Mission Mission

Just wake me up when it’s time for brunch.

Aren’t weekends in the Mission just grand?

Grub Street has the scoop:

[T]he new bar will have a serious cocktail focus, with a weekly changing cocktail menu, farmers’ market ingredients, and even a Champagne cart on weekends. As for the décor, it’s going to echo the sort of dark-red, heavily draped Victorian interior of their Upper Floor, a set they use at the Armory for a BDSM video site.

[...]

Also, there will be erotic art installations from local artists, and a private lounge that’s available by reservation with its own separate entrance. It also sounds like they’ll be using this private barroom as a launching point for the popular public tours of the Armory.

Champagne cart! Read on.

And if you haven’t watched the short film about the final days of the Ace Cafe, set aside some time this afternoon.

[via Eater SF] [Artist's rendering by Andrew Dalton / SFist]

This just in: the Rite Spot Cafe, one of my favorite spots to grab a burger and watch a Japanese cowboy belt out Jimmy Rodgers tunes, is wrapping up its renovations and opens on September 5th. They are actively booking music acts for the month, so it looks like their nightly live show format will remain the same.

It has been closed for about a year for “serious or repeated violations pertaining to vermin infestation.” Translation: roaches. Well, let’s hope all that was taken care of.

I love the Olympics. They’re campy and absurd, and they’re a glimpse into the superhuman race breeding amongst us. Synchronized swimming or rhythmic gymnastics, anyone? What about that one that involves running, swimming, fencing, riding a horse, and shooting a gun? I call that one “Survival”.

The London 2012 Olympics start this Friday. So which local bars can we watch them in? Tell me, and I’ll compile a list. Ready, set, go! USA!

[Ginny is taking over the Mission Vegan column from Caroline, who moved away for medical school. She loves cats, metal, and kale.]

I’ve only visited Dear Mom for the booze, but I’m well-aware that they also serve food. The problem is that those weekly pop-up dinners, as crazy and creative as they are, are pretty heavy on the meat and cheese. That’s all good for my omnivorous friends, but for a vegan lush like myself, I need something to stabilize all that Maker’s. Sad Vegan™ no more:  This Saturday, Hella Vegan Eats is hosting a pop up dinner and I’m hella excited.

Here’s the Facebook invite!!! Come say hi…if you dare!

UPDATE:

I don’t know how I missed this sweet piece on the door at Bender’s. Who’s the lucky lady that gets to go on a gorilla ride to the top of Sutro? I hear he likes blondes.

[via wirednerd]

Somebody very nostalgic for the good ol’ days of hardcore decided to demonstrate his or her style on the sidewalk near Benders. Does Benders have Cro-Mags on the jukebox? That would be cool.

(more…)

Say what you will about Clooney’s Pub on Valencia and 25th, but it’s got one thing the other, hipper bars in the area don’t have: a coin pusher game.

Remember dropping your mom’s hard-earned tokens into these at Chuck-E-Cheese while she sat at the table looking tired? This one, decorated with “Just for fun” decals, has a few $5 and $20 bills sprinkled in there too, upping the stakes.

We pumped at least $1.50′s worth “fun” into this baby before some dude outside used the brilliant strategy of “kicking it really hard”, which is in fact pretty easy to do considering it’s right next to the front door making for easy escape. Not that it mattered. Even after this thing let off a shrill alarm sound upon being assaulted, nobody (including the bartender) payed any mind and the guy casually collected his “winnings”.

He kicked it like 3 more times and probably made at least $3.50 for his trouble. Then he proceeded to play the game legitimately with his ill-gotten quarters, continuing the circle of life.

Not bad, but I think he could still learn something from these kids:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUAfIcUnxsY

Spotted at the Phoenix.

Bender’s has two amazing vegan tacos on its menu: the seitan taco and the grilled veggie taco, which, in addition to grilled veggies, also has smashed-up pieces of their homemade vegan burger in it. Both feature hunks of avocado, tangy pickled red cabbage, and, surprisingly, enough salt that I didn’t need to add any – remarkable since I have never in my life eaten anything and thought it was too salty.

You know what’s great about Bender’s? They don’t refer to the seitan taco as a “fake chicken” taco. I like this because seitan is real food, not fake chicken: it’s just real seitan, in all its chewy, crumbly, mouthfeely glory. Two omnivorous vegan-taco-enthusiast friends joined me for dinner and chose the vegan ones over the meaty ones on the menu. On purpose. Also, a friendly black dog named Mortimer wanted to steal them.

That’s right, friends: Seitan is real. And it’s saltier that the sweat of John Henry’s brow.