Category: Castro

10/07/06

i was a bit wary about going here after reading a bunch of yelp reviews. it seems a lot of people have had incredibly heinous experiences. but, this place isn’t too far from home, and plus it was on the way to Amber which is where we were heading. ok, i definitely have to agree with people who complained about this place being really slow. when we got to the bar, there were only two people waiting for drinks before us, and yet it took centuries to get served. but, as we watched the bartendender make drinks for the people in front of us, we all realized that the drinks they make here are probably worth the wait. each drink was concocted with a zillion different ingredients, and painstakingly perfect and then tasted to be sure it was just right. these were no ordinary coctails.

i decided to order off the menu and the bartended just askedf wheteher i want a drink that’s sweet, sour, fruity, etc. i said i wanted something a little sweet but not too sweet, with raspberries, and tart. i ended up getting some amazing creation with mashed raspberries, chunks of watermelon, peppercorns, cardemom pods, mint, and other stuff. this drink was seriously insane… and then i tasted it… DAYUM!!! SO GOOD!!! every sip was incredible (except when i would accidenatlly sip up a whole peppercorn through the straw, ouch!). my friend got a drink made with bourbon and peaches that was super good too.

it turns out that we had gotten there just in time, cause a few minutes later, there was a mob at the bar. so in the end, if you want an absolutely amazing drink, check out the orbit room and order something that is not on the menu. you may have to wait a while, but it’ll be damn worth it.

the Orbit Room is at 1900 Market Street in San Francisco

Amber is a cool liitle bar in the Castro. well, actually it just seems little when you look at it from the outside. onse inside though, it turns out that therere’s actually lots of space and there are couches everywhere for people to sit on. this place seemed like a really nice mixture of a lot of things. there was fun music playing, yet not so loud that it would drown out everyones talking. the place looked nice and semi-slick in some ways, yet was totally relaxed and didnt give off that stuffy vibe at all. the crowd seemed very mixed: everything from people who were dressed up to people looking gritty, from hip-hop types to indie kids to everything in between. everyone seemed to be having a good time too. you could get fruffy coctails or you could drink pbr. basically, this place was a little bit of everything. unfortunately i ahd a cold so i had to go home early, but i definitely wanna go back again…

Amber is at 718 14th Street in San Francisco