Emily P.'s Profile

Before you call me crazy for giving a Starbucks a five-star review, let me explain:

It was a cold and grey day.  It rained on me for my entire mile-long walk to work.  I was recently dumped.  I had a ton of work piling up at my job.  I needed something to make me feel better, and all I could think of was the smooth, soothing, sugary deliciousness of apple cider.  But because it was a cold, grey, dreary day, I needed an extra kick to get all that work done.

I went in and sheepishly asked the man working the register "what could I get that tastes as delicious as your apple cider, but is also caffeinated?" hoping for a suggestion of some secret chai latte combo heretofore unknown to me.  The cashier politely suggested a carmel macchiato, but the barista suggested a chai cider (chai tea + cider).  Bingo.  

I practically shouted, "That's exactly what I wanted!" and they made it right up.  It was perfect.  Hot, sweet, spicy, and caffeinated!  What more could a girl ask for?

Bonus points: I've been here multiple times, and whether I'm working on my computer, or just getting breakfast to go, the staff is always exeedingly friendly and courteous, the space is ample and clean, the library rules, and the bathrooms are well-cared for.  They even have free wi-fi (if you've purchased and used a starbucks card in the past 2 mos.)  What more could you ask for?

Dr. Citron is absolutely great.  His staff is incredibly accomodating (they went out of their way to track down some obscure insurance info for me and also worked around my schedule), and they were incredibly friendly - I was at ease the moment I walked into the office, which is small but comfortable.

Dr. Citron did my cleaning, and was not only thorough and gentle, but also very informative.  I found out the thing I thought was a cavity was a harmless stain, and that exposed roots may not just be from overzealous brushing but from grinding teeth as well.  He'd also explain every tool he was using and kept me informed of what I need to do to keep my smile healthy.

Not only did he give me a clean bill of health, he didn't try to sell me on anything I didn't need, going so far as to tell me that I don't need to come back for a year.  Now I KNOW my teeth are in good shape!

The food was excellent and service was quick, but overbearing.  My friend and I were constantly interrupted throughout the course of dinner for very boisterous pouring of water and aggressive "ready to order yet?" questions for both dinner and dessert. I enjoyed my food, but the overall experience would have been much better if we'd had a friendlier, more relaxed waitress - or if we'd simply gone for lunch instead.

I've had better luck with their mission location.

Went here the other night.  Atmosphere was appropriately cluttered and divey - I felt right at home.  The bartender was 50+ and very chatty about her recent trip to New Orleans.  She made the most disastrous Hurricane I've ever tasted, but novelty-seeking comes with a price, I suppose.  She gave dirty looks to my friend for most of the evening, which made an otherwise fine time very uncomfortable.  Throw in some bland garlic bread and a few moderately talented kids playing on the piano, and you have last Thursday evening.  Overall, not a great experience, but it seems like a cool bar and I will definitely go back.

Finally! A dive bar in the East Bay that meets my demanding requirements:

*Drinks strong enough to ensure I get argumentative. (Who doesn't love a little spirited debate?)
*An atmosphere my girlfriend hates
*Bartenders with attitude (tongue-in-cheek wisecrackers, all of them.)
*Dim & terrible lighting
*TVs on walls playing sports (not that I'm watching, but definitely a divey standby)
*Pool tables in back

all this with room to breathe and reasonable prices.  AND it's across the street from Lanesplitter's Pizza.  Will I be back?  Hell yes.

Beer out of Boots! That novelty never gets old.
Delicious German Food?  That never gets old, either.
My weiner schnitzel was nothing remarkable, but everyone else in my party was raving about their dishes, so they must be doing something right.  

Service was prompt, even during the Saturday Night Dinner Rush with a party of seven.

I don't get what the big deal is.  The Demon Lover was bland (900 Grayson should know that there's a way to fry chicken without deadening the taste - it involves spices, seasonings, and not leaving the chicken in the fryer so long that the layer of delectable breading turns dark and tastes like greasy cardboard), and the servers were either hungover or too filled with ennui to take their trendily tattooed selves to our table (nice pennyfarthing chest pieces, though).

They have a lovely and charming patio, but the atmosphere didn't make up for the fact that we were practically ignored the whole time and served fattening but utterly boring food.

If this is what San Francisco yelpers consider a dive bar (really? there wasn't even a visible layer of filth on the floor on a Saturday night!), I'd recommend you hightail it to a seedier city (or, you know, anywhere in New Jersey), find an unadvertised watering hole, and re-evaluate your opinion of Zeitgeist.  

As a lover of dive bars, I feel a need to give a list of reasons why Zeitgeist, while an outstanding bar, is not a dive bar.

Drinks are reasonably priced for this being the trendy hipster hangout that it is, but that means it's not a dive bar.  Dive bars generally have a lower hipster quotient, and thus a lower price on drinks.

The space is large, especially the back patio area, which is more like an empty lot filled with long tables.  Dive bars don't have these.  They're small and dank and cramped and have mouldering ceiling tiles where you see open sky at Zeitgeist.

The Tamale Lady: delicious tamales, but would be chased out of any dive bar.

The staff: just surly enough to get people to listen to them, but not drunk on shift or surly enough to throw anyone out.

Sometimes you go in for a regular brunch with biscuits and find yourself staring at Chagall paintings, real, honest-to-god Chagall paintings (not prints) on the walls of your diner. There are no words for such a baffling place, but they make damn good omelets.

Bartender JA has been taking care of me and my friends since June.  The girl knows her Sake and isn't afraid to school you on it so long as you're not afraid to ask.  I've sampled a little bit of everything, and it's all reasonably priced.

The atmosphere leaves a little to be desired, it feels like they haven't quite found their niche yet - it's currently a little too sterile inside, it doesn't feel like somewhere you want to stay for very long.  More texture on the walls, and perhaps more interesting light fixtures would help.