drink near the cable car turnaround

[chairbc]

Meeting a friend for a drink near Powell and Market--where she's taking a class--on Wednesday afternoon. Any Chowhound-ish recommendations? I suspect she's going to BART it back to the East Bay afterwards--so what's good, within a 10-minute walking radius?

[carfeng]

E&O Trading Company has fun cocktails, plus food. Can't vouch for the food, but the drinks are pretty tasty.

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E & O Trading Co
314 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94108

[Robert Lauriston]

farmerbrown is a block from there and the cocktails are remarkably good.

The Press Club is a couple of blocks away, good only if you like California wine. The Hidden Vine is a nice space, I haven't been there since it changed hands.

For beer, the best place in the area is Thirsty Bear.

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Hidden Vine
620 Post St, San Francisco, CA 94109

Thirsty Bear Brewing Co
661 Howard St., San Francisco, CA 94105

Farmer Brown
25 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

Press Club SF
20 Yerba Buena lane, San Francisco, CA

[balabanian]

I second Farmer Brown.
Also, Two has excellent cocktails, and happy hour specials, though it's a little more of a walk (Hawthorne lane, between second and third, howard and folsom).

[balabanian]

the place link

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Two
22 Hawthorne St., San Francisco, CA 94105

[chairbc]

Hey, thanks to all for your answers so far...not one of which I would have thought of on my own! much appreciated.

[Ruth Lafler]

If you want someplace quiet to visit with your friend where you'll feel special and pampered and don't mind paying $$$ for cocktails, the bar at the Four Seasons is wonderful.

[Bprecie]

For wine try the Hidden Vine on Cosmo across from Le Colonial - good for a rainy day. For cocktails Clock Bar at Michael Mina in the Westin St. Francis, Scala's across the street at the Sir Francis Drake. For the afterwork crowd, DADA on Second at Mission or the Irish Bank with the outside patio if it's nice on Bush between Grant and Kearny.

[ML8000]

Might try Kuleto's. Nothing special, de-facto hotel bar (can't remember the semi-attached hotel's name), but right there and the sorta place you get a quick drink (but don't eat there). There's a wine bar around there that I don't remember what it's called.

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Kuleto's
221 Powell St., San Francisco, CA 94102

[c oliver]

Hotel is Villa Florence. Would the "wine bar" be Crush?

[bbulkow]

chairbc, I looked through a sampling of your past posts and they're really terse. I have no idea whether to recommend the 21 Club or the bar at the hotel palomar. What's chowish mean to you?

Ok, I don't think the right answer is the 21 club.

[chairbc]

sorry, I'm trying to be clever...I've found so many good leads in Chowhound (Mexican restaurants along 101, brunch in Manhattan, others) that I think "chowish" is intuitive--I mean, enjoying food that's serious, whatever the price range or style....

[bbulkow]

So you're looking for food, or a bar? Cocktails or coffee? Formal or informal? You're getting a lot of diverse recommendations - people are just throwing out ideas - farmer brown is quite different from the Four Seasons.

[c oliver]

I like the bar at Kuleto's on Powell just up from the cable car turnaround. For an "earthier" venue there's the Gold Dust right there also. Food available at Kuletos's; drinks only at Gold Dust.

[Melanie Wong]

Here's a set of photos from happy hour at the Gold Dust for a sense of the venue.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenmaise...

[c oliver]

I love those pix! I've gone there a half dozen times or so over twenty plus years. It's definitely different than your average fern bar :) I think it was ONE of Herb Caen's haunts. Thanks, MW.