Best of Nightlife 2007

The Tenderloin may not strike you as the funniest of places, but thanks to 50 Mason Lounge, the neighborhood’s got a lot of laughing going on. Serving up off-the-cuff entertainment in a down-and-dirty setting (complete with the requisite “brick” wall), this unassuming comedy club showcases, most nights, the stand-up acts of a plethora of up-and-comers. But if spontaneity is your bag, take in a performance by the Chicken Scratch Troupe, a Whose Line Is It Anyway–styled act that performs the first Thursday and third Friday of each month. With a cover charge ranging from $7 to $10 and a no-drink minimum, 50 Mason is truly a bargain. Be a part of the summer laugh track as 50 Mason hosts its third annual Comedy Competition May 31–July 19.

50 Mason Lounge 50 Mason St., 415-398-4129

“What would Mrs. Robinson do?” This is the question at the heart of the Mrs. Robinson Society (MRS), a club launched earlier this year in SF by 15 savvy married women fed up with the stigma attached to the so-called trappings of marriage and getting older. Although extramarital flings with young men, à la The Graduate, are not necessarily on the agenda, the MRS does set out to debunk prevailing negative stereotypes, from the “cougar” (older woman as predator) to the MILF. Politics aside, the now 100-strong women of MRS (which has since opened up to singles who share the same values) are dedicated to having some fun—whether that means taking a long, guilt-free workday lunch or having a signature cocktail order at the ready.

So nice, we have to say it twice. Shabu shabu, Mums’ all-you-can-eat specialty (which they’ve been serving for over a decade) includes thin-sliced meat, veggies and noodles cooked at your table in an iron hot pot and comes with an all-you-can-drink option. For $35, fill up on the traditional dishes and wash them down with bottomless sake or imported beer. Located in Japantown’s Hotel Tomo (formerly the Miyako Inn), Mums also has a newly brightened interior (thanks to designer Anthony Laurino)—making getting lit that much easier.

Mums 1800 Sutter St., 415-931-6986

Sure they make leaping, flipping and twirling across the stage look effortless, but what’s especially outstanding about the Savage Jazz Dance Company performances is that they’re often accompanied by live jazz—which, according to our calculations, adds up to more than twice the talent in one concert. Having frequently collaborated with local jazzman Marcus Shelby, the troupe is currently working with the TK Atemu Aton Project. Based in Oakland, SJDC will make its way to the Mission’s ODC Theater this November in celebration of 15 years on stage.

Tired of settling for indie-rock head bobbing where full-fledged dancing should be? Element and its new sister lounge, Etiquette, offer multiple nights of Bay Area exclusives. Every third Thursday of the month, break-dancers from all over converge at Element in the TenderNob to compete for a $500 prize by remixing the run-of-the-mill bar scene with handstands and butterfly kicks. Over at Etiquette, Friday nights belong to “pop and lock,” featuring performances from some of the region’s best dancers, beatboxers and MCs.

Element Lounge 1028 Geary St., 415-440-1125
Etiquette Lounge 1108 Market St., 415-869-8779

For those looking for more out of a show than simply filling a fraction of your night with live music, Mezzanine’s new Robot Rock party promises a concert-and-dance night rolled into one lasts-so-long-but-goes-so-fast evening. With DJs Jefrodisiac and Richie Panic (of Frisco Disco fame) serving as the linchpins, each event hinges on such variables as a fill-in-the-blank big-name DJ and live band that fits the night’s rocktronica rubric (the first one featured LCD Soundsystem, and the July 23 installment promises Montreal electrofunk duo Chromeo).

Mezzanine 444 Jessie St., 415-626-8880

While it may be tough to snag a last-minute table at unmarked nightspot Bourbon & Branch, the speakeasy has a hidden clause for those among us who aren’t the “planning ahead” type. Turns out ringing the buzzer outside and whispering the secret password (hint: what’s in a library?) grants you access to the Library, a back room Sherlock Holmes would approve of, filled with volumes from the 1920s and ’30s, where drinkers can mingle and browse. Stop in for cocktails reservations-free Wednesday through Saturday between 6 p.m. and 2 a.m., or sneak in through one of the other secret entrances.

Bourbon & Branch 501 Jones St.

Photo Credits: Justin Lew

Founded more than 50 years ago, the Society of SF Amateur Astronomers later spawned Sidewalk Astronomers, a volunteer-run coalition of constellation enthusiasts that hosts regular City Star Parties and clinics for new telescope users. One night per month, groups of aspiring and bona-fide astronomers (plus the occasional astrophysicist) grab their telescopes and gather at locations around the city—including the Randall Museum, Corona Heights and Lands  End—to get an eyeful of comets, asteroids and the planets.

You think you know girls’ night out, but you have no idea. Given the line-around-the-block response to Rebel Girl’s quarterly parties, it should come as no surprise that the steamy dance night is now going monthly. Beginning this month, every fourth Saturday the Rickshaw welcomes SF’s most eligible lesbians for the self-proclaimed “nuwaveindielectrohiphoprock80s” dance club.

Rickshaw Stop 155 Fell St., 415-861-2011 

Listening to DJ Ted of Bagel Radio spin online or at shows live and in-person sounds like listening to your iPod on shuffle—if your iPod had magically been filled with stuff you wish you owned or didn’t know about yet but will later want to own. Oh, and if the shuffle feature had also miraculously edited out anything embarrassing lurking in your music library.

If you’ve been livin’ on a prayer that S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y night would mark the return of the ’80s, proceed directly to Delirium. DJ Jules, who also regularly spins at “1984” at the Cat Club on Thursdays, cues up classic ’80s pop of the Madonna, Bon Jovi and New Order variety. And with $3 well drinks and $2 Tecate on offer, by night’s end you just might find yourself caught in a bizarre love triangle.

Delirium 3139 16th St., 415-552-5525

Proof that you don’t have to go to Oakland to get a quality hip-hop fix: Tuesday nights bring Change the Beat to Madrone Lounge, featuring DJs Centipede and Citizen Ten plus special musical guests (heavyweights Phat Kat, K-OS and Joe Quixx stop by regularly) as well as the occasional out-of-towner looking for a good time (you know who you are, Ron Jeremy).

Madrone Lounge 500 Divisadero St., 415-241-0202

It’s difficult to imagine an event that’s more stereotypically San Francisco than the PuppetLOVE! Festival, now in its ninth year. A showcase for emerging puppetry and animation that is political, experimental and boundary-pushing, the annual event, held this year on October 5 and 6 at CounterPULSE, is an artistic free-for-all. Giant puppets, fresh from the latest political protest, are in attendance; shadow puppets dance along the walls. The performances are alternately joyful, dark, bawdy and funny, some with themes so obscure, you’re left bemusedly scratching your head—others taking aim at more obvious evils (sorry, Mr. President). It’s grassroots artistic expression at its finest.

CounterPULSE 1310 Mission St., 415-435-7552

Where do the tastemakers go on their night off? To the cusp of Potrero Hill and the Mission, where neighborhood bar Il Pirata lures the CCA set. On any given night in this wood-paneled throwback to Potrero’s rougher days, lusty salsa dancers mix with keffiyeh-sporting art-school savants with wonderful results. The back room is the place to get down—Friday nights might have you two-stepping to Celia Cruz, Sunday afternoons could find you mellowed by reggae beats—but the bar is where the real action happens. Step up for a stiff drink, and you just might leave with a dissertation on the state of postmodernism.

Il Pirata 2007 16th St., 415-626-2626

For those who thought roller disco didn’t exist outside of the 1970s, think again. When the crew of 7th Heaven—headed up by DJ Mark Landers—takes over the floor of Mighty (once every other month; the next one is in July), you’re in for a night of four-wheeled fun. With video clips from Soul Train as your backdrop and Landers spinning old-school skate jams as your soundtrack, you and your 65 fellow skaters-in-crime are guaranteed a night to remember. Do remember to get there early, however, as skates go faster than Jessica Simpson can take a lap around the rink. For $5 at the door and a $2 skate-rental fee, it’s the most fun you can have without a time machine.

Mighty 119 Utah St., 415-762-0151

Everyone knows that good tunes and good lighting are two of the most important ingredients in a bar’s atmo. Which is why we’d like to cordially thank Amelie’s co-owner German Michel for importing his playlist from France. The soundtrack is composed almost entirely of bossa-nova cover versions of songs ranging from “Hey Ya” to “Black Hole Sun” and “Pretty Woman” without interruption. And you thought Nouvelle Vague were the only ones to pull that trick.

Amelie 1754 Polk St., 415-292-6916

Move over, Mystery Science Theater. For more than two years, Saturday night at the Dark Room has meant free popcorn, a $5 flick and terrible entertainment. While Bad Movie Night’s hosts man the mics up front to add commentary to such classics as Independence Day, Gigli and Snakes on a Plane, audience heckling is also encouraged. This month’s lineup threatens to be the best of the worst: “Space Month” features the Ben Affleck sap-fest Armageddon and one of the few Matt LeBlanc films not costarring a monkey, Lost in Space.

Dark Room 2263 Mission St., 415-401-7987

When you make your hair appointment for the second Tuesday of the month, specify that you want a bouffant. Why? Because when it’s Girl Group Night at the Mission’s Casanova, the higher your  ’do, the better the chance you’ll walk away with the big prize of the night: an oven mitt. Unleash your inner Shangri-La (or at least your inner Pipette), as DJ Paul Paul (also a regular contributor to Elbo Room’s Saturday Night Soul Party) spins classic ’60s tracks.

Casanova 527 Valencia St., 415-863-9328

There’s a reason people come from all over the city to join club-hoppers in the Castro for a late-night snack at Orphan Andy’s. The round-the-clock diner serves classic American fare that satisfies at any hour—with country-fried steak and meatloaf sandwiches being the entrées au choix. And for those whose 2 a.m. hankering is more along the “twist on an original” lines (teriyaki pork chops, anyone?) they’ve got you covered there too. Cozy booths? Check. Tableside jukeboxes? Check. Banana pancakes you’d order again even if you were sober? Check.

Orphan Andy's 3991 17th St., 415-864-9795

If there’s one thing you wouldn’t expect from architects and design professionals, it’s rough edges. But once a month, when members of the design community gather for the lecture series Pecha Kucha, the clean, polished sheen of a finished product gets pushed aside for a showcase of creative process. As organizer Paul Jamtgaard puts it, it’s “karaoke for designers.” Jamtgaard and fellow architect[CK] Alberto Villarreal imported the series to SF in January 2006, after attending a Pecha Kucha in Tokyo. Featuring presentations from 12 to 15 members of the design community (architectural book publisher William Stout and woodworking expert and Autodesk CEO Carl Bass, for example) at each event, the gatherings are typically held every third Wednesday of the month at 330 Ritch.

Do you ever find yourself at a bar suffering through another dance set built around “GoldDigger” and wishing that a couple of tastemakers from iTunes would just take over? Well, call us your genie in a bottle, because this scenario actually exists. Every second Friday at Amnesia, DJs J.Montag and Eug spin everything from space disco to dance rock to hip-hop for their dance party, “I Can’t Feel My Face.” Thanks to their industry connections, you’re guaranteed to hear unreleased tunes and exclusives plus twists on your favorites (Diplo’s “Bette Davis Eyes” remix, for example).

Amnesia 853 Valencia, 415-970-0012

Photo Credits: courtesy of I Can't Feel My Face