bars

A civilized St. Patty's starts with an Irish coffee.

jrodmanjr at Flickr

Green beer, car bombs, pinching strangers: St. Patrick's Day, the old-fashioned way, can be plenty of fun. But if your memories of last year's hangover are still painful, or you can't stomach the antics of a holiday bartenders not-so-lovingly refer to as "Amateur Night," there are still plenty of ways to enjoy St.

Tippling alongside your toddler? Be aware of the ground rules.

San Francisco has plenty of ultra-hip parents these days, and with the encroachment of rock shows and art events for the younger set, a new locale is emerging as the Final Frontier of family fun: the local watering hole. Buoyed by recent memories of their salad days and recession-induced frustration at dropping a boatload of cash on a babysitter, parents are bringing their babies into locales that were once their meat markets.

Filmmaker George Lucas and Tosca Cafe owner Jeannette Etheredge

Photos by Catherine Bigelow

Tosca Cafe, the most jaunty of the city’s gin joints, is also well-known as a destination for the celebrity set.

But last night in North Beach when Jeannette Etheredge celebrated the 90th anniversary of her beloved bar, the place was jammed with that most local of breed: San Franciscans.

Generations, in fact, gathered to raise a glass to this historic watering hole -- from cops, politicians, artists, ribald raconteurs to ballet dancers, theater folks, ink-stained wretches and the jet set.

The Broken Record's mac and cheese is an easy-to-reach treat after a few drinks.

Allison P. on Yelp

We've spent a lot of time thinking about the dual nature of bars and restaurants in SF. Obviously, restaurants with great cocktail, wine, and beer programs abound in the city, but on a busy night, dedicated drinkers can usually forget about snagging a table to drink first and eat second-- with people waiting, most restaurants won't allow lingering, especially if food isn't a priority. On the flip side, it's easy to darken the door of a beloved bar all night, but when it comes time for some ballast, drinkers are usually sent out in search of that late-night slice or burrito.

Urban Daddy

Reclaimed wood has been a staple of contemporary architecture and interior design for years, but the creative uses and interesting past lives of the medium still never cease to amaze us. Lately we've been noticing bars across the city getting into the act. Haight's Magnolia Pub and Brewery received a major renovation last year, and while we love the new menu and adore the gold leafing on the walls, it's the countertops and bars that really make us swoon.

An ATM... no, wait, a jukebox?!

Jonathan Koshi [http://flickr.com/photos/koshi]

Lately, I've found myself walking into bars I haven't visited for a while, and have been mortified to see the old school CD jukebox replaced by a neon monstrosity: the MP3 jukebox. At face value, the MP3 jukebox seems brilliant. And from a digital music nerd standpoint, it is. As media technology has evolved—vinyl to cassette to CD—so has the technology of the jukebox—vinyl to CD and now to digital. Its place in the world makes sense. The problem is that I am unable to reconcile my love of new technology's ease with my sentimental attachment to the old school mechanical jukebox.