Tag: SanFrancisco

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Daywalker Relief at Pagan Idol

Popped into Pagan Idol on our way to the Go-Go’s show on Tuesday after dinner. I threw my back out on Monday but thankfully there was relief in the form of Pagan’s signature Zombie which is called the Daywalker. This longtime favorite was just what I needed and while I’m not a connoisseur of Zombies I did think it was really great.

Mrs. Mai Tai had the Banana Be’ with butterscotch, cinnamon, pineapple, and coconut which we both also really liked, creamy but not overly sweet and very well balanced. This was my third visit in the last couple months and have had great cocktails each time, so I probably should come more often to try some of the other menu items.

Service at Pagan Idol on a weeknight is a little bit of an unknown, since they only open the back room when warranted by the amount of guests in the venue. We like the front room and sat at a table by the fish tank, but it did get a little crowded when a couple large groups came in.

The Go-Go’s played very well over at the Warfield and sounded pretty good despite some mixing issues by the sound team. This is now the third or fourth tour we’ve been to since they announced they were retiring in 2010. LOL.

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Regression at Trad’r Sam

I wrote fairly glowingly about the refreshed interior at Trad’r Sam after their surprise and ultimately short-lived temporary shuttering in the fall of 2023. The world’s oldest continuously operating tiki bar was quickly back in business including a decor upgrades and graffiti-free restrooms.

After our wonderful dinner at Tommy’s Mexican we walked a couple blocks up Geary to see how the ol’ Trad’r was doing. There weren’t a lot of people in there just past six, and we settled at a table for conversation over drink. Greg and Debbie had been here before dinner so went with Cokes and Julie and I scanned the menu for some cocktails we’d like to try.

I had a great experience with a Singapore Sling on a past visit, and decided to skip the Mai Tai made with apricot brandy, sweet and sour, and pineapple juice (but at least it wasn’t blended like the Zombie and Navy Grog are). The Sling was, well it was fine – but really sweet. Meanwhile Mrs. Mai Tai went with the Toasted Almond cocktail which is a frozen drink and thanks to being frozen tasted pretty great and not so sweet. Maybe a frozen Zombie isn’t a bad choice next time.

I’m sad to report the restroom has regressed. While the walls are white they’re now covered in graffiti that was pretty raunchy, expressing to customers that Trad’r Sam is still quite divey and likely will remain so forever. Nonetheless, I do enjoy my visits here to remind myself of the history that’s been in place for almost 90 years.

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Classic Cocktail: Tommy’s Margarita at Tommy’s Mexican

The winds of fate conspired to once again land us at the birthplace of a seminal local cocktail, after Greg and Debbie suggested checking out Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant in the Richmond District of San Francisco. This is the birthplace of the Tommy’s Margarita, which uses agave syrup rather than triple sec as the sweetener in the cocktail.

Greg smartly suggested arriving before opening so we were able to sit at the bar and talk to the bartender. Enrique is third generation member of the family that founded Tommy’s in 1965, and he walked us through the cocktail while preparing drinks and constantly juicing limes. All the staff were super friendly throughout our visit, talking about the history of the venue and showing us mementos and such.

The creator of the Tommy’s Margarita is Julio Bermejo, Enrique’s uncle, and it includes 2 parts of 100% agave tequila, 1 part fresh lime juice, and 1 part of agave syrup (equal parts agave nectar and water). The ingredients are measured in a blender and then shaken with plenty of cubed ice. The cocktail comes ungarnished and if you order a pitcher it makes four cocktails and you save a little off the cost.

This my friends is easy drinking right there! The Tommy’s Margarita was so simple yet had so much flavor that is perfectly balanced. The key is great tequila, but the ice is made with San Francisco water so would be hard to replicate exactly outside the City. And that lime juice is minutes fresh, not stored overnight or juiced hours before service, adding brightness that really makes a difference.

There’s a large selection of tequila here, and the restaurant claims to be the world’s best tequila bar. Enrique walked Greg through a recommended pour, and there’s a tequila club you can join if you visit on weekdays. We also ordered some food and found the dishes to be exemplary. The vibe at Tommy’s was really great, we’re bummed it took us this long to visit. But as they say, better late than never. We will return.

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Tiki Classic Cocktails at Smuggler’s Cove

I found myself in SF on Wednesday for some rum drinking and socializing at Smuggler’s Cove. After finishing some rum I decided to go the cocktail route with two tiki classics and to see how well Smuggler’s Cove interpreted the originals, and it should be no surprise that both were excellent renditions. Because you can’t always have the Mai Tai, even if it is one of the best anywhere.

Navy Grog

The Navy Grog had plenty of rum as you’d expect but it is so well balanced you’d hardly notice. Taking inspiration from the Trader Vic’s version of this classic, Smuggler’s uses Allspice Dram as the key sweet and spice component to great effect.

Planter’s Punch

Even better was the Planter’s Punch that features Appleton 8 Reserve blended rum from Jamaica, with small measures of Allspice Dram and Angostura Bitters. I really loved the richness of this cocktail, including the Appleton rum that serves as an excellent backbone.

I must say it was great to see the Cove being pretty busy on a Wednesday, not so much that you couldn’t find a seat but more than enough to demonstrate the appeal of the city’s best exotic cocktails midweek. Two guys noticed the aloha wear a couple of us were wearing and peppered us with questions about the appeal of tiki bars. I don’t know if our answers were completely cogent (alcohol was involved, after all) but we did our best to extol the virtues.

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Classic Cocktail: Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista Cafe

We did a family trip to San Francisco and decided to check out the Buena Vista Cafe for Irish Coffee and a snack. The location opened over 100 years ago but is most famous for being the location where Irish Coffee was introduced to America in 1952. Popular syndicated writer Stan Delaplane had one at the airport in Shannon Ireland and upon his return worked with replicate it with Buena Vista owner Jack Koeppler. Delaplane’s column became a key channel for making the drink a viral hit. Delaplane would later publish a Mai Tai recipe sans pineapple juice in 1961.

The cafe was so busy they sat the four of us at a large table with another couple and one single, with everyone eager to try the drink for themselves and some also ordering breakfast and brunch specialties. A short distance away a bartender was making a dozen Irish Coffees in assembly line style, not unlike how they make Mai Tais at Trader Vic’s. The bartender is skilled and can whip out a batch in no time.

The Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista is made by pouring hot water into the glass to prepare it. Then the water is dumped and hot coffee is poured in. Then two sugar cubes are dropped in and quickly stirred, resulting in some coffee spilling out. Next, a jigger of Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey is added, then topped with lightly whipped cream. I’d had a few Irish Coffees before but they pale to the Buena Vista’s, it was just that good. I really enjoyed the hot beverage and it had just the right balance of sweetness and enough whiskey to taste.

There are historical nods throughout the venue, including a plaque outside the building, so take the time to look around if you visit. There’s a gift shop next door and we enjoyed talking with the staff and seeing them work so efficiently.

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Is Zombie Village Making a Comeback?

After a round of cocktails at Smuggler’s Cove we Lyfted over to Zombie Village for more cocktails and to soak in the atmosphere Saturday night. In some past visits over the last couple years the venue hasn’t been that busy even on Saturdays, but we were pleasantly surprised to see that the space was very well attended this week including a large group that seemed to be holding some sort of convention over in the ice cave area. This was Maggie’s first visit and the huge tikis and special effects do continue to amaze guests.

The cocktail menu continues to have a nice selection of cocktails, almost all of which are from the venue’s launch in 2018 (thank you Doc Parks and crew!). We started with our two favorites: a Disco Banana for me and a Coco Pandan for Mrs. Mai Tai. Both were well-prepared, especially the Disco Banana that was frozen and had a great texture. I followed that up with a delicious and fassionola-forward Village Punch that still uses a fragrant gardenia as a garnish.

There were still a few of the amazing Woody Miller mugs for sale, one of which Joe snapped up to take home. There was a great energy and cool music at Zombie Village during our visit, and it was also so nice to see Carlos Jimenez (ex-Kon-Tiki) behind the bar as a new Villager. Things are looking up for this wonderful tropical oasis in San Francisco.

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Smuggler’s Cove Killed It Again

Had a great visit to Smuggler’s Cove on Saturday, arriving at around 7:30 and able to enter right away ahead of a large group that got in line behind us. We were directed to go downstairs to the Boathouse to order but were told we could sit anywhere. That large (and increasingly obnoxious) group followed us into the Boathouse shortly thereafter, so we took our drinks upstairs where it was totally relaxing and quiet enough to have a great conversation.

The cocktail pairing was our usual, a Mai Tai for me and a Fluffy Banana for Mrs. Mai Tai, but the end results were no less impressive with rich and bold flavors that hit all the right notes. The ongoing cocktail quality at Smuggler’s Cove remains truly impressive thanks in part to the experienced bar staff such as Melissa Garcia who has been at the Cove since basically day one and remains a stellar mixologist who made our cocktails perfectly.

With Joe and Maggie