Mission Mission

… either that, or there are some bad drivers near the Zeitgeist bike racks.

Zeitgeist is up for best SF bar in some poll by SFist, by the way. They are up against Smuggler’s Cove, which has fruity tropical drinks and pirate stuff. Fair comparison? Vote for them, if they haven’t already alienated you with their surly demeanor.

Those of you who made it out to sample the delicacies of Hanoi at last night’s edition of Rice, Paper, Scissors were greeted with a pleasant surprise, as traveling omnivore and No Reservations host Anthony Bourdain made a special appearance to try the pop-up Vietnamese fare first-hand!  We were too busy scarfing down the delicious honey-glazed pork jerky, papaya salad, crab and shrimp noodle soup, and banh mi to get too close, but our pal Stuart managed to get some face time.  I wonder if he ever made it to Zeitgeist?

A short message from reader Mikel, stamped yesterday at 5:24PM:

Bourdain siting next to me today @dolores park cafe with a leaf shaped latte in hand

Can anybody confirm? Perhaps he will be at Friday’s taping at Zeitgeist after all?

[Unrelated photo by Cheryl]

We reported last week that next week there would be a taping of Bourdain’s new show at Zeitgeist. This week, Zeitgeist sent out this update:

No Reservations will be taping at Zeitgeist on August 12th, between 1:30pm and 3pm.

Anthony Bourdain will NOT be present for the taping.

I don’t buy it.

(Thanks, Amy!)

It’s part of the Thieves/Blind Cat empire, and will feature fancy but affordable bar food by Chez Spencer. Unfortunately, there won’t be live music like at the space’s previous incarnation, El Rincon, but presumably there will still be dancing and cock (see photo).

Uptown Almanac has a Q&A with one of the owners:

Q: Is it going to be more of a dive like the other Thieves bars or a bit nicer?  I ask because the menu is a little more pricey than other neighborhood bar and grills (namely Bender’s, Gestalt, Zeitgeist, former Ace Cafe)…

A: yes and no. the daily specials are more but the everyday food is all under $10 bucks and we want to keep it that way. What we really want is a place where you can get good food and get loose and act like a fool (the good kind of fool). Like, what’s the difference between a dive bar and a neighborhood bar? Clean bathrooms and napkins on the table. I really want to go to a bar where i can get a $6 plate of grilled asparagus and get drunk and have a spontaneous dance party to The Pointer Sisters. That’s what we’re going for.

Whoa. I usually like to have spontaneous dance parties to the Pointer Sisters at the Silver Crest, but Dear Mom will be much closer to home. Can’t wait!

Read on for menu details, capacity details, pool/pinball plans and more.

Oh and follow Dear Mom on Facebook for updates.

[Photo by Rick Audet]

2010

• Lady Gaga came to town to sample some delicious Mission sausages. I’ve got a sausage she can sample. No seriously, I’m talking about Rosamunde sausages. They’re really good and she should check it out.
• We asked you for a new Mission motto, you delivered: “The Mission: where latinos and hipsters politely ignore each other’s existence”

2009

• Someone left a friendly reminder to please take the entire free sidewalk couch, not just the cushions (it’s inhumane to separate bedbug families).
• Locals celebrated shark week by draping dead sharks over various Mission trash receptacles.

2008

• A Mission motorist took his disdain for self-obsessed bicyclists to Craigslist, actually made me hate cyclists a little.
• A guy posted a Missed Connection for the individual that kicked his drunk ass at Zeitgeist, praised the beating as a “masterpiece”

From today’s Zeitgeist newsletter, titled “No Bathroom Reservations”:

Welcome to our NEW bathrooms!  Buh Bye Porta Johns, Hello Restrooms! Located in the backyard to the right, both mens and womens and ADA approved.

Upcoming events:

Friday August 12th: No Reservations taping.
Anthony Bourdain samples good drinks and eats.

This might seem at odds with the news reported by Eater this week that Bourdain is about to embark on a new show called The Layover in which he does a city in 24 (or 48) hours [link]. So either Zeitgeist got facts wrong and they’ll actually be shooting the new show, or they’re doing yet another SF episode of the old show.

Anyway, here’s hoping he brings Bill Murray along again too:

(Thanks, Amy!)

Not doing anything tonight? Why not celebrate Tamale Lady’s birthday and help save KUSF, all within the comfort of Zeitgeist’s beer garden? There will be jug band tunes, movie screenings, and a $10 donation gets you all-you-can-drink beer, birthday cake, and Tamale Lady’s homemade chicken mole and pasta salad.

Well, he does make a strong argument.

Motorcycle outside The Zeitgeist.

Stop number 3 of the day was the newly renovated Zeitgeist and their classic Mary’s –they haven’t changed a bit, and apparently nor has the bars disdain for taking photos (my bad).

The thing I like about the Mary’s here is that they’re exactly what you think of when you think of a good ole bloody mary.  They’re refreshing, great balance of spice and heartiness, it really hits the spot after a night on the town.  As one Crawler put it, they’re “surly but good on a nice day”.  I second that one!

The bartender manning the shaker was a really nice dude, which is contrary to 98% of things you’ve heard about the bartenders at Zeitgeist, and he was good at his craft.  Very efficient, heavy on the vodka, no extra fluff necessary.  Bonus points for having Street Fighter 2  in the bar,  nothing makes me happier than good Marys and kicking some butt with Blanka.

[Photo by Mike Chino]