On Golden Gate Fond : Five O'Clock Drinkies at Luna Park

Luna Park San Francisco
694 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA, 94110
http://www.lunaparksf.com/


Not even close to a review this time, folks, just a little mini-post to extol the joys of five o'clock drinkies.  Not a habit we indulge in every day, or even many days, in fact, hardly any days at all now that I consider the issue.  But after a busy day of taking the cable car, walking around the piers, going to the baseball (Go As!) and hitting the sci-fi bookshops in the Mission district, it can be a joy to plant yourself in a quiet bar at a quiet time of the cycle, have a little rest, and find another reason to be happy with the world.

Sangria (with fresh fruit $9) was the Periguexce's choice.  I had a little taste, and truth to tell it was not the finest sangria I've had.  The spices in the mix hadn't integrated, and the colour was a strangely lurid pink.  Not bad by any means but not fantastic.  Maybe later in the night the mix would have meshed better.  

Your dear old Ecumer picked the 'Fancy Flight of Cocktails', because I run on the principle that you should always try as many things as possible. The flight was (clockwise from top)

- an Icebreaker - grape vodka with Vin de Glaciere and frozen grapes.  I loved this, it was dry but had a mild fresh-grapey fruitiness to it.  I'm not sure precisely what the Vin de Glaciere is - it's a generic French term for ice wine, wine made from grapes that have traditionally been frozen on the vine, but nowadays some winemakers do it with freezers (which is much cheaper and more reliable than hoping for an early frost).  There are a couple of wineries in Oregon and California doing this and I suspect it was from one of them, although the cocktail list didn't specify and there's none on the wine list.  Ah, sweet cocktail mystery.

- a Roadrunner -  Don Julio Blanco tequila, Chili, Sage, Prickly Pear & fresh lime.  The chili was a bit of an overpowering force in this one.  The skewerd sage leaf and pickled chili on the top wafted mild hints of flavour around but there was a significant chili kick lurking in the main drink.  Sweet prickly pear and complex tequila flavours.  A drink that danced with sweet, fruity, herbal and hot, and came down just slightly on the hot side.

- a Mint Julep - Bulleit Bourbon, fresh mint and sugar syrup.  A traditional, aggressively smokey classic, served charmingly in the traditional pewter tankard.  I felt as if I should be called 'Colonel'.

And that was all, one quick drinkie (admittedly a multiphasic one for me), and back to the apartment to regroup before an evening of .... going out to eat.

Don't be distressed by the emptiness of the bar.  We arrived there just as they were opening and setting up, and the staff were very accommodating.  I gather that it's a busy and popular bar and eatery at times later than 5 in the afternoon, and a quick look at the menu showed some interesting dishes in what I would call a pub or bar menu style - burgers, pastas, grills, salads.

Happy Five O'Clocking,

Ecumer