The View From Greenwich

I somehow did not find myself completely sick of live music following Outside Lands last week, so on Thursday night I headed to The Fillmore to see The Weepies in concert. My sister introduced me to the indie folk duo of Deb Talen and Steve Tannen, a guitar-strumming married couple with a “meet cute” story straight out of a movie.

The Fillmore, with its history as a San Francisco landmark stretching back to the 1960s, is an amazing venue for a concert. When you first walk in the doors and up the stairs, you’re surrounded by photographs of past acts, from Johnny Cash to Radiohead. Be sure to grab one of the free red apples at the top of the stairs. The auditorium itself has a simple setup, with just a few tables lining the walls, leaving the majority of the floor standing-room only. Gorgeous crystal chandeliers dangle from the ceiling, dappling light on the deep red walls. Upstairs, there is a mezzanine level where the walls are covered, floor to ceiling, with copies of the kaleidoscopic posters that are sometimes given out gratis after performances.

The show was opened by Steve’s brother Greg Tannen, who is quite talented, and certainly worth checking out if you’re into the charming, John Mayer, guy-with-a-guitar type. However, the highlight of his performance was definitely the marriage proposal between two fans in the middle of his set. (P.S: This is the second marriage proposal between strangers that I have witnessed in the past three months. Call me Cupid?).

As for The Weepies themselves, their acoustic performance was a welcome spell of calm after the exuberance of Outside Lands. Deb and Steve both sing and play the guitar and the piano (with some harmonica and xylophone mixed in as well), and they hopped back and forth between instruments throughout the show, sometimes singing in unison, sometimes entirely solo. They engaged with the crowd, talked about playing songs in their living room, and bantered back and forth like a pair of high-school sweethearts.

I was admittedly disappointed that they didn’t play some of my favorite songs, such as When You Go Away, but they did play most of the best songs from their 2010 album Be My Thrill. I also wished that they had played a few more fast-paced or upbeat tunes, as by the middle of the show the lullaby-like songs were starting to melt together a bit. However, those mellow songs, sweet and nostalgic, are what The Weepies do best. They played a sneak peek or two from an upcoming album, and I’m certainly looking forward to that release date, whenever it may be.

It was my parents’ anniversary earlier this week, and they were kind enough to invite my sister and I along for the celebratory evening. (I know. They must really love us.) We celebrated over dinner at Absinthe Brasserie & Bar in Hayes Valley, before walking over to The Orpheum to see the Broadway rendition of Billy Elliott. 

Absinthe, which serves upscale French-American and Northern Italian cuisine, is a definite gem in the San Francisco dining scene. The soft lighting and the fun Belle Epoque decor give the place the vibe of a trendy and sophisticated French bistro. I’ve been there for brunch before, and the service has always been friendly and attentive. There’s a nice bar in the front of the restaurant, and while we stuck to white wine the other night, Absinthe also offers an impressive selection of creative and whimsical cocktails.

When it comes to eating out at San Francisco restaurants, I pretty much just do whatever 7x7 tells me to do. Therefore, I was thrilled to try out two Absinthe specialties that have been featured on 7x7’s various “Best of San Francisco” lists. First, we ordered the soft garlic pretzels with Vermont cheddar mornay sauce (#36 on the 2011 Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Try Before You Die) as an appetizer. I was admittedly kind of surprised that something as simple as pretzels made that exclusive list, until I took my first bite, and realized that these pretzels, soft and fluffy and topped with garlic and sea salt, are not just simple pretzels. Trust me. Just try them.

Photo via 7x7.

We also ordered a shared plate of Black Mission figs with cheese, toasted walnuts, and arugula. Our waiter told us that this dish had just been added to the menu this week, now that figs are at the peak of their season, and the combination of flavors was superb.

After the pretzels were such a success, we decided to trust another recommendation from 7x7 when it came time for our individual orders. Absinthe’s French onion soup was listed on 7x7’s 2010 list of The Best Bowls of Soup in SF, so everyone at the table ordered a small crockpot filled with a perfectly-executed blend of broth, onions, bread, and melted Gruyere. Definitely one of the best bowls of French onion soup I’ve ever had!

Photo via Follow Me Foodie.

For my entree, I ordered the halibut, which came with a jalapeno-basil corn pudding and a succotash-esque combination of fresh corn, red potatoes, and mushrooms, all in a brown butter vinaigrette. The fish was cooked expertly, and the summertime corn was sweet and flavorful. The rest of my family ordered the pork loin with black truffle jus, the coq au vin, and the potato-crusted arctic char. All of our dishes featured fresh, local, seasonal ingredients, and let’s just say that there were a) no complaints and b) a lot of clean plates.

Photo via Foodspotting.

We had our hearts set on sharing a slice of German chocolate cake to round out the meal, but we sadly realized that we were running late for Billy Elliott, so we had to hightail it out of there and head over to The Orpheum. I guess we’ll just have to go back soon…

All in all, Absinthe Brasserie & Bar is the perfect place to stop for dinner or drinks before strolling a few blocks over to the Symphony Hall, the Opera House, or the Ballet. With the delicious food, the attentive service, and the classy ambience, Absinthe is one of those restaurants that makes any night feel special.

Today there are not one, not two, but three deals of the day, which is sending my deal-obsessed little brain into a tailspin. Take your pick from these three options!

Living Social is offering up two movie tickets to One Day plus $40 to spend on dinner at Zingari Ristorante, all for just $35 (normally $70). One Day is adapted from the best-selling novel by David Nicholls, which follows two strangers who spend their college graduation night together through that same date every year for the next two decades. The film stars Jim Sturgess and Anne Hathaway, which sounds like a recipe for a perfect end-of-summer chick flick to me. As for Zingari Ristorante, this Italian joint near Union Square serves up reasonably-priced Italian fare, with pastas and pizzas ranging from $11 to $17.

If you’re not one of the foodies already salivating over this weekend’s SF Street Food Festival, get yourself over to Bloomspot, which is offering half-off registration for the CitySolve Urban Race this Saturday. You can register two people for $50 (normally $100), or three people for $70 (normally $150). The CitySolve Urban Race is a scavenger hunt that will take you and your teammates throughout San Francisco, searching for checkpoints and deciphering clues, and racing against the clock for a chance to qualify for the national championships in Las Vegas. The deal also includes admission to the registration party at Sports Basement on Friday evening, where there will be free beer, appetizers, and 10% off purchases at Sports Basement. 

Finally, Pinchit is featuring a deal for half-off a sunset cruise on the bay with San Francisco Whale Tours, with tickets on sale for $17 (normally $34). Tours depart from Pier 39, and the reviews on Yelp suggest that everyone sees an abundance of wildlife, including humpback whales, sea lions, dolphins, porpoises, albatrosses, puffins and more. There are a few complaints about seasickness and weather conditions, but nothing that a little Dramamine and a lot of good rain gear won’t fix.

So much to do, so little time…

Image from ToMuse.

So…who else is wildly depressed that Outside Lands is over?

I certainly wish that I could be back amongst the thousands of fans who descended upon Golden Gate Park for this year’s three-day music extravaganza. The weekend was typically San Francisco. Over-the-top hippie fashions were in abundance. The weather went from being so numbingly cold that I could barely move my limbs on Friday night, to so cloudlessly sunny that I ended up bright red and sunburnt on Saturday afternoon. There were too many mouth-watering food carts to choose from. And of course, there was amazing music from a collection of incredible bands, from old classics (Phish, anyone?) to some of the hottest new kids on the block.

Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. In my opinion, the biggest disappointment was definitely MGMT, which was unexpected, as they may have been the band I was most excited to see. With the exception of Electric Feel and Time to Pretend, which were carried more by the chorus of the crowd than by the band members themselves, the performance was just a bit flat. MGMT didn’t play nearly enough of their energetic Oracular Spectacular hits, and leaned too much on prolonged, dissonant noise.

Now on to the good news, which included a lot of surprisingly great performances. My runner-up for the best sleeper hit was Foster the People. They got the crowd on their feet with Pumped Up Kicks, but they also proved that they are far more than one-hit wonders, performing punchy renditions of Waste, Don’t Stop and other catchy songs from their debut album Torches.

The winner for best surprise, however, was Beirut. I’d really only ever heard Elephant Gun before this weekend, and I was looking forward to finding out what else they had up the sleeves of their casual button-ups. To say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. Beirut’s music is inventive and unique, borrowing elements of the Balkan folk music that inspired frontman Zach Condon. The heavy brass sound and Condon’s strong voice are perfect for a live performance, creating a sweeping, full-bodied sound. If you’re not familiar with Beirut yet, check them out before their next album, The Rip Tide, is released on August 30.

As for a very favorite performance, it’s tough to choose. For me, the contest came down to two of my all-time favorite bands, but in the end, I’m going to have to go with The Shins as the runner-up. I wasn’t sure how well their relatively soft music would hold up to a live performance, but it turns out that it holds up remarkably well, and their nighttime performance on Friday night was the perfect ending to an action-packed first day of the festival. The band played a beautiful selection of songs from all of their albums, with the crowd swaying and softly singing along, sometimes as if in a trance, with an underlying sense of nostalgia. I think that everyone was reminded of their love for the band, and that we were all inwardly hoping that the rumors of a 2012 album prove to be true.

Finally, the gold medal for the best performance goes to Arcade Fire, whose act was rightly described by 7x7 as “the single most revelatory performance of the entire three-day fest.” I was lucky enough to see Arcade Fire perform at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley last fall, so I knew from that performance to expect a fantastic show. From the first heart-pounding beats of Ready to Start through the final soaring notes of Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains), Arcade Fire demonstrated that they are a true, all-out rock band, with a level of talent in a class of its own. Guided by the croonings of the unbelievably charismatic Win Butler, the entire band moved from one instrument to another, dancing all the while, while the crowd belted out the words to every song. With stars just starting to emerge over the brightly-lit stage, the glorious cries of Wake Up melting into the perfect breeze that rustled through the crowd’s swaying arms, the night truly felt magical.

It’s hard to believe that the event that we’ve all been anticipating for months is actually over. It was one of those weekends that reminded us all of why we adore this city, foggy summer nights and all.

Now, please excuse me while I go listen to The Suburbs on repeat.

We’re only 24 short hours from Outside Lands! Are you ready?

• Buy your three-day shuttle pass. For just $29.50, you can avoid dealing with Muni, which is sure to be chaotic, or cabs, which are sure to be non-existent. The shuttle will run regularly from Bill Graham Civic Auditorium to Golden Gate Park.
• Find out when and where all your favorite artists are playing, and share your schedule with your Facebook friends using My Scheduler.
• Get the mobile app, which will give you a handy way to view your schedule, a festival map, artist spotlights, and more.
• Take a look at the roster of food vendors so you’ll be well-prepared to finally try snacks from all those restaurants you’ve been meaning to go to.
• There’s more to Outside Lands than just music, food and booze. In between your favorite tunes, check out Eco Lands and other activities like complimentary hair styling and arcade games.
• Prep your blankets and coolers. View the list of what you can and can’t bring here.
• Get your layers ready. According to weather.com, temperatures will be hovering between the mid-50s and low-60s all weekend.
• Brush up on your Outside Lands stats with 7x7’s Outside Lands By The Numbers.

See you there!

Image from Outside Lands 2011.

On Sunday afternoon I finally made it to the Snakes & Lizards: The Summer of Slither exhibit at The California Academy of Sciences. The exhibit is small, but there’s a good assortment of reptiles, from water monitors to 14-foot pythons, with a lot of interesting information (did you know that skinks can drop their tails at will?). As an added bonus, it was the perfect place for me to try out my brand-new camera (thank you, credit card points!) for the first time! The exhibit closes on September 5. If you don’t want to shell out the $29.95 entry fee, considering going on a Free Museum Day (here or here).

Imagine if you could roll all of the best features of Facebook, Yelp, Groupon, Google, Angie’s List, and your local newspaper all into one all-encompassing website. Sounds amazing, right?

As far as I can tell, that’s the idea of Borrowed Sugar, a startup which aims to close the gap between locals by facilitating the spread of local information. The mission of Borrowed Sugar is perhaps best described on the “About” page:

“Technology has made it easy to stay connected with the world. German news is at our fingertips. We buy oranges from Brazil and furniture from Sweden. Our friends across oceans are just a phone call away. Technology has shown us the world. Unfortunately, it hasn’t touched our local lives. It’s hard to find local news. It’s tough to find a good plumber. Telephone poles are covered with flyers, because there’s no better way to reach your neighbors. Something is missing. We bring local to life. We bring you the local Internet – everything from community news and events to lost dogs, new neighbors and local businesses. We make it easy for you to live a more local life.”

—From Borrowed Sugar

Borrowed Sugar will be launching on August 21^st, and there will be a number of sections:

Local Calendar & News: Borrowed Sugar will search the web for upcoming events in your neighborhood.

Local Q&A: Post a question or share a tip, whether you’re looking for a good tailor or the best frozen yogurt shop.

Bulletin Board: Lost your dog? Does your band have an upcoming gig? Post your own news here.

Sidewalk Sale: Find deals from your local businesses, often with the proceeds being donated to local schools.

I can’t wait for this site to launch in San Francisco, but here’s the catch: Borrowed Sugar will only be launching in cities with enough locals signed up. So sign up now! Early registration is open through August 15^th.

Image from Borrowed Sugar.

In 2007, Portland was recognized by the Food Network Awards as the “Delicious Destination of the Year: A Rising City with a Fast-Growing Food Scene.” This food scene includes everything from full-on restaurants to breweries to food trucks on street corners. Here are some highlights from our trip!

Saturday Farmer’s Market at PSU: Portland has an amazing farmer’s market, which was named one of the five best farmer’s markets in the United States by Eating Well Magazine in 2007. The market rotates to different locations in the city every day of the week, but make a point to visit the market on Saturday, when masses of vendors set up shop in a square at Portland State University. Be sure to try some of Oregon’s famous berries (particularly the marionberries), but also save room for samples of cheese, meats, jams, honey, nut butters, baked goods, cider, beer, wine, and other goodies. If you’re more in the mood for a full meal, there are also plenty of stands with more substantial fare, such as Lauretta Jean’s, where we picked up slices of fresh-baked quiche.

Food Carts: Portland has a food cart scene that is probably best described as Off the Grid On Steroids. There are hundreds of food carts scattered in batches all over the city, sometimes even lined up all the way around an entire city block. I opted for chicken curry from the E-San Thai cart at SW 10th and Adler, where literally every dish is $5, and definitely provides enough food for multiple meals. If you go a bit further afield up to NW 23rd Street (which is a great little area filled with cute boutiques and cafes), you can find the PBJ’s Grilled cart, which sells gourmet grilled twists on the classic PBJ. For a peanut butter addict like myself, my grilled “Oregonian” with Rogue Creamery blue cheese, marionberry jam and hazelnut butter was a little slice of heaven.

Mother’s Bistro & Bar: This lovely restaurant with quaint farmhouse decor is apparently the place for brunch in Portland, as evidenced by the hordes of people waiting for tables outside. Even with an 11:30 reservation (on a Friday, not even on a weekend) we weren’t seated until close to noon, but that being said, the food was definitely worth the wait. My friend and I both ordered the open-faced Greek Frittata with fresh spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese and kalamata olives, which was reasonably-priced at $9.95. Oh, and it was also completely delicious. We both eventually had to ask our waiter to take our plates away to stop us from practically licking our plates clean. If you can’t make it for brunch, consider grabbing a seat at the bar in the evening, when Mother’s serves up some killer cocktails, such as the Thai Sparkling Lemonade with ginger infused vodka, muddled basil, ginger puree, and fresh-made lemonade.

Voodoo Doughnuts: I literally can’t remember the last time I had a donut, which I view as the most flagrant example of empty carbs and bad sugars, but I felt that a trip to Portland wouldn’t be complete without checking out Voodoo Doughnuts on SW 3rd Avenue. Voodoo serves up an eclectic assortment of donuts, topped with everything from bacon to Froot Loops. Apparently they used to produce donuts that were glazed with Nyquil and dusted with Pepto-Bismal, but thankfully health officials have since outlawed those creations. Still, I think it’s safe to say that Voodoo’s location directly across the street from the “Keep Portland Weird” mural is 100% justified. Voodoo is definitely worth checking out, but be warned: I experienced a pretty miserable sugar crash!

Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Aside from the occasional soy latte, which I don’t think I’ll ever give up, I’ve pretty much stopped drinking coffee over the past year. However, if Stumptown Coffee Roasters had a location in San Francisco, I’d be back on the java train immediately! This independent coffee roaster and retailer has a few locations in Portland, as well as in Seattle and New York City. I had recently read that the best iced coffee is cold-brewed (i.e. steeped in cold water, rather than just poured over ice), so I was excited to order a “Stubbie,” which is Stumptown’s 10-ounce bottle of cold-brewed, freshly-bottled coffee. The coffee was indeed smooth, mild, and not too bitter…in a word, delicious.

Tea Zone & Camellia Lounge: If you’re more into tea leaves than coffee beans, check out this tea lounge in the Pearl District. The menu features hundreds of types of tea from all around the world. I ordered a comforting black tea with traces of vanilla, which arrived in a small kettle along with an hourglass timer to alert me when it was time to remove the tea leaves. I found the Tea Zone to be the perfect place to sit down and relax for a while, but there’s also a lounge in the back serving cocktails, with happy hour specials and live music most days of the week.

While we hit most of the top spots, we also walked by a number of more off-the-beaten-track restaurants that I can’t wait to visit the next time I’m in Portland. Which, hopefully, will be soon!

During my senior year of college, in the course of searching for jobs and mulling over where I wanted to live post-graduation, I developed a mysterious obsession with Portland, Oregon. Had I ever been to Portland? Nope. But had I read and re-read Portland’s Wikipedia entry, with its references to Portland’s environmentally-conscious culture, its many independent coffeehouses and microbreweries, and its temperate oceanic climate? You betcha, and it was enough to convince me that I would be insanely happy if I could only find a job and move to Portland. Obviously, life took me elsewhere, and I didn’t get to test out this theory until I visited Portland this past weekend. I’m happy to report that the city lived up to all my expectations!

Portland is a lot like a smaller version of San Francisco, with a quirkiness that is proudly acknowledged in the famous “Keep Portland Weird” slogan. Simultaneously, there’s a feeling of health and wholesomeness, engendered by the trees lining every street, the abundance of vegan and gluten-free options, and the friendly, smiling people. At one point we walked past one of the many fountains filled with happily splashing kids, and I felt like I’d been transported back to an era of classic 1950s-style Americana.

A few general tips if you ever visit Portland:

• Wear comfortable shoes. Portland is definitely a walking city. The city is pretty small and it’s very easy to quickly get a sense of direction, so most of the time it seems silly to pay for a cab or bother with figuring out public transportation.
• Bring sunscreen. Portland puts San Francisco to shame when it comes to summer weather. We experienced temperatures hovering around 80 degrees all weekend, without a trace of humidity.
• Leave some extra room in your suitcase. There is no sales tax in Portland, which continued to blow my mind all weekend. You mean my meal actually costs exactly $9.95? It’s a great place to get some shopping done, so expect to leave with more stuff than when you arrived!

Today I’ll write about things to do in Portland, and tomorrow I’ll write about places to eat and drink.

International Rose Test Garden: This stunning rose garden is located on the far west side of the city inside Washington Park, which is also home to a Japanese Garden and the Portland Zoo. The Rose Garden spans 4.5 acres and is filled with over 7,000 rose plants of approximately 550 varieties, including hybrids from all around the world. Walk to the highest end of the garden and look east for a beautiful view of Mount Hood through the trees. The garden is open 7:30am to 9:00pm daily, and admission is free.

Powell’s City of Books: This independent bookstore in the Pearl District (just north of Downtown) spans a full city block and is three stories tall, giving The Strand in Manhattan a serious run for its money. The store sells millions of new and used books, including rare and out-of-print books, and we easily spent over an hour wandering through the aisles (check out the store directory below to see why). Be sure to visit the Blue Room, where the 12-foot tall shelves filled with classics will remind you of just how any great books you haven’t read yet.

Saturday Market: This outdoor arts and crafts market by the waterfront is the largest open-air market in continuous operation in the United States. If you’re looking for some quirky Portland souvenirs, this is the place to go. There are a lot of the typical wares found at crafts fairs, such as soaps and candles, but it’s worth wandering through the stands to locate some of the more unique products, such as the jewelry and housewares made out of utensils, or the purses made out of old board games and book covers. Despite the name, the market is actually open on both Saturdays (10 to 5pm) and Sundays (11am to 4:30pm), from March through December.

Oregon Brewers Festival: Every year over the last weekend in July, dozens of breweries bring their finest ales to the Portland Waterfront for this four-day long beer festival, with over 80 brews on tap. Purchase a beer mug for $6 and tokens for $1 each, with one token buying you a (fairly hefty) taste of beer, and four tokens buying you an entire mug. Lines can get a bit long, but we discovered that this often didn’t correspond with the quality of the beer, so definitely check out some of the less popular brews. Some of our favorites included Beer Valley Brewing Company’s Jackalope Imperial Pumpkin Porter, Salmon Creek Brewery’s Oatus the Red, and Cascade Brewing Company’s Razberry Wheat.

Stay tuned for a second post tomorrow with details on where to eat and get your caffeine fix!

I can hardly believe that it’s already August. Where did July go? It feels like it was just yesterday that I was cruising down Highway One on the way to Big Sur over 4^th of July weekend.

In the spirit of closing the door on one month and opening the door to another, I’m making some changes to the look of The View From Greenwich. I loved the previous theme that I was working with, but it was pretty limited (I guess that’s what you get when you pick the theme called “Minimalist”). Here are the main changes I’m making:

• The new links to the right contain all of my old posts, categorized by topic. Now you can easily find what you’re looking for, whether it is a good restaurant or some travel tips.
• Commenting is enabled! I didn’t realize this, but previously, commenting was only available to Tumblr members. Now anyone can comment on posts.
• If you’re more of a Facebook or Twitter type, you can now follow the blog using either of those platforms. Just click on the icons on the right!

In order to get these new features, I also switched to a different theme.

Hope you like all the changes. And Happy August!

Outside Lands is right around the corner, and earlier today the final schedule was released! Check it out here. You can listen to samples from some of the lesser-known artists, and put together a personalized schedule so that when the festival rolls around, you’ll know exactly where to go and when.

Photo from Outside Lands 2011.

It can be very easy to forget to do all the touristy things when you actually live in a city. For example, I lived in New York City for a year, but I never went to the top of the Empire State Building. Perhaps even worse, I grew up in the Bay Area and have lived in San Francisco for a year now, yet I have never rode on a cable car. I know. It’s pathetic. Luckily, I crossed one item off the San Francisco Tourist To-Do List the other night when I went to dinner at The Tonga Room, one of the city’s quirky landmarks.

The Tonga Room and Hurricane Bar is nestled within the Fairmont Hotel, which is great because you can pretend that you are a rich and fancy person when you go to the swanky restrooms. As for The Tonga Room itself, it’s a lot of fun, with an element of Las Vegas-esque theatricality. Seated in a bamboo chair under a thatched hut-style roof, with tribal masks on the walls and a bright blue lagoon in the center of the room, it feels like a little slice of “Disneyland for Adults” right here in San Francisco.

My friends and I went to dinner with a coupon we had all purchased from PopSugar City, which entitled us each to half-off the “Kao Island Dinner” plus a cocktail. Of course, there’s an extensive a la carte menu, but The Tonga Room is perfectly suited to a lively dinner with a large group, and to that end it offers three variations of a family-style menu, ranging from the Kao Island Dinner ($45/person) up to the Pangai Island Dinner ($65/person). Our menu included the following:

1^st Course: Baby back ribs with Kona coffee barbecue sauce, shiitake mushroom eggrolls, and vegetable tempura.

2^nd Course: Szechwan-spiced firecracker prawns, Mongolian beef with crispy rice noodles, “Huli Huli” chicken with pineapple and water chestnuts in a soy sauce glaze, Szechwan green beans, and jasmine rice.

3^rd Course: Banana mousse cake with a peanut butter ganache and a macadamia nut crumble.

Generally, at restaurants that are all about the atmosphere, the food tends to be subpar. However, the food at The Tonga Room was actually quite good! Take my advice and show up hungry, as we weren’t able to finish even half of the food that was brought to us.

Our coupon also included any cocktail costing $12 or less. I asked the waiter if it was true that they were famous for their mai tais, and upon his confirmation, we ordered those around the entire table. The mai tais are made with Bacardi 151, so be prepared for what you’re getting yourself into! That being said, they are quite delicious and come in funny tiki cups adorned with mermaids and, of course, a paper umbrella on top.

The meal wouldn’t have been complete without the entertainment of the Island Groove Band, a cover band that plays on Wednesday through Sunday evenings around 8pm (with a cover charge of $5 or $7 depending on the night). The band performs on a boat that “sails” out onto the lagoon – retreating, of course, when it is time for the periodic fake rainstorms.

The Hurricane Bar also offers a solid happy hour on Wednesday through Sunday, which additionally includes an all-you-can-eat buffet for $9.50 on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

There has been some controversy in the last couple years over rumored plans to move the Fairmont’s ballroom into the area currently occupied by The Tonga Room. My friends and I had a fantastic time at dinner the other night, so I’m happy to report that those plans have been shelved for the time being. It doesn’t sound like The Tonga Room will be closing its doors anytime soon, but still, if you haven’t yet checked out this San Francisco oddity, I’d suggest that you round up some pals and book yourselves a table soon!

Photo from PopSugar City.