Saturday, April 21, 2012

Big - a new little bar in San Francisco

When you walk into Big, SF's newest bar, you've stepped into another dimension. With enough room to fit about 22 people comfortable, you'd better check out Big very soon before it gets...well...big.

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The decor is perfect. Big reminds me some of Chicago's Violet Hour, since both strategically use heavy, velvet curtains to absorb both noise and light. The result is a cool, quiet atmosphere in which you can actually talk to your companions.

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It's got a very living room feel.

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The drinks are incredibly fresh and very citrus forward. The bartender has come up with some pretty interesting concoctions, such as a nice smoked gin. They carry Rusty Blade Gin, a barrel aged gin that I'd be interested in trying side-by-side with Ransom. Both the smoked gin (homemade) and the Rusty Blade made darn fine, slow-sipping cocktails.

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This was a nice number using Gin, lime, shiso, cucumber, and green Chartreuse.

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This was whiskey, maple, lemon, and smoked olive oil.

The wait was quite long for us, so bring only a few companions and your patience. Big isn't the place to go if you're in a rush or if you want to get blitzed before your night out on the town. If, on the other hand, you have a friend in town and you want to give them the quintessential San Francisco experience, stop by for a drink.

In the interest of impartiality and fairness to the reader, I should mention that the drinks are $14 a pop, which, to me, seems a bit steep. Nevertheless, it's worth at least a try, especially for the atmosphere.

Big is on Post between Jones and Leavenworth, right across from Farm Table. If the light is on outside, you're good to go. If not, you're out of luck.

Big
761 Post St
San Francisco, CA 94102
http://big-san-francisco.com/
Open: Tue-Sat 6 pm - 2 am

1 comment:

Adam @ EatDrinkRunPlay said...

Hmmm...sounds like something up my alley. Next time I'm back west I'll have to drop in and check this place out.

Sadly, there are few places like that in Ithaca, NY - my favorites are places with a good range of drinks and a nice relaxed atmosphere where I can actually talk to someone.

Thanks for the info!