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Bar Basic
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 4 pm - 12 am
Fri 4 pm - 2 am
Sat 7 pm - 2 am
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Music:
- DJ
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Wed, Thu
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Kim J. said: "Shawn's course "Essential Mixology" was a birthday gift. What a great way to spend a day! Delicious cocktails, world history with an emphasis on…" read more »
72 reviews for Bar Basic
Review Highlights
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72 reviews in English
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Review from April W.
Mountain View, CA
The drinks here are sooooo strong--even the fruity ones! I remember very little from my last visit here.
The happy hour is great.
The Nintendo on the bar is pretty neat.
My favorite thing about this place is Roqbot (you get to pick songs from your mobile phone). One complaint: last time I was there, they let you still pick songs (and therefore pay for them) after the DJ started.
I also like that they let you eat food from the food truck outside (which had *amazing* tacos). -
Review from Vanessa L.
San Francisco, CA
I love this bar! If you told me that I could sip on martinis in a lounge bar and play super Nintendo, I would laugh in your face. But it is true! this place is a gem!
The bar also has a cool "dj"/jukebox feature where you can download an app called roqbot and influence/add songs to play! Total control = awesome! -
Review from Jean Y.
Great place to kick off a weekend night or to throw a party and take over with your friends.
- Friendly bartenders
- Plenty of seating
- Old school Nintendo with Mario Kart
- $3 mystery shot game
1. Pick a number between 1 and 13.
2. The bartender pulls out the corresponding bottle.
3. Surprise!
*** Memorizing the numbers won't do you much good, since there are multiple boxes of numbered bottles behind the bar. There are normal shots of clear and dark liquor, but I've also gotten some nasty stuff, such as Smirnoff Marshmallow, Seagram's Dark Honey, and SoCo Pepper. Be warned! -
Review from Kevin L.
Redwood City, CA
Great place to watch a game.
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Review from Colin Z.
San Jose, CA
The couches are nice to sit on and the bar is pretty well stocked. The beer selection is somewhat lacking.
I ordered a beer and my friend got the Mango Martini. The beer was fine, after all it's just beer.
The Mango Martini though was quite terrible. It didn't taste like Mango and they used some really cheap tasting vodka.
Overall, it was an OK experience. -
Review from Ama T.
Mountain View, CA
Went here as a preparty for a friend's birthday celebration.
Philipino/Mexican Food stand outside has delicious spring rolls. You can bring the food inside where they have a long couch-type seating area and ottomans that you can move around and sit on as well as your standard seats at the bar.
Happy hour lasts until 9pm. They have $5 martinis and $3 draft. I got the pomegranate martini and it was tasty and strong. You must try the Shot Box! Chose a number and they give you a mystery shot based on your number! for $3!
Cool unique features: download the roqbot app and you can add songs to the bar's playlist! It's pretty entertaining to chose the songs and gets everybody engaged. They have a Nintendo set somewhere. i didn't play because I was engaged in lots of convo and silliness but it exists...
The crowd was lively. The bar tenders were friendly and efficient.
I had a great time and I felt like this bar really facilitated me and my friends hanging out, eating and drinking freely and to our heart's content. -
Review from Jim C.
Belmont, CA
This bar is a cross between dive and trendy...the bartenders are awesome...we (mu buddy and I) nicknamed one of the girls Apple for the heck of it and she kept it going lol...I believe her real name was stephanie, and it's def. because of her that we'd go back.
My friend threw her bday celebration there, and the bottle service was awesome, the atmosphere was fun, friendly and most importantly WITHOUT DRAMA!
They have a super nintendo that people can play, the dj keeps the tracks goin with a great variety of music to move to. -
Review from Nicole L.
My BF and I just hosted a NYE party here and we couldn't have asked for a friendlier venue.
Just 2.5 weeks before new years we decided we wanted to host a party. Fortunately Bar Basic was available and with only a $1500 bar tab minimum for a 120 person capacity space it seemed like a perfect fit. One of the owners, Mike, was extremely helpful. He was organized, responsive, and obviously experienced in party planning he seemed to know exactly what we wanted. Renting the bar for NYE included champagne toasts for all our guests, favors like party hats and noise makers, a DJ, and couple of awesome bartenders - what more could we ask for?
The night of our event we were able to arrive early to set up decorations and the Bar Basic staff were super accommodating letting us even choose the lighting dimness and music volume. Our party happened without a hitch and guests left thinking highly of the bar. Drinks were strong, music was good, people were happy.
I would definitely recommend Bar Basic to anyone who wanted to host their own event.
Another great thing about Bar Basic is its location, it's easily walking distance from CalTrain and BART which is perfect in situations when happy hours may get a little too crazy. -
Review from Stephanie F.
San Francisco, CA
Wouldn't come for anything but a beer... the happy hour includes $1 off draught.
The cocktails I've experienced here are "meeh."
They do have a nintendo hooked up to a TV, though I'm not sure if it's currently in-service.
Also, they have the app that allows people to dj from their phones... & it costs money to use. -
Review from Cherylynn N.
San Francisco, CA
BEING A LUSH AIN'T CHEAP
Yes, admittedly I'm a lush. Please don't get that confused with an alcoholic. Alcoholics romance the bottle before they sleep and when they wake up. I, on the other hand, believe in working hard and playing harder. If you're a lush like me, I'm sure you can relate to this. It's Monday morning and you check your account activity from over the weekend only to find something like the following:
11.11.11 Bubble Lounge $52.19
11.11.11 Bubble Lounge $38.52
11.11.11 Bubble Lounge $72.68
11.12.11 The Grand $30.00
11.12.11 The Grand $50.00
11.12.11 The Grand $40.00
.....
After said and done, you've spent nearly $300 at the bar/club. Unfortunately this happens all too often for me because in the midst of all the fun my friends and I are having, we lose track on whose round it is. Who cares when you're having so much fun right? Not until Monday comes at least.
Needless to say, when it comes to happy hour, I'm always on a lookout for deals to make up for the playhardonweekendsfmlmondays.
Enter Bar Basic. Like its namesake, it's a simple, no frills bar in SoMa. Plenty of seating with 2 flat screen TVs to enjoy the game. There's an old school Nintendo system with Super Mario Bros., my all-time favorite video game. Talk about nostalgia. I like that Bar Basic is not overly crowded on weeknights though it's a different story on weekends when I've passed by. After a hard day in the office, there's nothing worse than having to dodge people and wait 15 minutes for a drink.
With Bar Basic's $5 Martini's during Happy Hour, Monday-Friday 4pm-9pm, it makes the lush in me rejoice! Pick your poison: Dirty & Neat, Cosmo, Appletini, Pomegranate, Peach, Mango or Chocolate Espresso. The Peach Martini was my poison of choice. My recession-friendly cocktail packed a big punch (no skimping on alcohol here) with just the right balance of sweetness and subtle tartness. With just three martinis, I was happily buzzed as opposed to the six I normally need. I've sadly trained my liver well.
On Tuesday, I noticed a cutie pie sitting all by his lone self at the bar. Too bad the cutie was a four-legged terrier mix. Shucks.
OTHER NOTES:
*$1 off drinks when you check-in via Yelp
*Close walking distance to Coco500, Zuppa, Fringale, Alexander's, and Brickhouse
*A food truck can be found parked outside on weekends
*Super clean restroom
*CC's accepted with no minimum -
Review from Eve L.
San Francisco, CA
Music is way too loud. If they lower the volume I'll giv them 4 stars cus it's close to my house.
We asked the bartender if it was usually this loud but they said it was cus of the DJ. Stupid. Songs suck too.Comment from Mike L. of Bar Basic 1/27/2012
We have since resolved this problem. Sorry the music volume… More » -
Review from Brian T.
San Francisco, CA
Been here twice this week. Super chill atmosphere, not crowded on weekdays, well-made drinks with the right amount of... drink. Comfy chairs, somewhat dimly-lit (but not too dimly!).
It's hard to really say much more. I'm getting tired of crowded, noisy bars, where you have to spend 15 minutes just to get a bartender's attention. This place makes me happy to avoid all that.
Just sad that the Nintendo is broken :( -
Review from David B.
Pretty basic bar here. Strong drinks enough to round out the night. Chill vibe with random art on the walls and seating against it. Happy hour was over but we were still in the mood for drinks.
My Old Fashioned Makers Mark wasn't done just right but instead of taking it off the bar and pouring it out she gave me another and left the one already there. I wasn't going to drink it, need I end up on the floor but it was a nice gesture. Her Dirty Martini didn't taste quite right either but she still drank up. Cheers to that.
I'd come back again earlier in the evening to perhaps catch a game of Mario Brothers in the back and enjoy the tunes...
Sometimes thats all you need...
Love SOMA!Listed in: The Places I Go Out
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Review from Mar A.
This place is a solid 3.5 stars. But every now and again they'll surprise you and be 4-5 stars.
GREAT atmosphere. It's pretty chill here, and they have great happy hour specials even during game days. It's close enough to the park that you can stay until happy hour ends and still make first pitch.
The place tends to fill up fast if there is a game, so if you're meeting a group, snag a table and chairs as soon as possible.
The bartenders are pretty good. They make good drinks. However, if you're ordering a martini for happy hour, ask how much it is. I was under the impression that all martinis were $5 during happy hour--- and apparently that wasn't the case after I received my bill.
They also have food to go, which we were able to take into the stadium with us. On weekend nights they have food trucks parked outside, so you're good on the food. :)
Definitely a solid place to get your drink on. -
Review from Jacquelynne S.
San Jose, CA
Honestly, the only time I recommend this place is if there's a baseball game and you are around the area.
- Drinks are cheap. One of the very few bars around the area that still has a happy hour even during baseball games. $5 Martinis!!
- Not super crowded and filled with obnoxious baseball fans and out of towners.
- Walking distance to a bunch of food places. Atleast you have a places to eat to while you're sobering up.
- You can play old school Super Mario Bros while waiting in line for the restroom.
- It's super chill and laid back. Plus there's a back patio for all you social smokers.
--Can't complain-- -
Review from Mish L.
Yup, you guessed it! It's basically a bar. No frills, no muss and definitely no fuss.
Bar Basic is kick back and fits the bill if you're in the area and looking to hunker down and lounge with a cocktail or two. Not the best made dirty martini I've ever had, but with happy hour pricing-- I'm not complaining! The bartender is efficient and nice enough. When the partner's Old Fashioned wasn't tasting quite right one sip in, she was nice enough to make another one and leave the old one on the bar for us to do with as we wished.
Small, cozy interior-- nothing that screams "look at me", but like it's namesake, they keep it basic. The Mario Brothers game and Nintendo console at the corner of the bar is pretty rad, and you can't beat the lounge seating and interesting artwork decorating the walls.Listed in: Kick back and Relax!
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Review from Eva Y.
Oakland, CA
Great HH Specials
Friendly bartenders
Nice relax lounge environment
Dog friendly
Comfy seating area
What's there not to love about this place? -
Review from Tatyana K.
San Francisco, CA
I love Bar Basic because of Roqbot. As far as I know they're one of (only one?) bars in San Francisco to feature the jukebox startup.
They serve no food but if you stay late enough, a food truck pulls up front! I didn't eat anything from it but it smelled yummy. The drinks here are average, good place to come for happy hour after work or school. -
Review from Tessa M.
San Francisco, CA
The crowd is laid back and eclectic, the drinks are strong and tasty. I'm quite a fan of the Gin Gimlet.
My only complaint: TVs! I hate them! So distracting! -
Review from Jessica t.
San Francisco, CA
If you're looking for an intimate lounge bar for a casual birthday affair - Bar Basic works.
Bar Basic works because they're so under the radar in their location, that there seems to be a steady crowd of about 2 or 3 people on any given night. You could easily throw a laid-back party here with a gathering of close friends, and not have to stress about rental costs and bar minimums.
There's nothing particularly compelling about Bar Basic. They can easily accommodate about 50-75 people comfortably. They have casual chic seating, and a pleasant long booth area, which stretches down one whole side of the place. They have a solid bar. They feature three big screens (each usually playing something different), as well as a Nintendo system (Mario Bros, and Duck Hunt). And on most nights play host to a DJ.
But that's about it for Bar Basic. They got the basics, and...yeah. Despite having the place pretty much to ourselves this Friday, we ended up leaving after an hour. We left in search of a more lively bar with more interesting people watching, with a little bit more soul, and with a little bit more get-go in it.
Bar Basic is fine for quiet nights, especially if you bring the crowd, but if you want more action and personality in your evening, I'd suggest a slew of other spots first.
Trust. -
Review from doms k.
San Francisco, CA
So, I've managed bars before and know how things work, and totally respect bartenders and their desire to go home, but I also respect the customer too and this place doesn't do that at all. LAME LAME PLACE.
We can here on a weeknight for the first time a while back. We ignored the lame "top 40" music playing in the background and ordered martinis. Whatever. A drink is a drink. Then at 11:40 she calls last call and we ask, okay, what time do you guys close and we're told midnight. We asked do we have time for another drink. WE WERE TOLD YES. Ok, that's enough for a last drink. Except it wasn't because we WERE ASKED TO LEAVE AT 11:50. Not only asked but angrily barked at by some guy I'm guessing the manager or someone who was annoyed that we were still there and actually asked us to leave before midnight. Hello, you just sold us a drink! If you didn't want us to drink it you didn't have to sell it to us!!
I'm sorry but selling someone a martini and expecting them to chug it is ridiculous. We had no problem leaving at 11:40 which was why we asked if we had time for another drink. Either keep to your word and allow the patrons (us) to drink in peace until midnight (like you said) or just tell us, actually, sorry, we want to go home. No problem with that. But what they did was tacky. Go someplace that actually respects you as a customer. Don't go here. -
Review from Soo Jin K.
Alameda, CA
Went to Bar Basic to celebrate a friend's bday and in tandem, celebrated the Giants win against Cleveland! It was literally a win-win situation. :)
Had a freakin' blast! The bar is basic (ha!) and the crowd was mostly Asian (surprise, surprise). But as the night wore off, it was just the Giants' crew, and it was fabulous.
The drinks were tasty and if I remember correctly, at about 12:30pm, we all started dancing like maniacs. A battle here, crazy moves there. Mind you, it's a bar with I think a DJ??? So we literally danced in the middle of a bar. Whatever! The music was awesome. I haven't laughed, engaged in interesting conversation and had that much fun in weeks! Forgot how great it was to hang with positive, fun people. -
Review from Amanda B.
Russian Hill, San Francisco, CA
Mike the owner totally rocks my socks off. He serves some mean drinks, and has some pretty sexy bartenders.
Great atmosphere, iPhone jukebox app (forget the name?), and they have NES. What more could you ask for? Food maybe? They got that... Taco trucks frequently visit this place. But if no taco truck, ask for popcorn.
Bar Basic, I love you long time. -
Review from Josh S.
San Francisco, CA
$5 martinis for happy hour, and an NES with a bunch of great games for everyone to try and fail to drunkenly play. The sports crowd can be a bit unruly at times but who cares. It's a cheap, basic bar that gets those basics down pat.
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Review from Jermaine R.
San Francisco, CA
Bar basic is a good neighborhood bar with happy hour from 4-9pm and game day specials. It's a good spot to catch a quick drink after work or sit down and watch football.
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Review from Mariko F.
This is a great place for happy hour. It's quiet and will allow you to relax, and the $5 martinis will knock you out. And if you want something else, the bartender is very knowledgable.
I like that it's not too busy. You can actually get a comfy chair, chill out and have a conversation. And food trucks come by!!! -
Review from Janice C.
I like that bar basic isn't trying to be the next hip thing in the SOMA. As the name implies, this is a simple bar replete with uncomplicated drinks. The clean decor creates a loungey atmosphere --perfect for having an easy conversation without the eardrum-popping music in the background. Their short cocktail menu includes old school cocktails: old fashioned, manhattan or a gimlet for under $9. I'm happy with just a plain Tanqueray & Tonic and the lady bartender made my drink with a smile.
If you're in the hood for after work drinks, bar basic has $5 happy hour martinis (calling all apple martini and cosmo lovers!) on weekdays from 5pm-9pm. The best part? the taco truck parked right outside the bar! Takorea is here til 2am on Saturdays. Why stumble around looking for gross pizza when you can have gourmet tacos?
Exactly.Listed in: Blame it on the booze, 15 mins of Fame
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Review from Jenny L.
01.22.11
Was here for a charity event this past weekend. Place was crowded with do-gooders (I do feel better that my booze $ is going towards something good). Impossible to get any bartender's attention. Impossible to squeeze yourself to the restroom.
Drink specials all night, if you get a chance to order.
Takorea parked out front. Big plus. -
Review from Ida C.
Mountain View, CA
Friends and I usually end up at Bar Basic when we're looking for a low-key evening b/c it's a shorter walk than to Lava and not as divey as Utah up the street. Most of the time the vibe is pretty laid back and I enjoy frequenting a bar where no one is going to do a double take regardless of whether I walk in donning stilettos or wearing a potato sack. It's an honest, clean, unpretentious bar where you can cuddle with your honey on the lounge sofa bordering the wall (not me) or kvetch to your friends at the stools while watching hockey (totes me).
I think the drinks here are decent although on one occassion, one of the bartenders totally messed up my cocktail of choice: Manhattan. It tasted absolutely horrendous but I choked it down anyway; after that incident, I wisened up and started asking for the drink to be made a certain (the right) way (stirred, not shaken, pls!). Surprisingly, one of the 'guest' bartenders one night did a great job of mixing me my drink despite her admittance to not having much experience with that cocktail.
My geek friends enjoy using the RoqBot and I'm always excited when I see their usernames on the screen... b/c I'm a simpleton like that.
Belonging to one of the staff members is a cute dog (milo?) that runs around the establishment sometimes. The fact that they dress him up occasionally bumps this place from a 3.0 to a 3.5 for me. -
Review from jay h.
On Tuesdays they serve the Hapa Food truck in the bar.
With $5 martini happy hour and a small yet chill vibe. This isn't a bad place to kill an hour or three!
They have a Nintendo system with the Mario Bros and other old school games. I haven't played...but if I see Duck Hunt next time, IT'S ON!!! -
Review from Yaamini R.
Santa Maria, CA
This past Friday, I found out I passed the CA bar exam.
Bar Basic is where I looked up my results.
Most people told me to go home to check, but I choose beer over boxes of kleenex. It worked out!
With it's laid back vibe, free popcorn, decent drink selection, and awesome advent of ROQBOT playing excellent music, Bar Basic was the perfect place to basically "bar" into the state of CA (get it?? get it?? I know, too lame and too soon).
Go to Bar Basic.
Drink up.
And for all you CA Bar takers out there-- use Bar Basic as a good luck charm when the big day arrives. You won't be sorry! -
Review from Vi H.
Palo Alto, CA
Drinking spiked Arnold Palmers in plastic cups while dancing obnoxiously to 90s Top 40 music? Yes, please.
Kicking it with old and new friends in a chill place? Yes, please.
Supporting my aZn brother? Yes, please. (The owner isn't actually my brother from the same mother, but he is Asian and he is a friend of a friend)
Stumbling out to purchase Chicken Adobo and fried pork deliciousness from the Hapa truck right outside? Yes, please. -
Review from Jacqueline P.
San Diego, CA
Came here for the $5 Martini Happy Hour. I got the pomegranate martini and that was really good.
The place is really chill. Its a nice place to go when you want a few drinks, but not the crowd that comes with it. -
Review from Brittany H.
San Francisco, CA
Hung out with some Yelp peeps...
played Super Mario for NES...
watched some douche let his poor puppy run around an overly crowded bar...
Counted 15 flannel shirts and 6 fedoras...
Damn it feels good to be a hipster.Listed in: Draaaank
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Review from Rebecca C.
San Francisco, CA
I love this place. Its small and I like the vibe. I've only been during the week for afterwork drinks and I absolutely love that they have Roqbot. I wish more bars had Roqbot.
Also they have old school nintendo hooked up with all sorts of games. -
Review from Jimmy G.
Pretty standard bar; a little narrow, but deep. A little lounge-y?
1st generation Nintendo at the end of the bar with the original Mario Bros. If you're a guy, the men in the bar hanging around it will scoff at your performance; if you're a girl they will have unceasing advice for what you should do at every moment: Trying. Too. Hard.
Live DJ who kept it obvious but steady. -
Review from kierstan g.
Marin, CA
This place is pretty basic (hehe). I think you would miss it if you didn't know where to find it. I only saw it because I happened to be using the ATM across the street and the distance was a major selling point. But even at first we were like uh what is that place? hmm, where? right there...is that a bar? is it even open? luckily for us it was.
i love bars that defy the implied time frame of a "happy hour" and this does...as happy hour goes m-f from 5-9. Awesome. Martini's are five dollars and beer one dollar off. They have super mario brothers and duck hunt. Which at first you are like awesome...but then you are like uh...nah. I mean if im gonna play video games with a friend ill buy a six pack and drink at home...
Its very loungey and swanky. Dark brown...modern seating. Though its a big place the seating just goes around the wall so I don't know how easy it would be to get seating on a weekend night...
Its hard because its a good bar, but there are just so many great bars in SOMA. Not saying I won't be back, but I may try a few others before.
Oh but there was a dog in the bar. which was totally awesome... -
Review from Seema M.
I can't believe I've never review this place! We normally come to Bar Basic at least once a week as it is normally a low-key nice place to catch up with friends and hang out without SoMa-ness all over. We've ordered pizza a couple of times when the taco trucks aren't outside which was cool with the staff. We have kind of made bar basic our "Cheers" amongst our 6 closest friends.. it is our go to place.
Mike the owner/bartender is the nicest guy and always has a smile on his face. He recognizes us all the time and even comps a first round of beers every now and then.
*Definitely check out TaKorea and Hapa when they are parked outside.. great variations on tacos and decently priced* -
Review from Sam K.
$5 happy hour martinis in six flavors? YES PLEASE!
Bar Basic is just about the perfect spot for that 5:30 PM drink with your co-workers. It's got good happy hour pricing, enough seating for its location, and a nice selection of music that is loud enough to enjoy but not so loud you can't hear your buddies bitching about their day.
Seoul on Wheels parks outside until 9 or so on Wednesdays, so if you like some food with your booze, try to aim for that. If you wind up here on a different day, the bartenders are down with you ordering a pizza to the bar or bringing whatever else inside, and they'll make popcorn if you just want a snack.
Overall a solid spot to do your everyday drinking.Listed in: SF watering holes
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Review from Bobbie L.
Bar Basic is the best bar in the Mission Bay area! Its a chill spot, recently remodeled with comfy seating, and three large flat screens to watch your favourite sporting events! Its walking distance to AT&T park so its nice to go before and/or after the game.
Theres a great beer selection... on tap, bottled, and even canned (giant PBRs!!). Lots of tasty cocktail selections... my fave is the Pom-Tini.. cuz they use a special pomogranate flavoured liquer/syrup that is naturally delicious. Food trucks stop by often, which is awesome because I'm always hungry!!!! And sometimes I not-so-secretly sneak in 100 chicken nuggets at a time. :)
They have cool events all the time... Sam Adams, Stella, Rokk Vodka, Harlem to name a few. And its a great place to host an event, be it bday party or work celebration.
The bartenders are all amazing and music is COOL... They even play Justin Bieber!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)))) Baby!!OOOOHHHHH!!
