Entertainment in California
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A
Café du Nord/Swedish American Hall
You never know what's doing at Café du Nord, a former basement speakeasy, with bar and showroom. Rockers, chanteuses, comedians, raconteurs and burlesque acts perform nightly, and the joint still looks like it must've in the '30s. The hall upstairs, with balcony seating and Scandinavian woodwork, hosts miscellaneous events. Check the online calendar.
reviewed
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B
Bar 821
Bar 821 has a noteworthy selection of Belgian beers, but seems to want everyone to know that it doesn't want to be discovered by anyone. There's no sign out front (look for a bit of decorative neon around the door), and the highly visible house rules instruct patrons not to tell anyone about the place. (This review violates Rule No 5.) Another odd twist: the doors close nightly at 23:00 for an 'after-party' that ends at midnight.
reviewed
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C
Bridge Theater
One of SF's last single-screen theaters, the Bridge screens international independent films from yakuza gangster thrillers to film-festival sensations.
reviewed
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D
Vessel
The crowd dresses sharp at Vessel, a midsized subterranean club-lounge with kick-ass sound and mesmerizing lighting, which sometimes books big-name DJs (think Louie Vega). We prefer the more-local Wednesday to Thursday scene over the sometimes-suburban weekend crowd, which takes longer to get its drink on and dance. Get on the list.
reviewed
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E
Mandrake
Remember those parties in high school, chillin’ in somebody’s parent’s garage – concrete floor, a little cold, a work-in-progress kinda place – where you were ready to drop your cup and run at the first sign of trouble? Mandrake’s got that garage-cool feel plus a couple of art chicks. Opened by an art-minded trio in the heart of Culver City’s gallery district, this little bar’s got a big buzz. And it’s fun.
reviewed
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F
New Beverly Cinema
Serious filmophiles and megaplex foes put up with the worn seats and musty smell of this beloved double-feature revival house that started out as a vaudeville theater in the '20s and went porno in the '70s. In 2007, Quentin Tarantino held the world premier of Grindhouse here, shortly before the cinema's longtime owner passed away suddenly. His wife and son have promised to keep the reels rolling.
reviewed
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G
Brass Monkey
You might need to knock back a couple of brewskis to loosen your nerves before belting out your best J Lo, Justin or Jackson Five at this 1930s bank vault turned kooky karaoke joint. All you American Idol wannabes can pick from 60, 000 songs in six languages. Those in the know usually come early to stake out a good spot before the action starts at 21:00 (16:00 on Friday). Enter through the back.
reviewed
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H
Red Poppy Art House
Like walking into an underground house party where the guests have wildly varied skill sets: Ethiopian jazz vocals, performance poetry set to digital photographs, South Indian classical saxophone, wall-drawing with a conductor's baton. Check the event and workshop lineup on the website; admission is usually by sliding scale donation (typically $5 to $15). Otherwise, this corner storefront is open to passersby on Saturday afternoons and whenever someone's working on a project.
reviewed
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Orbit Room
A fashionable mixed crowd is attracted to the Orbit Room, a postindustrial art-deco bar. It stays open late and boasts a good jukebox and panoramic windows, and its sidewalk tables make it well suited to lingering over coffee or draught beer. Tuesday nights feature bartender Alberta Straub, who's either a total genius or the meanest cuss on the planet, depending how serious you are about your cocktails.
reviewed
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J
Mark Taper Forum
Part of the Music Center, the Mark Taper is one of the three venues used by the Center Theatre Group, SoCal's leading resident ensemble and producer of Tony-, Pulitzer- and Emmy-winning plays. It's an intimate space with only 14 rows of seats arranged around a thrust stage, so you can see every sweat pearl on the actors' faces. The theater has gone through a complete overhaul, finishing in summer 2008.
reviewed
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K
Tunnel Top
You can't tell who's local and who's not in this happening, chilled two-story bar, with exposed beams, beer-bottle chandelier and little mezzanine where you can spy on the crowd below. The owners are French, and their Gallic friends throng the place, tapping their toes to conscious hip-hop (think Common, not Little Wayne) and boom-boom house music, the SF soundtrack. Cash only.
reviewed
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L
Paradise Lounge
The stalwart Paradise is good on Fridays and Saturdays when you’re wandering around 11th St undecided about where to go, but a recent remodel rendered it like a soap-opera set-designer’s vision of what a club should be – by the time you arrive, we hope it’s beat up. Sound is good on both dance floors, and the upstairs-downstairs layout is fun for running around. Verify Sunday opening times online.
reviewed
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M
Hotel Utah Saloon
The ground-floor bar of this Victorian hotel became ground zero of the underground scene in the '70s, when upstarts Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams took the stage – now it's a sure bet for Monday Night Open Mics, indie-label debuts and local favorites like Riot Earp, Saucy Monkey and the Dazzling Strangers. Back in the '50s the bartender graciously served Beats, grifters and Marilyn Monroe, but snipped the ties of businessmen when they leaned across the bar; now you can wear whatever, as long as you're buying, but there's a $20 credit card minimum.
reviewed
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N
Caffe Trieste
Poetry on bathroom walls, opera on the jukebox, live Italian and gypsy folk music weekly, and regular sightings of Beat poet laureate Lawrence Ferlinghetti: this is North Beach at its best, as it's been since the 1950s. Linger over a legendary espresso, join aging anarchists debating how best to bring down the government, or scribble your screenplay under the Sicilian mural just as young Francis Ford Coppola did. Perhaps you've heard of the movie: it was called The Godfather.
reviewed
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O
Lime
Meet George Jetson, his ex Judy, and his new partner Joe, all getting chummy over the signature citrus cocktails. Perch atop the outer-space fungi that passes for seating, slurp a key lime martini or two, and pretty soon you'll be able to picture a future where earthlings are uniformly rosy, cozy, well-groomed and a tad giggly. At brunch, order the bottomless around mimosa at your own risk.
reviewed
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P
$3 Bill Cafe
Squishy couches, strong coffee, free wireless and smiley staff invite you to join San Francisco history in progress: sparkle subversively with Radical Faeries; organize Green Party bake sales with moms' groups; and stitch and bitch with SF's sharpest knit wits. Don't be shy about stepping up and out on Queer Open Mike, the second and fourth Fridays of the month - you're among friends here.
reviewed
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Q
Tonga Room
Tonight's San Francisco weather: 100% chance of tropical rainstorms every 20 minutes, but only around the top-40 band playing on the island in the middle of the indoor pool – you're safe in your grass hut. For a more powerful hurricane, order one in a plastic coconut. Come before 8pm to beat the cover charge.
reviewed
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R
Saloon
A stalwart North Beach dive, the Saloon survived the 1906 fire when its loyal patrons brandished buckets of beer and wine to quench the flames. Today it’s the oldest bar in SF, dating from 1861, and hasn’t had a coat of paint in decades, which is exactly why disheveled old-timers and local hipsters love it. Blues and rock bands perform nightly and from 4pm weekend afternoons.
reviewed
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S
Circus Disco
It’s a seven-ring circus Saturday nights when DJs spin house, trance, hip-hop, and ‘80s music in seven separate rooms in Circus’ 40,000-sq-ft warehouse. Crowds swarm the laser-filled dance floors for a multilingual, multi-themed DJ-powered bacchanalia. On Tuesdays it’s boys night for guys who like guys, and next door at gay-slanted Arena, it’s boys night a lot more often.
reviewed
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T
Rickshaw Stop
Finally a club where 18 to 21-year-olds can (sometimes) get in for the high-school prom they wish they'd attended. DIY–looking, red-velvet curtains line the black-box walls of this former TV studio, which hosts a changing lineup that appeals to alterna-20-somethings who style life on a shoestring. Thursday's Popscene (18 plus) is always happening. Other nights range from Bollywood to lesbian. Check the calendar online.
reviewed
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U
El Floridita
The original Floridita in Havana was Hemingway's favorite hangout and the Hollywood version is the place for grown-up salseros to go cubano. Order a mojito and watch the beautiful dancers do their thing (or join in if you feel you've got the moves). The Monday night jams are legendary; make reservations at least a week in advance (for any day, for that matter).
reviewed
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V
Magic Theater
The Magic is known for taking risks and staging provocative plays by playwrights such as Bill Pullman, Terrence McNally, Edna O'Brien, David Mamet and longtime playwright-in-residence Sam Shepard. Watch the next generation break through in professionally staged works written by teenagers as part of the Young California Writers Project.
reviewed
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W
111 Minna
A superhero here to rescue the staid Downtown scene, 111 Minna is a street-wise art gallery by day (open from noon to 5pm Wednesday to Saturday) that transforms into a happening lounge space and club by night (evening hours vary). After-work events are networky but usually interesting – one recent week featured green professional happy hours, Japanime fan clubs and a gay teen support group fundraiser – until 9pm, when '90s and '80s dance parties take the back room by storm. Don't miss monthly free Sketch Tuesdays, when artists make work for sale to the audience.
reviewed
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X
Pioneer Saloon
About 10 miles north of the California border on I-15 is the enclave of Jean. Turn off at Nevada Landing, a steamboat-style casino hotel, for the 7-mile trip west on NV 161 to Goodsprings, where this little roadside shack dates from 1913 (which makes it southern Nevada's oldest bar). Riddled with bullet holes, the saloon still boasts a vintage cherrywood bar and movie-star memorabilia.
reviewed
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Y
The Café
The pool tables were just replaced because go-go dancers tore them to shreds - uh-huh, it's that kind of place, has been for decades. The eclectic mix sometimes lapses into interminable house numbers; grab a test-tube shot and pace yourself until the samba whistles kick in. Anyone in hot pants is welcome, though Fridays favor fellas and every third Saturday is an all-lesbian tea dance.
reviewed