Mission Mission

As we threatened earlier this week, the MM Bloody Marython will recommence tomorrow at noon starting at Thieves Tavern on 14th Street by Guerrero.  We hope you join us for what definitely promises to be a shitshow.

After Thieves, we’ll traverse through several hundred scantily clad women shaking their ta-tas for Carnival towards our next stop at Pop’s on 24th by York.  From there, we’ll probably stop by the Phone Booth on S. Van Ness at 26th.   Unfortunately, Chelsea from the Attic is out of town this weekend and won’t be able to spoil us with her creativity and cheese cubes, but she hopes to be around for future tours.

Well, enough banter–see you tomorrow at noon!

[Photo by Mike Chino]

Facebook event page

Now that we can finally manage to look a bloody mary in the face again without experiencing severe nausea after all of that ridiculous indulgence during our initial foray, we figured it was time to get moving on round 2 of the Mission Mission Bloody Marython.  Last time we held the tour on a Saturday to provide us with plenty of time to recover the next day, but that unfortunately forced us to miss all of the bartenders who bring their bloody mary best on a Sunday!  Luckily, thanks to the upcoming 3 day weekend afforded by Memorial Day, this is the perfect opportunity to delve into their creations while still enjoying a buffer day of recovery.

So, please join us at 12 noon this Sunday for the next installment of the Mission Mission Bloody Marython.  We haven’t exactly solidified the route yet, but at the moment the idea is to hit up (in roughly this order):

• Thieves Tavern (14^th @ Guerrero) – home of the vegan bloody mary
• The Attic (24^th @ Mission) – tiny cubes of cheese!
• Pop’s (24^th @ York) – maybe we can get some BBQ too
• Phone Booth (26^th and S. Van Ness) – a dark horse contender
• Argus Lounge (Mission @ Valencia) – everyone keeps saying I need to try these

It will be a merry bloody mary fueled romp through the Mission, with a few nice walks in between for some exercise too!  Look, we even made a Facebook event page.  We’ll also probably post an update here when we finalize our route and schedule.  See you on Sunday at noon!

[Photo by Mike Chino]

The Bold Italic today shares some stories about the Eagle, from a handful of the folks who knew it best. Here’s some of why head Oh See John Dwyer loved it so:

No other bar in the city had the Eagle’s ambience — the whole place looked like it was hewn from stone by a sweaty man with his bare hands. t was the best. It was so raw and minimal. Every experience I had there is my favorite memory of being there.

Read on for one fine example, and a bunch more stories from other Eagle regulars.

[Thanks, Brock!]

It’s official — from here on out, Dirty Thieves will be known as the Blind Cat. As Ariel wrote back in March, the owner lost a bet and had to change its name, and the proof is in the new signage.

I don’t know about you, but the sign is more reminiscent of a dead cat. But I don’t draw cats, I only train them, so what do I know.

Previously:

• Like a Thief in the Day

We all know a grilled cheese is 10,000 times better with avocado on it. So what do you do when your favorite bar runs out? Send someone to the taquería up the street for an avocado side and some green salsa:

Makes the tots better, too.

If you’ve never experienced the magic that is Hard French, the wildly irreverent courtyard party thrown at El Rio on Saturdays, then you clearly aren’t doing this whole “livin’ in the Mission” thing right.  Luckily, this Saturday is your big chance to ameliorate that transgression, as Hard French is teaming up with Stay Gold and Mango to throw the most hella gay dance party afternoon of the year (so far) from 3-8pm.  Not only will there be rad jams and most likely a glitter kiddie pool, but your admission ($7-500 sliding scale) will help save the Dyke March which is in danger of being cancelled this year (and possibly forever) due to serious financial difficulties.  Check out all the deets here.

You’ve been warned, so don’t screw it up this time.

[Photo by Primo]

Observe:

Previously:

• Hang your bike on the crosswalk sign

Being the last stop on an all day Bloody Mary crawl is a little bit of a bum deal (hello drunk?), but Benders was able to hold it’s own with it’s now famous Slim Jim infused Mary.  You heard me right kids — a real life snackable meat stick conveniently settled next to the green beans and to the right of the straw, all for your noshing pleasure.  Delightful!

Besides having one of the best accoutrement’s on the tour, the Mary was quite delicious and drinkable.  Not too spicy, not too chunky, and the vodka-tomato ratio was just right.  According to the notes from some Crawlers, they’re huge fans of the horseradish addition, as well as the overall presentation of the drink, and of course, the Slim Jim.  We also received feedback stating that not only was Will a very capable and friendly bartender, but also very cute as well.  I don’t know if that affected the scoring or not, but hey, doesn’t hurt!

Overall, Benders, whether drinking Marys, taking whiskey shots or eating tots, is a great place to spend some time, make some new friends over rounds of drinks, and watch Arizona completely blow it against UConn in the Elite 8 (yes, I am still upset and no, I don’t want to talk about it).  Most importantly, get the Bloody Mary and snap into that Slim Jim.

There’s a reason Elixir calls their weekend bloody mary special a “vodka salad bar”: at your disposal is a rack full of spices, a cabinet’s worth of sauces, and there’s nothing to stop you from shoveling a plate of pickled veggies into your pint. The historic saloon’s extensive spread of ingredients makes it the perfect stop for those looking for a liquid lunch in a glass or complete control over the minutiae of bloody mary mixology.

Suggested listening: Journey – Any Way You Want It

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