Funny thing is I remember having this same argument 7 years ago, before I left LA, with friends who loved to go to Ruby Skye. Clubs don't usually last that long. Tell me are DNA, 1015 Folsom and the EndUp still around? And that weird place named White Tiger or something over by the Broadway tunnel?

Don't know about White Tiger but the other 3 are still in business.

I guess SF works way different than LA. No club lasts more than 3 years in LA.

1015 - still going - completely different crowd - somone got shot there not too long ago - sucks - but running

DNA - still going strong with live stuff - Friday is the night to go - used to be really good - now it's pretty unremarkable

End Up - new ownership I believe - never been a fan tho - still going

Never heard about White Tiger.

There aren't any really great clubs in SF that I'm aware of, unfortunately. Still beats the LA scene which is so f**king pretentious and exclusive and annoying.

I guess now it's called Sip. Formerly the Blind Tiger.

hey does anyone know of a good brunch/breakfast place in palo alto?

This place is probably overpriced (welcome to Palo Alto) but I like it a lot.

I second this recommendation.

If you're ever up in SF try Tartine Bakery or Mama's on the Square.

Any feedback on Gary Danko or La Provence? I'll be in SF for client meetings and both are likely visits.

Some Divisadero recommendations and their general proximity:

Little Star Pizza (Divis and Mccallister) - Real damn good deep dish pizza. If you've been to Zachary's in the east bay, this might be better. The pizza is more solid than Zacks which can get kind of soupy. Better also that Paxti in hayes valley.

Little star can get crowded but not as bad as Zachary's on college ave, oakland. That place was always a mess.

Tsuname Sushi (Divis and fulton) - Pretty good stuff and big sake list. I'm new to sake so I dont know how it stacks up but i've enjoyed my trips here. Sushi is good, but i hear there is better. Anyone know of a cheap sushi place in the Western Addition area? Should I just start going through japan town?

Thai Place II (Divis and fell?) - I like the thai here, its cheap and they deliver.

Ziryab (Divis and fell) - Very Solid mediterranean food and they have hookahs. Get the Meza appetizer.

Bar 821- Real loungy place. Its not crowded and quiet, the only drawback is they close real damn early. They have 22oz micros on tap for about $4- score. Not great beer selection, but it works. Oh yeah, no hard alcohol which seems to be a trend in Divis.

Flybar- similar to 821, a little more crowded and louder. Pretty cool place. Again no hard-a

The Page - They have hard alcohol and its a little more old school divey, which is tight. One of my prof was picking up chicks here once.

5 Star Truffles - I heard there was this famous truffles place in North Beach that the owner of 5-star broke away from. The stuff is incredible and cheap compared to the other place: $.50 a piece.

Lower Haight has gotten some recommendations here and it really is a sick part of town as well. Lots of tight bars and good food. The Alamo square is a great place to visit because its surrounded by Divis, Lower Haight and Hayes Valley. If you go north on Fillmore there is tons of stuff there as well.

I'm not very outgoing, and I am too young to get drunk, so mostly I go to the century 20 in Daily City to watch movies. Sometimes we will go up north and hang out by the peirs, and that that black dude who hides behind a bush.

BF: Good post. It's hard to find anyone to agree, but I also think Little Star is better than Zachary's. Also, love that garlic bread!

60: Search on "Gary Danko." It gets pretty much my highest recommendation in SF, great place. Definitely do the cheese course. Haven't been to La Provence.

I went to Annabelle's Bar and Bistro on Sunday and was disappointed and unimpressed. Perhaps a bad choice of entrees but it was not good (value or food).

Never had breakfast or brunch there. But their burgers and shakes are the best on the Peninsula. They also have a location at Stanford Mall, where it's a lot easier to find parking.

I'll second the SF recommendation of Tartine.

I'm having a "friend" fly in on the weekend of the 18th. I basically have no clue about SF since my focus is on school. Could somebody give me a schedule of things to do. She has never been to SF, likes to drink, and hates seafood. Any help would be appreciated. I'm trying to plan the weekend, but have no idea what is good. Thanks.

Recently discovered Couleur Cafe in Potrero hill. I almost don't want to spread the word, cos it already gets busy on warm sunny Sunday lunchtimes.

This place is very relaxed, authentic, charming, and a varied menu. Not a place to go if you are in a hurry.

Couple of reviews:
SF Bay Guardian
Yelp

el oh el

I'm literally planning this same weekend for some friends coming into town as we speak. I've basically divided it up in neighborhoods.

Mission (which I think is your 'hood):
Day trip basically just up and down Mission and Valencia between 16th and 24th, and east on 24th toward Garfield park. You probably have a better idea of specifics, but some eats are Herbivore (vegan joint with great breakfasts that I don't believe has been mentioned) and La Taqueria, while checking out all the art and culture and boutiques, etc. Maybe Medjool for cocktails or 12 Galaxies if they want to see a show.

Castro:
Barhopping here is just fun! If you go on a friday or saturday night don't bring a car, as parking is bad even by SF standards (as in an hour or more to find a spot).

China Town / North Beach:
Basically a striaght shot from the Union Square shopping area up Grant all the way through China town to North Beach. China Town is good for the ambiance alone, but check out the Vital Leaf tea store as you get free tea samples and they really put on a show for the tourists. And once you get to North Beach just wander around until you find a restaurant that strikes your fancy and enjoy. Tony Niks (on Stockton just off Columbus) is a great little hole in the wall bar which pours STIFF drinks. And if its that kind of a trip you can take a stroll down Broadway afterward and hit a strip club or two.

Tenderloin:
I live in the Tenderknob so I have a bazzilion recomendations for this neighborhood. There's basically two ways you can go barhopping: high end and low end. On the high side there's all the new joints like Rye (concrete box with load music and awesome drinks), Ambassador (club atmosphere where sharp dressed hotties get taken for expensive drinks), and Speakeasy (theme bar trying to be a prohibition joint, make reservations), as well as Le Colonial (hidden upscale restaurant/bar whith atmosphere in spades and even dancing). Or you can go low-rent and just hit up some dive bars, which can be really fun if you enjoy that kind of thing, or if you like to smoke while you drink. Start at HA-RA on Geary and sort of wander east and south. I could go on for a page about the eats in this neighborhood, so ask if you're interested.

There's other obvious ones, but these are a few of the "neighborhoods" I've got on my to do list.

Anybody know a place with a nice patio to have drinks, chill outside, etc? It's getting nice out and I don't really know many places to enjoy it.

I live by Dolores Park Cafe which is okay, but it's impossible to get a table there on a nice day.

I just moved to the Tenderloine to be closer to school. If you could give more info about the bars in the area, I would really appreciate it. She is straight Newport Beach girl so dive bars are really out of the question.

Also, about Castro... isn't it predominately gay? Are there really nice bars in the area? Once again thanks.

Good call El D

Kurt: "I could go on for a page about the eats in this neighborhood, so ask if you're interested." Yeah, would love to hear about your favorite places there. Taj Mahal is great for cheap Indian, Pakwan is good for even cheaper. Chai Yo is good for cheap Thai. Lots of other good cheap Vietnamese, fish and chips, etc. there. Some nicer restaurants around there too. What are some joints you like?

steel: " She is straight Newport Beach girl so dive bars are really out of the question." You might want to take her out on Chestnut/Fillmore/Union street for the Marina yuppie ex-frat-boy/sorority-girl bar tour. Tons of places around there on Chestnut and Union and on Fillmore between Chestnut and Union. Also a number of places in the Mission and in North Beach which are not quite like that but also fun and nice. Savoy in North Beach is always fun. Kell's is a blast - more of a fun, post-college party bar atmosphere - highly recommend it. Lot of good recs in Kurt's post. Describe in a little more detail what type of places you think would be ideal. As for Tenderloin bars, it's a little sparse in the middle. There are a number of high-end swanky bar/lounge places - Slide, Redwood Room, Rye, Ambassador, etc. and a number of really divey places. But not much in the middle. Oh, Swig is probably a good choice if you don't want it to be quite so pretentious.

c,

The Ramp, Zeitgeist, Pier 23, Americano. Four very different places that are all great when it's sunny. Zeitgeist and Americano can get pretty packed quickly on nice sunny days, though.

Hey, we're neighbors. Nice bars in the TL, eh? Well, there's the ones I mentioned:

Rye (@ Geary & Leavenworth) Concrete box with loud music and awesome drinks. Hip.

Ambassador (Geary & Leavenworth) Club feel, rather upscale, maybe a line, good looking crowd.

Speakeasy (O'Farell & Jones) Quiet with fancy drinks, speakeasy theme, by reservation only. Could be romantic.

Le Colonial (Taylor & Post, down Cosmo alley, in the middle of the block) Fancy French/Vietnamese restaurant with bar upstairs. They have a list of entertainment on their website. Really stylish. Super cool.


And many others:

Swig (Geary between Jones and Taylor) A no-cover dance club. It mostly sweeps up the tourists that want to dance and don't want to pay the cover at Ruby Skye a block away, but it can be fun. Kinda a meat market.

Bambuda Lounge (Eddy & Larkin) Super-hip SF lounge. Everything from tables, to beds, to a nice patio, DJs, and topped off with tasty and strong drinks. Nice place.

Red Room (Sutter & Jones) A bar with everything inside being red. Kinda a one trick pony, but its suave and the drinks'll get you loaded.

Lush Lounge (Polk & Post) Low-key gay bar. Might catch sight of some trannys leaving Divas across the street. Was super cool when they had live music, but now its just a nice mellow place to get a drink. Fruity cocktails, especially. There's a cool punk bar called Hemlock across the street too, but that might not be your friend's kind of thing.

Edinburgh Castle (Geary between Larkin and Polk) Brit-style pub, a real Guiness, Harp, fish and chips kind of place. There's a hidden room upstairs where they have rock bands play. Fun.

Clift (Geary & Taylor) Hotel bar, real chic decor and real high end. Wouldn't be surprised to see a celebrity in here. Access will be the issue. The doormen get real uppity about who they let in later in the evening when its crowded, saying hotel guests only, but if you look good enough or maybe grease him a little you can probably get in, or just go early and hang around until it fills up. Swank.

Edit to above. What I referred to as Speakeasy is actually called The Anti Saloon League. My bad.

I'll try to do some TL eats if I get the chance.