by Carla B. on The name is completely deceiving. It should be called Dungeon Bar or something like that. This is by no means a real piano bar. It *has* a piano, but a guy singing covers and strumming an acoustic guitar played almost all night, and then came a "pianist", who in my opinion lacked finesse and played extremely overdone material. I mean, what is it with people seeing a piano and a guy sitting behind t that they always assume the only thing that should be played is Billy Joel or Elton John? Don't get me wrong, I like them both, but it's just extremely cliché and certainly not the only material, or most interesting kind. First thing when I come in, I ask the bartender for a martini menu and he hesitates and says, "Well, this is an old town bar..." [translation: "Don't bust my b@lls, just have a beer".] Well, you try wearing these 5 inch heels and feeling pretty with a Stella Artois on your hand. He says he can make a mandarin martini, to which I say yes. He brings me Absolute Mandrin vodka chilled, straight, with an orange slice. You went to bartending school and I make better drinks than you do? NEVER did I say dirty martini. It tasted like gasoline. I'm sorry -- there's just no skill in chilled vodka in a martini glass. The décor is nice and there's sheet music theme all over the bathroom walls. It's a shame -- it could be the real deal.
by Kermit Canete on I'm over Leisure. Is it the new bar, closer to the heart of SoMa? Maybe, because it attracted a different crowd than I had seen before. "Look, that place has a line. Let's go there!" Is it the fact that Aaron, a guy who clearly knows how to program a radio station, has played the exact same DJ set every month for the last few years? Yes, probably that. If you've been there regularly, you know the set: Disco 2000, Paint It Black, Supersonic, etc. Change your songs, Aaron! Is it that they took the tables out of the karaoke area so that it's no longer filled with nerdy karaoke junkies (guilty!) but rather a bunch of disinterested loud talkers? Yes, probably this. I know that Annie's was a bit too small for the crowds that went there, but the drinks were better, the bartenders were better, the layout was better, and the crowd was better.
by Cornell Manos on If you're a serious sushi aficionado, if you know the difference between cohada and saba, medium tuna and churo. If you like it Japanese style or even more extreme without rice then this is not the place for you. Most of the fish is mediocre and the fish that is decent is drowned in "fusion" sauces. Kitchen food doesn't fare much better. If you're a follower of Zagat, or a http://Chowhound.comperson, or you don't mind eating food to a house beat, by all means enjoy. Morimoto of Philly does have a nice interior. I've never seen so much bamboo applied to a ceiling and the lighting is ambient. Patrons at the sushi bar are outgoing and friendly. Let me also say that despite my two stars that all of the staff give their all in making your meal as pleasant as possible. However, if you're looking for the ultimate sushi experience and you're willing to spend $$$ to impress your date then get on a Amtrak to Washington, D.C. or NYC and go to Makoto or Taro or Yasuda respectively. Next! I throw away my mortgage payment and dine at Masa in NYC. Stay Tuned!
