Mission Mission

Our first stop on the tour was also one of the most popular suggestions in the comments back when we posted about this ludicrous idea, and  the reason for this soon became apparent as the 500 Club steadily filled to capacity within minutes of our arrival.  Rachel, the resident bloody mary specialist, attracted quite a following and the cheerful patrons contributed to a raucous atmosphere despite the early hour.  By 12:30pm, it was almost like there was a party inside, and it was clear that many of patrons were regulars who made it a mission to visit every Saturday.

We had prepared for the event by specifically abstaining from breakfast because that’s the whole reason why a bloody mary exists in the first place (right?).  This was a wise decision, as Rachel’s bloody proved to be the ultimate “breakfast in a cup” and basically ended up being an alcoholic salad.  All manner of vegetables found their way into the mix: celery, pepperocinni, olives, pickled green beans, asparagus, and even okra (!!??!!), among others.  However, the real draw was of course the bacon, and not some thin wimpy bacon either, but a nice thick slab of crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside sustenance-providing bacon that provided a solid absorbent for some of the early alcohol.

Also notable about Rachel’s bloody was the spiciness factor.  There was a solid kick of pepper to help rouse your senses and the zest of the vegetables and tomato disguised the taste of the copious amount of vodka in the drink.  Some commenters complained that this was spiciness for spiciness’ sake rather than for taste, but we didn’t find it to be too overwhelming.  Rachel also made use of what the Elixir bartender revealed was the secret ingredient, which was Old Bay spice, so aspiring bloody mary mixologists should keep that in mind for future concoctions.

In all, the 500 Club provided a solid start with what many felt was the best bloody mary in the city, and also managed to nourish us sufficiently before we continued on our tipsy journey.  There’s a real sense of community there every Saturday morning, and we could definitely see ourselves coming back here next week to join in on the fun again!

[Photo by Erika]

The first-ever MM Bloody Marython went down this past Saturday, and thanks to everyone who participated it ended up being quite a blast!  We started at noon at the 500 Club and proceeded to also stop at Elixir, Zeitgeist, and Bender’s, drinking one bloody mary at each bar.  Needless to say, things got a little sloppy towards the end, but we made sure to take copious notes in case we didn’t quite remember everything!

We utilized a methodical approach that featured scorecards consisting of several distinct categories such as taste, texture, spiciness, accoutrements, alcohol content, overall presentaton, and bartender.  These were filled out by everyone on the tour as well as by patrons who happened to be drinking bloody marys at each bar and wanted to get in on the action.  Indeed, mild cases of favoritism were apparent, as a few of the bartenders seemed to have their own fan clubs in attendance.

As such, you can’t rely on the numbers alone, but they help to qualitatively identify clear trends.  For instance, the 500 Club consistently got the highest scores for accoutrements (owing to the high quality bacon, among other exotic ingredients) and bartender, while Zeitgeist got low scores for bartender by remote judges even though those of us who actually showed up were pleasantly surprised by how polite ours turned out to be (even after I tried to mess with him by tossing a credit card onto the bar to pay for the drinks).

In the end the scores were super close and each version was separated by a mere point, with 500 Club coming in first followed by Elixir, Bender’s, and Zeitgeist.  But of course it’s all about the context, so be sure to read our little breakdowns for each spot:

500 Club

Elixir

Zeitgeist

Bender’s

Since we can’t so much as even look at a bloody mary right now without feeling queasy, we’ll need some time to recover before the next MM Bloody Marython, but keep your eyes peeled here and we’ll let you know when the Sunday edition is going down.  At the moment, we’re thinking Pop’s, Thieves, Dirty Thieves, Argus, and the Attic.  Thanks again to everyone who showed up and helped make this such an awesome time, and special thanks to all the bartenders for making such fantastic drinks and putting up with all of us!

UPDATE: The tour was a success. Read all about it!

As we hinted earlier this week, the first ever Mission Mission Bloody Mary Tour will be taking place this Saturday.  We’re tentatively scheduling to start at noon, and the first stop will be none other than the 500 Club to sample Rachel’s famous bacon bloody mary (pictured)!  The schedule will go something like this:

• 500 Club
• Elixir
• Zeitgeist
• Bender’s
• Pop’s

If any of you would like to join us in order to collaborate, you are more than welcome!  We plan on staying at each spot for about 30-45 minutes, which is plenty of time to enjoy one bloody mary comfortably before heading over to the next location.  We’re going to have scorecards to help rate them all according to a variety of pertinent categories, so hopefully every bartender will be on their A game!

This is going to happen rain or shine, so bring umbrellas and stuff if you have to!  A nice vodka and tomato-fueled romp across the neighborhood!

Also, since Argus, Thieves, and the Attic all seem to have their special bloody marys on Sundays, they will have to wait until the Second MM Bloody Mary Tour (which will probably happen in about a month or less, actually).  Nonetheless, there will be plenty of delicious bloody marys to go around!

See you on Saturday at noon!

[Photo by pamalamadag]

It’s not a tecate hat. It’s not a pbr hat. It’s an awesome hat.

Besides that, though, anyone know what kind of hat this is? Freitag employment awaits!

After seeing all of our bloody mary hullabaloo last week, Jessi from Thieves Tavern got in touch to make sure everyone knew that a tasty bloody mary without anchovy paste is being served every Sunday from noon to five (with free pita, chips, and hummus too)!

They’re 6 dollars and really good and spicy…I use vegan worcestershire sauce, and pack ‘em with pickled and spicy veggies

Sounds scrumptious!  We might have to stop by this weekend during our MM Bloody Mary Tour.  What’s that?  Haven’t yet heard?  Well, since so many different spots were described so fanatically by so many different commenters, we figured we had to try to find out which was the BEST.  To remedy that, we’re embarking on a tour this weekend to hit up all of the favorite spots.

So far, we’re thinking 500 Club, Zeitgeist, Bender’s, Thieves, the Phonebooth, the Attic, and Pop’s.  Any other ones we’ve missed?  The schedule is TBD, but rest assured that it’s happening this weekend and that there will be scorecards!  Oh, and we definitely wouldn’t mind a little company if anyone wants to come along!

[Photo by the ever-talented Ariel]

This is what the little game monitor at the bar at Delirium said to me while I was waiting for some tequila. Not sure what it means, but the fireworks suggests that it was pleased with itself and probably thought it shut me up.

Well, who’s exploding now, jeark?

Sorry Devin Ramirez from San Mateo High School class of 2008, but judging from their table of commandeered identification cards, it doesn’t look like it.

Good try though.

MM reader Billy L. lives just a few doors down from the 500 Club, which as you may or may not know is getting a makeover, and fills us in on the progress:

But don’t worry purists, it appears they’re just fortifying the back bar (or maybe that’s just today’s project). The bar is scheduled to re-open on Friday. Until then, the fine folks there have been nice enough to provide us with alternative solutions for getting our swerve on. Cheers to that.

Which other like-minded, early-opening bars make the 500′s suggestion list?  Will they still (not) be open at 6am?

The answers, plus what may be your last-ever look at the iconic bar, after the jump . . .

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Check out this amazing pictorial piece by Wendy MacNaughton on The Rumpus.

Can you guess the bar by the register? I’m totally jealous of this thing.

Recently Rob from Thieves Tavern, over on 14th near Valencia, suggested we stop by the bar some weekday afternoon and try out some good old fashioned daytime drinking. They’re opening at noon during the week these days, so if you fancy yourself a little too rough around the edges to do your work in a coffee shop you can take advantage of their wi-fi and impressive whiskey selection. Also, if you can afford to drink coffee from Mission Beach Cafe you can also afford to walk across the street and Irish up that double cap. (note that soy lattes do not actually taste good with whiskey) Or you can just start drinking early and find new and creative ways to overtip, like the happy gentleman above.

Bonus fun fact about the whole Thieves bar empire: apparently Dirty Thieves over on 24th and Treat changed its name to The Blind Cat due to the owner losing a bet. Of course people still call it Treat Street, and they haven’t changed the sign so it’s all very confusing. I still think of Thieves Tavern as the Hush Hush, so whatever.