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My husband found this great shop while working - a true hidden jewel in the middle of the TL....
More 10 months ago
My husband found this great shop while working - a true hidden jewel in the middle of the TL. Anyway when we cant get up to Napa for wine, we come here and try something new. The staff are all very knowledgeable and helpful.
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First off, I have to admit, I've been a Speakeasy Mobster and shareholder since the late 1990s -...
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First off, I have to admit, I've been a Speakeasy Mobster and shareholder since the late 1990s - so I am a little biased. As much as I love the current lineup of bottled beers: Big Daddy IPA, Prohibition Ale, Double Daddy Imperial IPA and the Untouchable Pale Ale (and the elusive Godfather Barleywine), it's the keg-only and the dearly departed brews that made this brewery tops in my book.
Keg Only:
The Bootlegger Black Lager holds up to the classic Sapporo Black and the archetype of the style: Kostritzer Schwartzbier. Malty and a little sweet, but also refreshing. There's a reason they're commonly called black pilsners.
The Shylock Maibock is also a great example of a German spring bock beer. Strong but balanced with a sweet malty character.
Even the Satchmo Stout, which should be bottled as there is a real lack of good local stouts, is a fantastic beer... nice and roasty and proof that stouts can aspire to be more than a Guinness.
However, the three best, most unique beers are ones that are unfortunately not being made any more.
White Lightning - their attempt at a berliner weisse, a sour beer that had undergone lactic fermentation. Even though it was a pain to produce and a bigger pain to clean out of the tanks and pipes, it was an amazing beer when stored and served properly (the trick was to make sure some live yeast made it into the glass like with a Belgian beer)
Common Beer - The San Francisco Common Beer was quite possibly the best beer produced on the west coast when it came to pairing with food, and it's a shame that restaurants all throughout the Bay Area didn't stock it. Maybe it was the name, or maybe the restaurant industry lacked the vision to pair a domestic beer with food the way they do now with Belgian brews. Either way, it is sorely missed.
Finally, the best of the bunch: Untouchable Lager - a perfect Maerzen beer, and possibly the best California-made lager I have ever had. This beer was fantastic, but unfortunately suffered in sales because the local market is biased towards ales.
The city is much better for having Speakeasy supplying its bars with fresh, local brew.
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John Walker & Co
Category:
Liquor Stores
175 Sutter St
San Francisco,
California 94104
(415) 986-2707
I remember my first trip to John Walker back in the mid 1990s - I had been searching for an...
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I remember my first trip to John Walker back in the mid 1990s - I had been searching for an elusive bottle of Turley wine, and since then, whenever I had a craving for a hard to find wine or spirit ranging from Old Potrero Rye Whiskey to Del Maguey Crema de Mescal, they either have it or can easily get it.
Their Spirits Consultant, Dominic, is a veritable fount of knowledge about any type of distillate - which he applies generously when mixing cocktails at Range as well as when selecting his products at John Walker... and you can see his effect on the current stock. You can find products ranging from Fee Brothers bitters to Austrian Alpensahne to the classic digestives like the Italian Averna. If they don't have it - John Walker & Co. can find it. Recently, they tracked down a bottle of 15 Year of Redbreast, available for shipping to the US from a single source in Dublin.
The prices are fair, and the selection and service is exceptional... and if you're looking for the next hip vodka or the perfect Austrian Stone Pine liqueur - head over to the Crocker Galleria and see what's in stock.
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City Beer Store
Category:
Liquor Stores
1168 Folsom St
San Francisco,
California 94103
"It has a small bar and those drinking there really love their beer. This is my go-to place...
More 2 years ago
"It has a small bar and those drinking there really love their beer. This is my go-to place when you want to really indulge in a rare draught and talk about in the most nerdy beer-snobbery of ways. The last time I went they had Kona Coffee Porter...which....was an experience. There's not much else to say about the place."
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While the concept is greatly appreciated, it's easy to see that the owner of this place clearly...
More 1 year ago
While the concept is greatly appreciated, it's easy to see that the owner of this place clearly has never worked in a single restaurant.
Food: 2.5 stars
For the total bill of $65 including 2 kinds of tea service (Russian and English) we got 2 kinds of tea, good smoked trout, good scone and wilted and discolored fruits and vegetable. When you are paying that much, you at least want your food to be not old.
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Can't complain about the setting here: right in front of the water on top of the Moscone Center, serene, very Neo-Asian decor and beautiful bathroom. This is where the owner spent the most money and thinking and effort. However, the bench and chairs are bit too high for the tables and they are uncomfortable. Great ambient music.
Service: 3 stars
The servers here are not experienced. They are nice, but really that's about it. Again, if your total bill comes out to be that high, you want good service.
I probably won't be back.
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Teavana
Category:
Beverage Stores
2164 Polk St
San Francisco,
California 94109
(415) 931-9301
Tevana is a small tea cafe/shop with only 3 locations in the entire bay area. They seem to be...
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Tevana is a small tea cafe/shop with only 3 locations in the entire bay area. They seem to be modeled after Starbucks, with not a whole lot of seating and mostly to go orders of tea. The number and types of tea that are sold is impressive, including white, green, oolong, black, rooibos, and fruit flavors. All of these types have a few different options with different added fruits and flavors. All of it is brewed on the spot with options of with or without sugar, on the rocks, in a pot or in regular or large sized cups. A regular is only $2. Aside from the teas sold in bulk, they also sell organic honey, mugs, Japanese and Chinese teapots and tea sets.
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Imperial Tea Court
Category:
Beverage Stores
1411 Powell St
San Francisco,
California 94133
(415) 788-6080
My birthday was last week. To celebrate, I made my first trip to the Imperial Tea Court in...
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My birthday was last week. To celebrate, I made my first trip to the Imperial Tea Court in Chinatown. The server was a funny white guy from South Carolina who’d just moved to SF a few months ago and was now learning the art of tea ceremony. Kind of threw us off a bit from the start, but he turned out to be great, drawling Southern accent and all. We ordered two kinds of tea – an opulent white tea and the monkey picked, which isn’t actually picked by monkeys anymore, but nevertheless remains a tea house favorite. We got served in the traditional tea ceremony style, which isn’t anywhere near elaborate as the Japanese style, but is still gorgeous to watch all the water spilling sensuously over the clay cups, and in the very least is an excellent primer of how to prepare and serve tea the right way. The restaurant is decked out in wood paneling with canaries hanging from the ceiling – it looks exactly how you might imagine a classic Chinese tea house would look. Try some of the tea snacks too… pumpkin seeds and peanut butter cookies were great.
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The Whisky Shop, combined with the Hector Russell store is a great place for anyone interested in...
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The Whisky Shop, combined with the Hector Russell store is a great place for anyone interested in Scottish heritage and wares. They have everything, from traditional kilts in nearly all the clan patterns, Scottish chocolates, desserts, and jams, and tons of souvenirs. The Whisky shop has a GREAT selection of Scottish Whisky. That is good stuff!
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Rite-Spot Cafe
Category:
Bars, Pubs & Clubs
2099 Folsom St
San Francisco,
California 94110
(415) 552-6066
When we walked you immediately get the dive bar vibe which is awesome in my book. But charging...
More 2 years ago
When we walked you immediately get the dive bar vibe which is awesome in my book. But charging $8.00 for a shot of Jameson is ridiculous. (it wasn't top shelf or anything) . My local dive bar which is becoming a second home to me charges only $5.00 for a shot and so does the popular bar in my neighboorhood (540 Club). If I was at a more upscale bar I could somewhat understand. Even then I would only have a few and move on. The food was good and the music was good but sadly the drink prices will keep me from coming back.
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Wines of California is located at Pier 39. They have a huge selection of California wines but I...
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Wines of California is located at Pier 39. They have a huge selection of California wines but I find them to be overpriced. This is however a good place to pickup a souvenir for someone back home when you are visiting California. If you are looking to find something they likely have it and they have a big selection of celebrity wines like Kiss and Marilyn Monroe.
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