to the four-door. Standard equipment included a vinyl front bench seats, simulated woodgrain, two-speed wipers, front armrests, deep pile carpet, dual horns. The Piece d'resistance was chocolate brown vinyl hardtop. You could see this 2,000 pound beast coming from a long distance.

I had this piece of 70s practical transportation from 1980 to 1984. The solid engine was easy to maintain and the car was twice hit when I owned it with little damage to the Swinger. These solid pieces of Detroit machinery totaled a motorcycle and Honda CVCC. The only downside was the gas gauge did not work, so I must have run out of gas at least 30 times. My buddy Denis and I got good at pushing it to a safe location, and I invested in a gas can. Actually, I swiped my dad’s can for the lawn mower and never returned it.

But the Swinger was awesome. We would cruise all over Alameda with up to seven high school kids with crammed into its bench seating. The trunk was huge; it could hold two ice chest or a keg. This car transported my friends and I to Santa Cruz, to the Valley and everywhere we could think of on a budget. Primarly the car served as a gathering spot for an instant party, behind the Alameda drive-in, out at Ratto farms, or hanging at South Shore Round Table. All three locations are now gone. We would park it in all the out of the way places we could find to hideout from the local po-lice. Those spots have been developed into mostly homes. So with all the memories flooding back it also brought back all the Bad Beer I drank in high school.

My buddy Denis had a mustache in High School that would rival any porn star. Purchasing alchol was never a problem it was always more about finances and choosing between gas and beer. The beer usually won out, thus pushing the car so often.

Here are the top Five bad Beers from bad to worst:

Number 5 – Hamm's is a poor man's Coors. Not much flavor and you have to drink a lot of them. A friends Dad kept them in the garage by the case, so access was easy.

Number 4 – Olympia had a resurgence in the 80s. This was my father's beer. Again easy access and the price was right. After a while I came to hate Olympia.

Number 3 -- Burgie -- This was very cheap and plentiful at the Liquor Barn. A Big Box Liquor store that predated BevMo.

Number 2 – Schaefer -- Ahhhhh, this was truly shitty beer. This was used for shot-gunning beers and to drink when you were hanging with your closest friends.

Number 1 – Generic (In the Yellow Can) -- Do I have to say anymore.

O' St. Patrick is Coming

O' St. Patrick is Coming

With St. Patrick’s Day just a few days away, I thought, I would suggest a couple of places to tilt a pint or two to the patron saint of Ireland on his traditional Feast Day.

Although the Bay Area does not have some of the strong Irish traditions that cities like Boston, New York or Chicago have San Francisco has been throwing an official bash since 1852. The largest St. Patrick's Day parade is held in New York City and it is watched by over 2 million spectators, the first parade was held in Boston in 1737, organized by the Charitable Irish Society, and of course Chicago is famous for is dying The Chicago River green each year for the celebration.

Over the past 150+ years, the festivities have been embrace in a variety of countries and most Cities in the United States and as Guinness Beer Company says “everyone is Irish on March 17th”.

So on to the places to celebrate in the Bay Area. (most will included an O’ or Mc)

San Francisco
Front Street is closed down from Halleck to Sacramento streets. The downtown business crowd starts spilling into Harrington’s and the Royal Exchange around lunchtime and many do not leave til the we’hours of the morning. Bring crowd lot of people and music. Wonder Bread 5, a party band, is a staple at this celebration and will be back again for 2008. This is where I will be hoisting a few, pictures on Tuesday.

O'Reilly's Holy Grail, www.oreillysholygrail.com, 1233 Polk St

Kennedy's Irish Pub Curry House, www.kennedyscurry.com, 1040 Columbus Ave

Ireland 32 (the Avenues) 3920 Geary, Appearing for St. Patrick's Day - Dan Lawless Accordian Player from County Offley 2-5; The Bog Men 5-8, and 9-2am Ticket To Ride (former Beatles cover band).


East Bay
In Oakland is McNally's, 5352 College Ave., Oakland's oldest Irish pub, situated in the Rockridge district. A large stone fireplace that burns real logs is in the middle of the room while the long, highly polished wood bar has plenty of Guinness O’top.

Alameda
Mc Grath’s Irish Pub, 1539 Lincoln, is the home to open Mic Nights and Bluegrass music. This is a dive bar that accepts everyone. Two dart boards are located towards the back, a pool table sits in another room, and a big section of empty floor looks like a dance area. A trio of Stella, Guinness, and Boont Amber round out the on-tap beer selection, and a host of bottles take up the sl

Mc Gee’s, 1645 Park Stret, is bar and pub. The food is very good and always a very mixed crowd. It is a hometown bar where everyone seems to know 6-10 people. The place can be tight with its narrow bar area and it fills up quick on St. Patrick’s Day. “Big B” or Brian the bartender is just awesome and is a music aficionado, jus ask him about music and he can put a whole set together think the movie “High Fidelity”.

Shamrock Irish Pub, 1403 Webster, This is a dive with a pretty regular crowd. Beer and shots is a staple.

So Enjoy! And remember that it’s a work day, the day after.

Fire Up

Tri-Tip and Bratwurst on the Grill

I know that many parts of the country were buried in snow and crushed with poor weather, but the San Francisco Bay Area had just a perfect weekend and it gave me the opportunity to go to my favorite spot with no wait, good food and healthy cocktails.

It was official opening of Barbeque season and the backyard was reopened. For my wife and I it was very exciting with a new deck, patio and landscaping added in the off season. My wife was outside early doing a little yard work and sprucing up the area, I joined in later as most of the yard work was coming to a close, but by noon the backyard was ready to entertain.

In most of my posts, I give a recommendation of a restaurant or bar, but today it is a meat market. For those of already having a drink, I mean a butcher not a place to pick up people. So after completing the final task of the Sunday clean-up, getting the grill cleaned and prep, I headed over to Joe Scalise Jr & Sons Butcher to pick up a marinated a tri-tip and a couple of Smoked Sheboygan Bratwurst. There is nothing like a good butcher that can make your grilling experience even better. The staff at Scalise will give you tips and cut of meat that the number of guest you will be serving.

For me the consistency of the Tri-tip at Scalise is why I continue to go back. The cut and weight are very close every time. This is important because I can grill by time and not have to watch the grill every minute. This gives you time to talk to guest and enjoy a cocktail. Yesterday, was Margaritas with fresh lime juice.

On a side note: The Smoked Sheboygan Bratwurst that Scalise carries are just awesome, I stock up every football season for the tailgate. If you are into good sausages the Brawts at our local butcher are hard to beat. Scalise also makes it own Italian Sausage, if you’re making Sunday Gravy a must ingredient.

As the Barbeque season begins to heat up my trips to Scalise will be more frequent. Happy grilling.

Cheers

The Sun Is Out

View from the Deck

The San Francisco Bay Area has begun to get some great weather and with days getting a little longer it got me thinking of great places to have a drink outdoors. One of my favorite places is the deck at Quinn’s Lighthouse on the Oakland Embarcadero.

This Bar and Restaurant is located in a historic landmark lighthouse built in 1890. Quinn's serves an eclectic mix of traditional American cuisine and seafood specials.

You can order the full menu from in both the dining room and the pub. My preference is the Pub upstairs. Quinn’s Pub overlooks the marina below and has a view of the Estuary and the Coast Guard Base Government Island. Quinn’s offers all of its patrons peanuts, baskets and baskets of peanuts, that you can shell and then toss the empty casings to the ground.

The bar prices are very reasonable and they offer two sizes of draft beers. The Pub features 8 draft beers and over 58 domestic & imported bottled beers. The bartenders are always generous with there pours and the staff is very attentive. There's an 80-seat outside deck but the place always has a good crowd and with the open seating you may have to jockey for a table.

The burgers are very good, Neiman Ranch, and must recommend the Jambalaya. My wife loves the fish and chips.

Looking for good way to end the day, follow the light to Quinn’s.

http://www.quinnslighthouse.com/