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Tags: Dunkin' Donuts Alternatives / Donuts / San Francisco / → All Tags

Dynamo's Maple-Bacon Donuts for Grownups

If there's one lesson we hope you cherish from our Dunkin' Donuts Alternatives series, it's that donuts ain't just for kids anymore. Like their brethren cupcakes, donuts have reemerged as a complex treat that deserves to be taken seriously.

One shop leading the way in such cruller worship is San Francisco's Dynamo Donuts and Coffee, which tosses aside the grape jelly and powdered sugar in favor of what they call "donuts for grownups." They are more like fried cakes that pair better with espresso than assembly-line pastries for a quick coffee dip.

At their shop on 24th Street, Dynamo's counter-window looks out into Mission District and constantly draws a street-side line for their light and airy donuts, made from high-end ingredients like organic palm oil and Guittard chocolate. The fried treats are topped in decidedly adult flavors like banana dulce de leche, lemon thyme honey, and the far-and-away favorite: maple-bacon, which is almost always sold out shortly after breakfast time.

To score a pork-liciously tasty breakfast without all the hassle of frying up bacon, we recommend arriving at Dynamo's with the early morning crowd. These babies are best enjoyed while you're still bleary-eyed enough to not consider calorie counts.

Related Stories:
· Dynamo Donuts and Coffee [Official Site]
· Get Dat Donut [Jaunted]
· Do-Nuts So Old School, They Won't Drop the Hyphen [Jaunted]

[Photo: SanFranAnnie]

Tags: Recession Restaurants / Recession-Restaurants-Map / Restaurants / Food Travel / → All Tags

What's Up With Recession Chic?

We've been highlighting recession restaurants lately, but what we're looking for is restaurants that make us forget we don't have money anymore. You know, give us those truffles and filet mignon and arugula... for half-price!

But we're a little perplexed by the most recent trend popping up: Restaurants are seeking to remind us that we're in a recession, even treating it as if it's hilariously cute.

Case-in-point: San Francisco's trendy Mission eatery Luna Park, which recently introduced a "blue plate special" that pays homage to Depression-era soup kitchens with inexpensive meals served on cafeteria-style trays.

We can't argue with the deal--$12 for chef Nick Cobarruvias's French-tinged comfort food--but enough with the recession chic! Give us a break--and can you spare a dime?

Related Stories:
· Luna Park [Official Site]
· Recession Restaurants coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Luna Park]

Tags: San-Francisco-Music-Venues / Clubs / Music Travel / Nightlife / → All Tags

San Francisco Music Venues: Amnesia

Finding an intimate place to drink a hearty selection of draft microbrews under a wash of dim red light while making out, listening to a live band of gypsy horns sound like a tall order? That's why we love Amnesia in the Mission for a neighborhood bar with a huge range of live music.

Depending on what night you go, the crowd may be a bunch of hayseed wannabes getting their banjo fix at the no-cover Monday bluegrass nights, or on a Saturday it could be packed to the gills with young people that want to hook up and dance to music from the local DJs.

There's no liquor served here, which sometimes can be a good thing. Amnesia boasts a great selection of local and international brews, particularly Belgian beers. Given the name of the bar and the mega-boozy European libations, maybe no liquor is necessary.

Related Stories:
· Amnesia [Official Site]
· San Francisco Music Venues Map [Jaunted]

[Photo: Kripptic]

Tags: San-Francisco-Music-Venues / Live Music / Music Venues / Bars / → All Tags

San Francisco Music Travel: Blondie's Bar

Blondie's Bar & No Grill was voted "the Best of the Bay to get your date drunk off of one drink" by the San Francisco Bay Guardian for its massive killer martinis. (When they say pint-sized, they don't mean small.) But Blondie's is even better known for its music scene, with live acts at least three nights a week.

The venue only fits 250 people, so it's usually packed with patrons there to hear the live music talent or DJs spinning. The local bands that perform fall into quite a particular genre: Regular act Blue Mire calls it "garagefolk--acoustic music too loud, too reckless, too angry, and too sexy to be considered folk rock." Specifc as it may be, the mixed crowd is anything but niche.

Related Stories:
· Blondie's Bar [Official Site]
· San Francisco Music Venues coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: lucafotogne]

Tags: San-Francisc-Music-Venues / Live Music / Music Travel / Music Venues / → All Tags

Where to Hear Live Music: San Francisco's 12 Galaxies

When it comes to getting your hipster on in San Francisco there's only one place to do it: 12 Galaxies. Formerly known as Club Galia, this two-floor performance space features a wide-open floor for dancing and a small stage for more intimate shows. The upstairs, which includes tables and chairs for those who prefer to sit instead of dance, wraps around to create a mezzanine above the acts.

Turns out the second floor is kind of dual purpose. It's perfect for a bird-eye view of the band, but it's also the place to go if you don't quite fit in:

The second floor is also a safe place to slither if you've dared to come dressed in Banana Republic or anything featuring natural fibers.

If there were ever a hipster universe, it wouldn't be in Williamsburg, it'd be 12 Galaxies in San Fran.

Related Stories:
· 12 Galaxies [Official Site]
· Live Music in San Francisco coverage [Jaunted]
· San Francisco Hotels [Hotel Chatter]

[Photo: Live Downloads]

Tags: Shuffleboard Bars / Dive Bars / → All Tags

San Fracisco Shuffleboard Bar

Table shuffleboard is a classic bar game. Grab a beer, grab a partner and start sliding pucks--simple, yet mindblowing.

Alas, it seems to be getting harder and harder to find a decent bar with a decent shuffleboard set up, at least here in the States. Thankfully, Doc's Clock on Mission St. in San Francisco fills the void.

Aside from having continuous shuffleboard opportunities, Doc's Clock is one of our favorite bars in EssEff because it is always full of interesting people. However, even if you don't like people, you can play shuffleboard all night while slowly getting drunk--if there is a person who doesn't like the sound of that scenario we have yet to meet 'em.

Why has bar shuffleboard become as endangered as the Florida Manatee? We have no idea, but if you want to help save bar shuffleboard by telling us about other holes in the wall that offer this classic game, by all means, drop us a note.

Related Stories:
·   Doc's Clock [Official Site]