Panthea J.'s Profile

Hyde-Out looks and feels a lot like Twin Peaks in the Castro, however, if you spend much time at Twin Peaks in the Castro you probably shouldn't be doing a lot of looking or feeling at Hyde-Out.

A big bowl of pho is heaven on a cold day.  A delicious bowl of pho is even better.  If there was a line for pho it would be called a pho queue.  It's not bad, but I wouldn't queue for the pho at Bodhi.

Tranquility.  Peace.  Sanctuary.  If you can't seem to find these things and you've started looking for a closet to hide in, come here instead.  This is just what you need to escape the holiday crazy.   If being with your family hasn't been enough punishment, they offer "domestic" waxing as well as services with a more "international" flair.

If you're staying at Hotel Palomar, Hotel Milano, The Mosser or the Marriott and you have to eat within 100 yards of your hotel, then this place isn't bad and I'd order the pork chop stuffed with Cambazola and cherry reduction sauce.

If you can hail a cab and still want a pork chop, you can do better at Oola, Nopa or Frisee.

People usually remember where they were and who they were with at significant moments in history.  When Obama accepted the Democratic nomination for president, when JFK was shot on a street in Dallas or when the moon landing was shot on a back lot in Hollywood.   I was with a bunch of tellers at the Outer Richmond branch of Bank of America when the news that John Edwards had cheated on his cancer stricken wife of nearly 20 years was revealed.  The news was shocking.  The person he cheated on his wife with was a woman.  Take that Ann Coulter.  I really shouldn't make jokes about this incident given the unfortunate fallout.  The country lost an intelligent and forceful voice for the cause of poverty.  Elizabeth Edwards'.  

We laughed.  We joked.  I made my deposit.  I was in The Richmond, but it felt like I was having snarky, catty fun in the Castro.  For those of you unfamiliar with these two neighborhoods, the Castro is a largely (but not entirely) gay community and the Richmond is a largely (but not entirely) Asian community.  Maybe that's a broad generalization.  Let me try again.  The Castro has the best gay bars and The Richmond has the best sushi bars.   While standing there with my friends du jour I learned an important lesson.   Regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation, we all have the same appreciation for hypocrisy, relentless stories about the well coiffed offspring of mill workers and grating, effeminate southern accents (ok, you can have that one, Ann.)  Can I get that at Wells Fargo?  I don't know and I'm not willing to find out.  Thank you, Bank of America.  Thank you.

Three bars open out onto Cybelle's doorstep at 2am.  Cybelle's is open until 3am.  That is all you need to know.

I'd wanted to try this place for months, but they're only open three days a week and we just couldn't seem to make it happen.  It was definitely worth the anticipation.  The sushi chef, a 68 year old Japanese man who's owned the restaurant for 27 years, is as talented as he is warm and hospitable.   We sat at the counter, ordered omakase and put ourselves in his hands.  Don't ask, just eat it.  Bring your own sake and the corkage is $5.  I'm not kidding.  If you think it's possible to reach a sushi pinnacle where it just can't get any better or fresher, then here's where you'll find it.  If you don't think it's possible, then this is where you'll change your mind.

The people are pretty, the wine list isn't.  Which do you want?

You know how once a place has been around for so long it becomes an institution? That they've earned their street cred one stabbing or shooting at a time and you think that now they've probably started to relax and enjoy their reputation to the point where people might start to think that it's tamed down enough to bring Mom and Dad to show them what a real San Francisco dive bar is like?   The people at Zeitgeist are not as happy to see Mom and Dad as you are.   Zeitgeist is not that place.

If they didn't want you to *swim* in the heated, roof top pool with amazing views of the city at 2am, they would turn the lights out, turn the music off and lock the door to the roof when it closes at 11pm.  But they don't, so you should.

Side note:  I'm thinking they probably don't turn the security cameras off either, so don't plan on running for public office after a debaucherous dip.