Scott "Wannabe Renaissance Guy" R.'s Profile

In a city full of amazing coffee Blue Bottle stands alone as the best, hands down, bar none, no question. Ritual is overrated, Epicenter is a close second and rising, and 4 Barrel is always disappointing, but BB is the most consistently great cup of coffee I've had anywhere. If you're a coffee connoisseur, or want to be, or just appreciate it now and again, you're doing yourself a disservice for not checking the place out. Go right now... I'll wait.

That said BB has it's downsides. The spaces are all limited, even Mint Plaza, are small and limited. Makes it tough to enjoy your coffee when 40 people are jammed around one table and some wall space. It's difficult to even feel comfortable to take along a book or a paper, and downright ludicrous to think of taking a laptop and getting any work done. Food selections are equally limited. Combined this makes Blue Bottle what I'd assume the owners wanted, a place to get coffee, maybe drink it, and leave, but leave me wanting. It's for these reasons that Blue Bottle is a rarity for me, but a nice one.

You can't go wrong with a regular capp or gibraltar, but if you've got the time and the desire go for the siphon at the Mint plaza location. Always good, sometimes amazing, once in awhile transcendent, this has been, on occasion, the best cup of brewed coffee I've ever had.

If I had to pick a "Cheers" like bar this would be the place. Decent food, good beer (well... it ranges, from good to great to occasionally amazing), and a good atmosphere, it's never a bad place to go, grab a beer, talk, hang out, maybe grab a bite. Unless it's right before a Giants game, in which case it will be packed with sports fans, but not too bad a half hour after the opening pitch.

Beers are changed up quite a bit along with a few constants, kept in line with the season, and often include interesting things. Last falls collaboration with the folks from Stone Brewing in San Diego led to the glorious, delicious, unmatched goodness of the Harvest IPA, a brew that I'm disappointed didn't make it on the permanent list.

The real time to come is Strong Beer Month in February. Wild and crazy brews, with high alcohol, but equally high taste. Some absolutely delicious things, pity they aren't on the menu longer. A great joint, highly recommended.

Also, give the Hell or High Watermelon a shot. It seems like a lot of fruit in a beer, but it's nice and refreshing, right in line with the DogFish Head Aprihop.

THE place that started it all with the San Francisco cocktail scene and still the place where, it seems, great bartenders are trained and inspired. I've been here easily a dozen times and never walk away anything less than thrilled. The drinks are amazing, from the classics to the new and inventive. The service is great, everyone is friendly and knowledgeable, the space is unique the prices are reasonable, it could hardly be better short of being next to my apartment.

Bourbon and Branch quickly became one of my must try places to take friends visiting from out of town and no one has left anything but impressed. Makes a great stop after a nice dinner and is the ideal setting for an intimate date with a surprising amount of elegance and sophistication for any part of the city, especially the Tenderloin. That said, take a cab, the rest of the local scenery doesn't fit.

If you're a whiskey fan lead off with an Old Fashioned and then run wild. You won't be disappointed.

In a city with so much amazing coffee (namely Blue Bottle and Epicenter in my opinion) Philz fills a void that I rarely ever realize until I'm experiencing it. Something like gourmet Dunkin' Doughnuts brew Philz coffee isn't exactly the epitome of the artistic coffee culture. Nor when it comes to demonstrating coffee mastery does a large Ambrosia come close to the sweet nectar of a well pulled espresso. But sometimes a big cup of sugary, cream filled, bright coffee, with a small sprig of mint, really does hit the spot. Not for everyday, but it's definitely enjoyable.

The SOMA location is quite convenient if you have an extra 20 mins before catching a train (like if you just missed one), but I stick to the Mission location for actually hanging out with a laptop for awhile, though I appreciate all their locations have wifi and aren't stingy about plugs.

For a medium roast check out Anesthesia To The Upside, sweet and with cream. For a real start to your day nothing beats the light roast Greater Alarm (crafted for the SFFD), again with cream and sugar, and a mint garnish.

A better than average hookah bar in a city that lacks in many hookah options. Service is always somewhat slow, but it's hookah, you're there to relax, not grab a quick smoke over lunch. The shisha is just fine, the tea is pretty good, and while small the atmosphere is enjoyable enough. I've not been on any crazy busy nights, but it's usually got a few people, but not too bad. Wifi rounds out the mix, though I've only used it once. All of this is tempered by the fact that it is pricey as hookah places go.

Honestly I was going to give this four stars but had to adjust it down to three. A lack of major negatives but a lack of big positives makes this a solid "Alright" in my book. Check it out if you don't want to deal with louder crowd at Cairo Nights.

What can I say about Ray's that hasn't been said already? Our food was fantastic, from salads to steaks, and the service was excellent. Attentive without over doing it, it was really a near perfect dining experience. The steaks were fantastic, the recommended wine fit perfectly, we were even given an end of dinner espresso mug of their fantastic cinnamon hot cocoa. Can't say enough, it was excellent.

As coffee shops go 14U is better than most, but not something I'd really write home about.

14U does have the emo charm that everyone touts and in abundence. Overall it's a cozy decor,; mismatched couches, small tables, cheap chairs, and a counter composed of rocks behind chicken wire (nice touch?). Reminds me of a small "cybercafe" I went to in NYC, and not unlike the Murky locations, though with a lot more on the wall. Somewhat feels like it's trying to be hip and urban where Murky just kinda has that feel.

As for the coffee it's better than average coffee by Starbucks standards. My Americano is good, little creme on top, but tasty without any bitterness, typical of Intelligentsia beans, though it does taste like a lighter roast rather than most places black as sin espresso roasts.

Wifi works, or at least must since I'm writing this review (though is this there wifi? I hope so), and that's always something that wins a place in my heart. Overall a nice place, but not enough to make me take the Metro all the way to U Street from Ballston, but if I were a local I could see myself stopping by from time to time when Busboys and Poets (up the street on 14th) was too packed (like today).