Neighborhoods: Union Square, Nob Hill
6 Claude Ln(between Bush St & Sutter St)
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 788-6686
In the Know: Let me just start out by saying, WOW! Where the hell has this kinda design in San Francisco been? I mean everything was spectacular, spectacular! And I am not just saying that because one of my favorite local SF designers (Mr. Important) did it. Oh, no no no. Each and every minor detail was attended to as if it was a cuddly bunny nestled in the bossom of a rock star design. From the colored menus to the lighting scheme to the multi-leveled dining/bar areas to the incredible bathroom, Mr. Important left no proverbial stone unturned. Lets begin at the bar as that
is obviously my favorite place to be: When first doing my research (i.e. looking at their website gallery) I immediately thought it was over designed with a cluster f*ck of materials. Not the case at all. Since it is two times higher than it is wide all the elements really start complimenting eachother superbly. What can only be described as wavy herringbone wood panels ran into red alligator skin walls (not real) butted up against rough brick covered by foe metal panels. On top of that, gigantic theateresque curtains hung from the ceiling framing two classical in form but modern in theme tapestries. It seems no one does that anymore. I felt like I was in some sort of uber modern castle with the sexy foreign bartender as my girlfriends and my prince. She loves the accent; i love the baldies ;) (could have been a King if he showed a little more skin. Just something to keep in mind for next time.) Illuminating everything was two orbiting globe chandeliers. While the glowing globes are extremely unique and interesting, it was the base they were hanging from that caught my attention. It looked like some sort of circular rock formation. So if you are keeping track, that makes it rock, brick, metal, wood, alligator skin, and fabric. What's missing? Glass. Do not dismay, they had that too. At the end of the bar was an interesting stripped glass wall. On the customers side it was a door that opened up to the street. On the bar side it was a sliding window that once opened looked like a drive up window. What a genius way to let in air if the space gets stuffy. Could also be pretty fantastic for a cocktail to go...yes? But wait! Don't think that is the end of it. After a bottle of wine, the design went from great to a-mazing as I v
entured around the rest of the space. The upstairs dining area had a completely different feel than the bar. The brick walls surrounding the space were illuminated from the bottom, a fantastic effect called grazing. What I love most about the walls is they were encased behind glass. It made it look as though the whole wall was its own art piece. This gave the upstairs a very dark and vibrant ambiance. I usually do not put dark and vibrant in the same sentence because they kinda contradict each other but the use of colors created a sort of intense intimacy. At least I am sure that is exactly what the 4 business gentleman were thinking when they were enjoying their marinated local sardine filets, with herbed crostini, tapenade, pickled vegetables, and caper berries. Allst while staring warmly into eachothers eyes. Brilliant! What's even more brilliant, since the dining area was so small, Mr. Important used a semi-reflecive ceiling that really makes the space appear larger than in is. Now tell me, who wouldn't want mirrors on the ceiling, hmmm?
entured around the rest of the space. The upstairs dining area had a completely different feel than the bar. The brick walls surrounding the space were illuminated from the bottom, a fantastic effect called grazing. What I love most about the walls is they were encased behind glass. It made it look as though the whole wall was its own art piece. This gave the upstairs a very dark and vibrant ambiance. I usually do not put dark and vibrant in the same sentence because they kinda contradict each other but the use of colors created a sort of intense intimacy. At least I am sure that is exactly what the 4 business gentleman were thinking when they were enjoying their marinated local sardine filets, with herbed crostini, tapenade, pickled vegetables, and caper berries. Allst while staring warmly into eachothers eyes. Brilliant! What's even more brilliant, since the dining area was so small, Mr. Important used a semi-reflecive ceiling that really makes the space appear larger than in is. Now tell me, who wouldn't want mirrors on the ceiling, hmmm?Last and most certainly the most important design goes towards the bathroom. The hypnotic white and black tiling worked wonders set against a semi-opaque glass wall. One very interesting feature was the addition of the urinal. This is not something usually found in a unisex bathroom. I absolutely love this idea! Why the heck would I want to share the same toilet with guys that for the life of them have some sort of problem aiming into the bowl. Is it honestly that hard to miss? The thing is like a foot wide. 
Behind the Bar: Enough with the technical side, lets get to the juicy stuff. Our bartender (the sexy foreign prince previously mentioned) gave Lindsay and I a pretty good insight into why European bars are better than American. He explained that size matters. (Sport, I couldn't agree with you more;) The bar was too spread out. Apparently in Europe all the amenities you need, i.e. shakers, glasses, bottles, etc. are within arms distance away from each other. No need to go from one side to the next to grab a cherry. Here, however, everything was so spread out. In order to shake up a Gypsy cocktail he had to pace the lot(and in this case the bar). I can't say that I completely agree with him on spreading out the bar. I mean he is a European for gods sake, they have no concept of spatial boundaries. They don't mind things being uncomfortably close. He also mentioned that the shelving system was dangerously narrow. Generally, bars have some sort of counter space separating the hip of the bartender from the neatly stacked and freshly polished glassware. This helps avoid accidents as well as give added counterspace. But I must admit, not having that extra ledge does make it look pretty swanky.
*Here we pause for a moment. You have no idea how hard that was for me to decipher what the heck this fuzzy foreigner was saying. The fact of the matter is I am one of those 'hears what she wants to hear' type of person. It is devastatingly hard to do this when you only understand a fraction of what the guy is actually saying. So lets do the math: I maybe understood 1/2 of what he was saying. Now take into account that I chose to hear probably 1/2 of the 1/2 said to me. So after a 10 minute conversation with this gentleman I really only got a solid minute'ish' of information from him. It also probably didn't help that he gave Lindsay and I a free round of Sherry whilst explaining his view on the design. More drinks will do nothing but make it harder for me to process the information. Come to think of it, Sherry is a very interesting choice when giving free rounds. Some delicious mixed cocktail, most likely. A shot of jaegar, possibly. But sherry? I guess they are going for the 'we are European and different. We drink sherry as only real men can.' Gentleman, it was a nice touch :)
Who's Who: As much as I love going out, I have this weird thing about waiting outside a restaurant for it to open just so I can start drinking. If it was a minute before I got there that's totally fine. It was open, im cool. But waiting for them to open the doors and invite me in, sucks. This, of course, happened a
t Gitane because for some reason they don't even open until 5:30pm. (If they only knew how many people they could pull in if they opened just 30 min. earlier. Think about it boys...sitting outside in the 70 degree weather in the middle of the winter, kinda priceless) Luckily, I was not the first in line. A nice group had gathered outside. From what I saw, an impressive after work crowd. Ages looked from mid 20's to late 40's. Mostly all dressed up. Mostly all needing a break from a hard days work. Everyone kinda had their own thing going on which made it pleasant to sip on some wine in the presence of great company. But I suggest making a reservation or arriving shortly after it opens before embarking on this visual extravaganza. Space is limited.
And to you, chatty Cathy sitting next to me: Guy, I am trying to discuss politics, religion, and sex with my girl friend and most certainly do not need to hear another peep outta you about your sweet digs in Tahoe or your workout regime or how much coke you just finish doing. All those things is better kept to yourself.
t Gitane because for some reason they don't even open until 5:30pm. (If they only knew how many people they could pull in if they opened just 30 min. earlier. Think about it boys...sitting outside in the 70 degree weather in the middle of the winter, kinda priceless) Luckily, I was not the first in line. A nice group had gathered outside. From what I saw, an impressive after work crowd. Ages looked from mid 20's to late 40's. Mostly all dressed up. Mostly all needing a break from a hard days work. Everyone kinda had their own thing going on which made it pleasant to sip on some wine in the presence of great company. But I suggest making a reservation or arriving shortly after it opens before embarking on this visual extravaganza. Space is limited.And to you, chatty Cathy sitting next to me: Guy, I am trying to discuss politics, religion, and sex with my girl friend and most certainly do not need to hear another peep outta you about your sweet digs in Tahoe or your workout regime or how much coke you just finish doing. All those things is better kept to yourself.
