Chango M.'s Profile

These guys make an ok margherita pizza.  I'd call it Margherita Povera since the sauce tastes something like what you might get out of a can of Spaghetteos.  Now before the owners of the establishment get all hot and bothered about that reference it is kind of a positive since it works strangely well with the Mozarella, Basil and thin crust.  It's good in a way that it reminds me of coming home from school as a teen and making me a "pizza" in my toaster oven with some middle eastern pocket bread, tomater sauce from the jar and american cheese.  Mmmmm.  

Anyway despite that walk down memory lane it does not beat the more gold standard thin crust pizzAHHHss in town.  It is on par or a notch below Delfina though.

The location is Cow Hollow Marina so the crowd is solidly Marina types and is as crowded as any bar might be on a southern california dock bar or yacht club.  I wouldn't call it fun but it is a scene.  meh.

The most annoying service experience not because the service was bad but because I commented that it was a waste to fly wine all the way from Europe in this day and age.  The person serving us lectured me about this then kept jabbing me about whether I might be a vegetarian simply because I expressed that it didn't make sense to carry even one or two local varieties of wine if the menu stated a localvore stance. (for the record I'm not)
This was a typically jerky California dining service experience.  

Of course a restaurant is entitled to it's pretense and restauranteurs egos are way too big for reality anyway but if you're going to be pretentious about serving local food then serve a bottle or two of local wine.  Even Delfina bends their dumb "rule" about wine.  

I don't need to hear about why your parochial Californian mind has this hard-on for Europe.  French and Italian wineries are flagging and this place is just some BS concept bar designed to move their product.
The food is basic bistro and nothing special.  Just another knucklehead Fillmore experience.  I'll wait for the next place to open up for my next visit which should be in a year or two.

OMG - This place is an exquisitely tragic slice of San Francisco alcoholism.  The only annoying part is that they let people smoke too much.  I wish they would stop that.  Other than that it's a fun little schpot to visit.

Be advised thought this place is entertainment like the movie "Observe and Report" is comedy.  It's a little sad.  Here they remember your name even if it isn't the name you tell them - I gave up so now I go by the name the drunk bartenders choose to remember than my own.  

Bartenders will play dice with you at the bar and will hustle drinks from the same Tequila bottle at $10 a pop.  Snacks and conversation are also to be had but remember half the bartenders come from China, Mongolia and elsewhere so 'Engrish' abounds.

A poorly placed but serviceable pool table is well maintained for games and sometimes doubles as a buffet counter.  The owner mothers her customers with the occasional bountiful spread of food including wraps and fried chicken - and she doesn't skimp - probably to make up for the occasional drink hustles.  Caution: Hold your nose though when she begins prepping the deviled eggs - phew.  

The place is all good and reads like a James Carver story without the death.  It's a Shanghai-Buckoswki-MILF experience that should be visited but not lived in.  

Arguably a "better" hustle bar than Chelsea's Place and the smaller space makes it intimate enough to keep you a less than detached observer.

Points for the jukebox too - Not a whole lot of classic rock vibe kill which is a plus.  Visit it without a friend to distract you from focusing on your surroundings.  Have Fun!

I like when this place is empty at happy hours and will love sharing my favorite bottle of rice wine with a smart & beautiful friend who can make great conversation.

Avoid going with a group of your usual suspects since the check will give you sticker shock and the benefits of solitary hangouts.

Since fewer cornballs are out these days this place can be a joy.  Especially when it is still light out.

The food is not bad but not greater than other pizza spots.  This is one of those places that people reflexively line up for like Sears cafe or Dotties because they've drunk some wierd Kool-aid.  

It's like that quote from the movie the Hours answering the question about San Francisco 'people just tell you it's great' or something to that affect.

Anyway Delfina's Pizza is one of  those places people visiting the city for 5minutes might say is great but meh.  They make a maguerita pizza you can make at home - and with much less olive oil.  Served with busy diner pretense the food is nice as well as the rushed servers.  The crowds are a hassle and not worth the wait because there are several other really great spots in the city.  

(Check my other Pizza Reviews for the real skinny)

Delfina does get a couple style points for the chalk board but a big negatory for the horrible color sense in the cityscape mural.  This place thinks big but is like a well groomed yet pleasant cheesball.

You know I just figured out what this place is:  A 99 cent store for fools.

There is a dollar store on Geary and Fillmore that won't set you back $18 bucks on just one items.  That's the only difference really.  The lamest edition of print overrun Taschen "art" books and every manner of useless keychain or ring fob your nightmares can whip up.  It's a big pile of crap!

Let's hope there are enough suckers to keep them in business to keep people employed there.

This place has good bells and whistles but REALLY DISAPPOINTS!

It's as if a wineseller decided to do their version of a tasting room.
For example you CAN'T pay cash - you have to check-in with your credit card which means they want to target you with junk mail.  Someone else I was with put down their card so I didn't have to.

The space is attractive but the overall layout is immensely alienating.  This place feels more like a CASINO and the whole credit card registration is a setup for a money drain.  This makes me angry because this place could be a nice place I could take a whole bunch of friends.  Instead I'll stick to the smaller wine bars.  
What is tragic is that a business plan with a little more zen would have not seemed so cold and calculating.  Fuck That!

As for the wine selection - I'm not any more impressed and actually non-plussed compared to the other wine bars.  If you're visiting San Francisco do yourself a favor and do some research and checkout a couple spots that aren't deep downtown.  The wine bar at the Ferry Building is a step up from here.  

This place is for Cheeseballs with small cocks, expensive cars, and a foreclosed mortgage.

Everybody talks about Diego Rivera and his affairs but Frida Kahlo messed around behind her husband's back too.  That was before the Berggruen gallery became a San Francisco institution...  
Where this gallery lacks in curatorial focus and relevance they make up on price.  The stable of artists is not necessarily a who's-who of art stars but those with a high tag and even higher gimmick.    I would lay double the price of any of this work that nobody will care two dung beatle balls about Gregory Crewdson or Caio Fonseca in the future.  I would include Kiki Smith in this grouping but sadly I don't think the culture will be able to relieve itself of her BS anytime soon.
Occasionally though, you can stumble on a good positive opportunity to see one of the 20th century's greatest hits or even a stunning new offering.  As far as collecting goes budget buyers are uhhhmm, limited.  Unless you are still flush with money from the 90's any possibility of acquiring work here is slim to none.  The staff is tentatively helpful but the atmosphere here is high pressure.  So take a look at the art you'll never own then move onto a less expensive and more pleasant gallery setting.  
There's one short old guy who walks around the place with a face so purple-red it looks like his head is aching to burst from his suit and tie carapace.  Bring a non-committal attitude, sense of humor, and inner monologue.  Be sure to check the price-list for a little thrill but don't bother playing unless you can pay.

Nestled at the far end of the fifth floor of the 49 Geary building Brian Gross Fine Art focuses mostly on textural and pattern abstraction.  It's all about lines, color, shape and surface making the visual experience as energetic as a Clement Greenberg acid trip.  
This is where fine art meets price tag but you will realize of course that this formalistic stuff takes alot of time and effort.  If you buy into the whole process-driven yet decorative 'color-inside-the-lines' post ab-ex, color school thing this place is for you - oh yeah, and your couch.
What still confounds me are the presence of Robert Arneson sculptures.  Yes, he is a local giant and there's probably a relationship with his estate but it doesn't quite figure in with the rest of the general
oeuvre being offered.  Worth a look but not essential since some of the artists they have offered have been moving elsewhere.
To be fair though the work here is very rich and can be visually arresting in the right context.  If you have ever lost yourself in a Rothko you might consider the line of BS I'm throwing your way a bit off the mark.  My friends from Oakland might say, "yeah, that's clean"

While things are getting a little sketchy with the offerings at 49 Geary street SWFA occupies a space that seems to have some good majuboo.  In place of Nicolson, Clark, and Sweetow galleries are some crappy offerings but Wolf fills the shoes left behind by the previous gallery that moved to LA.    
Here you'll find works that occasionally bleed over into performance, are often conceptually rich, and almost always visually appealing on their own terms.   This is one of the stars of the 49 Geary gallery walk.
As one who speed reads through the galleries on first thursdays I find I'm always drawn into this space.  The reaction of "hey what's this" is so prevalent when I come her that it's almost expected.  Depending on how flexible you are this may be a good thing.
Curatorially speaking the ones pulling the strings at this venue have got me feelin' it and pheelin' it well!