Exchange your wimpy pint glass for a litre-sized beer stein and raise it to the annual celebration of German heritage (i.e. beer, sausage and polka): Oktoberfest. You won’t need a flight to Munich to join in the festivities, but you may need an Alka-Seltzer and a few hairs of the dog that bit you. Prost!
Like a perfectly vine-ripened heirloom tomato, this weekend’s Slow Food Nation events are sure to be worth the wait. Check out a few of the festival’s highlights below, or if you want to avoid the crowds, celebrate farm-to-table dining on your own at one of the city’s farmer's markets or many sustainable, organic eateries.
With gas going for almost a Lincoln per gallon, why not ditch the car and put some fuel into what really drives you: your belly? Five dollars may not get you far in a car, but it'll get your tummy tank filled to the brim at these humble eateries, all within a short walk of the city’s major public-transit hubs.
Ever wonder how we stay up on San Francisco's ever-evolving crop of new businesses? Or how we figure out where to get connoisseur-grade coffee to wake us up after drinking more than 100 beers? Or how we put together a list of sun-drenched public rooftops where you can hike up your best jeans and tan those pasty SF stems? We’re good, but we’re not that good. Our secret weapon is our Citysearch Contributors group--a savvy team of influential SF insiders who tip us off to everything from where they had their first gastrorgasm to where they indulge their inner redneck.
On August 6, we rewarded them with a sensory-deprivation dinner in the dark at Opaque, where we fed them taste-altering miracle fruit followed by some mind-bending absinthe at Jade Bar for good measure. If you know every nook, cranny and back-alley speakeasy in SF, write us here, join our ranks, and get on the list for our next event.
We're dang proud of our high-brow, blue-state culture, but that doesn't mean we can't hick out and horse around like good ole boys (just don't ask us to vote for them). Here's where to get decked out, line-dance, drink and yes, discharge firearms like a red-state redneck in the big blue Bush-bashing Bay Area.
Here in SF, our warm Indian summers make us perhaps more appreciative of a long Labor Day weekend than any other city. So ditch work early on Friday, grab a cold Anchor Steam and plan out where you and your party will be heading (in town or out) to optimize the three-day vacay.
In this city of high rent and finicky fads, the cryptic “closed for renovations” sign often translates to closed for good. But occasionally, a business’s revitalization efforts—be it in the form of a simple menu change, a new coat of paint or the drastic complete remodel and reopening—pay off and what emerges is someplace twice as good as the original.
Molecular gastronomy--radical chemistry-like cooking techniques that alter the taste, texture and form of common foods--is at odds with the Bay Area's local, natural, farm-to-table food culture, and rarely practiced here. But for those foodies out there who want to try--or try their hands at home--the most experimental, avant-grade culinary techniques in the world of cooking, look no further than this list.
True San Franciscans appreciate the fog, but not nearly as much as they appreciate the sun. From rooftops and terraces with panoramic Bay views to the dirtiest backyard patios, check out these choice spots to dine and drink while enjoying that rarest of SF anomalies: sunshine.
Back when a man's appreciation of beer was measured by the size of his belly, few could have imagined the quintessential everyman drink being judged on its nose and finish and paired with gourmet food by beer stewards. But, several new beer halls are doing just that--and packing them in. Of course, there are still a few local institutions that offer 100-plus bottles and drafts ... but leave the sniffing and pairing to the Napa crowd.
Mother Earth is the last person on your mind when you’re trying to get some, but in eco-obsessed SF, our most luscious man-eaters are locavores, manly studs ride bikes to work, and neither likes it when you leave the lights on. Boost your eco-cred and you might just pass third base--without leaving even the faintest carbon footprint.
With the exception of that mysterious insomniac known only as Mr. Pizza Man, the best chefs usually want to serve you in their restaurants. But the requisite hassles--reservations, parking, changing out out of your jammies--can make eating out more trouble than you're up for. Get your gourmet and giddyup with these gastro to-go options.
There’s something about rooftop space—panoramic views, seclusion from city bustle, adrenaline-inducing vertigo—but it's difficult to find in SF. Until now: look here for every public rooftop garden, bar and tanning spot in the city--including that one you thought no one knew about.
Growing tired of standard San Francisco fare? This city has no shortage of eclectic, offbeat eats, if--that is--you're willing to think outside the bread bowl. Intestines and insects might not be high on your list of cravings, but you’ll never know a true delicacy until you’ve tried. Whether they make your mouth water or your stomach turn, gear up for some of the Bay Area's freakiest foods.
Maybe there's a line around the block and there's a six-deep mob at the bar yelling out drink orders like stock traders. Or maybe a lopsided gender ratio means there's not enough meat at the market. Or maybe it's just dead. Whatever the case may be, having a plan-B option for your night out is crucial. Here are four great bars and four matching backup options to keep your night rolling.
