• 24Jul

    I’ve written about this spot before, but this time, I shot a little video.

    This little hotel-top view-bar is often forgotten. It’s not really that special, but the view is great. It’s a somewhat secluded view to the East that includes the surrounding buildings, Yerba Buena Park, the Bay Bridge and more. To the West, you can see to Twin Peaks and Sutro Tower. Occasionally, you can watch the fog come up over the hill and toward the big windows while the sun goes down. Every day offers a different mood. Oh, the drinks are a little expensive, but they’re BIG.

  • 20Jul

    Daniel the Valet 705098 Oola   Restaurant, Bar, and Art

    Oola in a quiet mode 705114 Oola   Restaurant, Bar, and Art

    Manny 737832 Oola   Restaurant, Bar, and Art

    Oola Restaurant and Bar is one of my favorite spots in the city for a cocktail and a snack … or a sumptuous meal. It’s a quirky place in a way, because it’s very small and the bar is the focal point, but it still works as a restaurant. It’s always buzzing with activity. Locals and celebs have found their way to this obscure little find on Folsom Street, only 3 blocks from Market Street - well worth the trip. Recently, I saw Willie Garson (Stanford, the flamboyant gay guy, and Carrie’s close friend, in Sex and the City) and Narada Michael Walden (record producer, with Aretha Franklin, George Michael, Mariah Carey, and more), I’m sure there have been many more, but it’s the kind of spot where people go to hang out, and not be noticed. Oola is a little under the radar, which keeps it cool. I’ve read that it’s a late night hangout where local chefs often go after work, to relax and unwind, and because they regular food service late. This is a good sign and a great thing to remember when it’s time to wind down, you’re hungry, but not quite ready to end the evening. Say HI to the two cutie patootie bartenders there - Manny or Jay. AND they even make superb cocktails, pour great wines and even offer absinthe for something different.
    Manny Fabregas is also the artist who created all the paintings on view. Have fun, and tell ‘em Randy sent you.

  • 04Jul

    L1040815 708116 Hotel InterContinental Bar 888 in San Francisco
    the guys at 888 300x225 Hotel InterContinental Bar 888 in San Francisco

    From left to right we have Krista, Vinnie, Gustavo, David, and Tyler who are all there and ready to serve you something new … just ask, they’re all creative and always have just the right libation for you.It’s called Bar 888, off the lobby of the Hotel InterContinental San Francisco. The team is great - nice, competent, smart, friendly, just perfect, actually. The hotel is a little off the beaten path, but only by a block or so. It’s often the perfect spot for a relaxing drink, but sometimes, it gets busy when people from the hotel are meeting friends in the lobby before dinner. It’s also popular with the convention crowd, but they usually gone by 7ish.

    WARNING, don’t set your drink on the edge of the bar. The designer created a beautiful setting, but didn’t think this one through very well, because the edge of the bar slopes toward you; so if you place a drink there, it’ll slide off the edge and right into your lap. Thankfully, I haven’t had this happen, but I’ve heard it has. Consider yourself warned!

    The lobby of the hotel is beautiful, but the people are what make it worth the trip. The hotel is on the corner of Howard and 5th, two blocks south of Market and one block West from Moscone Center … directly across the street from Bucca de Beppo (a crazy restaurant with cheap, huge portions of old-fashioned Italian fare).

    The Hotel InterContinental San Francisco is part of the famed 5 star hotel chain, but that doesn’t mean stuffy, rude, or unapproachable. Krista, Vinnie, Gustavo, and David will make sure you feel at home in our little city.

    Tell them Randy said HI!