Season Three, Episode One: The Crazy Things We Do for Love

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Last season, on Single in the City…

Phew, another year, another season of Single in the City. Finally moved in to the condo (though no one has YET to see it; it's not ready for visitors just yet (or will it EVER be? you'll just have to stay tune). Went on locations to far-flung areas like San Antonio and Miami to check out the single life there; yep, it's the same there like everywhere else.

For a play-by-play, feel free to read through earlier entries…

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One of the wonderful things about this city is the overabundance of activities that one may partake in that caters to a wide range of interest, from the seedy to the subversive, the artistic and the asinine and everything in between.

For example, a few weeks ago, my BFF Kat, her roommate and I went to see a performance of Two Gentlemen of Verona, a free theater production ("Shakespeare in the Park")
sponsored by the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival.

Verona has the smallest cast of any Shakespearean play, and is regarded by many as one of Shakespeare's least refined, though I enjoyed this adaptation quite a bit. I like the 60's inspired songs that accompanied each act and scene transitions. My favorite parts involved the secondary actors, especially Launce and Speed, Proteus' and Valentine's servants, respectively. They provided a cynical view about love, in contrast to the idealistic and pristine beliefs that their masters hold.

As I was watching the play, it got me thinking: are we really that dumbstruck by love that we'll do ANYTHING for it? As in stab-your-friend-in-the-back, abandon-your-family, throw-your-senses-out-the-window kind of way?

Does art imitate life or is Oscar Wilde right? Tons of songs have been written about the crazy things people do for love; Madonna, Van Morrison, Michael Bublé and even my home girl Beyoncé has weighed in on this matter.

Remember when Daria got her navel pierced because of Trent? Or when Rachel flew all the way to London to tell Ross she loved him on the eve of Ross' and Emily's wedding? Ok, so I feel like I'm dating myself with my pop culture references; I'm sorry, I don't know watch that much new TV since Veronica Mars went off the air (and I'm still pretty mad about that!), except for Glee.

But I digress. I asked around a few of my friends with regards to this topic, and the results were a bit astounding. One of my friends went in great lengths in trying to provide a luxurious and pampered life to his boo, to the point of maxing out his credit cards, working overtime to try to make ends meet, and alienating his parents and his friends, only to end up being dumped a few months later. Another friend kept taking her boyfriend back in spite of his unscrupulous ways (he cheated on her a "few" times) because of her "love" for him.

Now, not every story I heard was grim and gloomy. My friend's girlfriend moved with him to China when he started med school there, despite having most of her life (family, friends, burgeoning career) established here in California; now they're closing on their 5-year anniversary, and wedding bells are probably not that far off for the two.

My own experience reveals similar patterns. I've had moments where the love that I felt for someone was consuming every bit of me, to the point where I couldn't think of anything but the welfare and wellbeing of that person, even to my own detriment at times. Which leads me to think, why would we do this to ourselves? And I'm only left to conclude one thing: love is irrational. Irrational in the sense that it seem to go against the basic evolutionary concept of "survival of the fittest." Perhaps there's more to it than that.

And another thing: what's crazy to me might very well be normal to someone else; crazy is in the eye of the beholder.

Two Gentlemen of Verona is playing at the Presidio's Main Post Parade Ground Lawn (between Graham St. and Keyes Ave.) until this weekend (Saturday, Sept 25 @ 7:30pm and Sunday, Sept 26 @2:30pm). Catch it while you still can!

Also this Sunday, September 25, from 11am – 6pm is the Folsom Street Fair, the world's largest leather event (and no, we're not talking about your grandpa's Wilson's Leather-bought ensemble). See what I mean? San Francisco DOES have something for everyone.     

Episode Twenty-Two: Sex in the City 2 – a movie review

The whole time Sex and the City (SATC) was running its live course on HBO, I must've seen like one or two episodes (that one episode with the guy Carrie was dating a golden shower aficionado and the other episode being the one with Carrie dating the bisexual guy). But when Target had a Black Friday sale this past Thanksgiving, I picked up all 6 seasons (season 6 was a 2-disc set, argh!) for $8/DVD. Before you know it, I was done with the last season before we hit Christmas.

For most, SATC was all about the expensive designer clothes and shoes, the glitzy glamour and the fancy life that money and success can afford strong, independent women. For me, however, the show brought up a lot of issues that are universal among all of us; how we deal with relationships and love and how we deal with the society's behavioral expectations and pressures. I think the issues they tackled during their 6-season run were thought provoking, even if at times, their methodologies about dealing with the issues were a bit sophomoric and Hollywood-ish. But for the most part, SATC managed to stay maintain a good barometer with what's going on currently, and provided good commentaries and insights.

I'm sure that you've read through the venomous and vitriolic reviews that SATC2 has received, not seen since "Gigli". It wasn't THAT terrible, in my opinion; nothing can be as bad as "Gigli". The movie was not completely devoid of positive moments. Liza Minelli's homage to my homegirl Beyoncé's ubiquitous hit "Single Ladies" was quite entertaining. The moment that Charlotte and Miranda shared as they talked about their struggles with motherhood was both touching and realistic. The dialogue is not as sharp and witty as how it was during the show's run, but there were some funny one-liners (like Samantha's "Lawrence of Her Labia" comment or Miranda's theory of universal physics that predicts the probability of a Liza Minelli appearance: the probability is proportional to the amount of gayness in a room). The eye candies were exactly that, eye candies (the Aussie rugby team, Anthony's straight brother, Nikki, played by D&G model Noah Mills, and even the silver fox Danish architect played by Max Ryan).

However, as like the first film, there was a bit of potential in terms of plot material, but sadly, these potentials were not realized in its entirety. Charlotte is dealing with the "Terrible Two's" Carrie is dealing with her "Terrible Two's" of her own with Mr. Big (Chris Noth). Samantha's dealing with menopause and her pharmaceutical version of her fountain of youth, and Miranda's dealing with an unappreciative (to put it nicely) Senior Partner at her law firm, or at least, that's what I thought it was. However, the movie flails in delving into the development of the plot, and that in the end, it felt like it was one product placement over the next.

Though I suppose, for most people who would be interested in watching this movie, it's more of a diversion from their current lives and I guess the more vapid and fluffy it is, the better? I still think the movie misses its chance to flesh out some of the laid-out storylines, to make it a bit more relevant for its viewers. Instead, we're treated with superfluous oversimplification and overt stereotypes of all parties involved. And this was one of my biggest pet peeve about this movie. One of SATC2's (and SATC the series) biggest themes was challenging the idea of normalcy, may it be relationships, fashion, or customs. But scene after scene we are treated to what the "normal" stereotype that our society holds – from the "promiscuous gays" and the "rowdy jocks" to the "sex-phobe Arabs" and the "oppressed Muslim women". And what's with the whole "Muslim women will only feel liberated if they wear Western clothing" innuendo? Not only is this crass, but mind-numbingly self-centered as well; as if we needed to promulgate that stereotype that the world has about Americans.

Also, the movie was a tad bit long. At almost 150 minutes, I felt that at times, it dragged a LOT, and that it was going nowhere. Verdict? If you're looking for a two-and-a-half-hour getaway from reality, there's a lot more things that you could do to better spend your time, but I won't completely hold it against you if you saw this movie voluntarily.

Rating: C/C-

Episode Twenty-One: Let’s Go, OK Go!

It is a well-known urban legend that pharmacy students in their Acute Care block, including the General Medicine rotation, have made a silent deal with the higher powers to maintain sanity and the opportunity to make it through rotations intact in exchange for their unbridled freedom and social lives (or any semblance of a life for that matter) for 6 weeks. I for one can attest to this. But when one of my favorite bands, OK Go!, makes its way from its Los Angeles hub to this fog-forsaken city, well I just had to make an exception. Repercussions be damned.

I was really excited to see them live, since I've never seen their live show before. I have been listening to them for years, and one of the things that I like about OK Go is that they're actually artists in that they are in the music business to create art that's both visually and acoustically appealing. Who would've thunk?

Their videos are very entertaining and full of character. They have a penchant for choreography-inspired videos, as evidenced by a lot of their videos, like their first video that went viral, "A Million Ways". Yes, they're the band with the "treadmill video" (for Here It Goes Again), one of the most popular music videos on YouTube. They're also known for their outlandish videos, like the video for "This Too Shall Pass" featuring a Rube Goldberg machine built by Synn Labs and the wallpaper-inspired video for "Do What You Want".

I found myself singing along loudly to all the songs that I knew the lyrics to. I've recently downloaded their new album, "Of the Blue Colour of the Sky", so I didn't know the lyrics to the songs by heart quite just yet, though to familiarize myself (and to get "pumped" for the concert), I listened to their new album for a couple days prior to the concert non-stop. They opened with "Invincible" from their first album, Ok Go!. Thereafter, they played a good mixture of old (A Million Ways, Oh Lately It's So Quiet, Seems like a Good Idea at the Time, Here it Goes Again) and new (Needing/Getting, All is not Lost, Back from Kathmandu, This Too Shall Pass) material, performing each song with gusto and passion.

Just when you thought they couldn't get any better, they blow your pants off with something out-of-the-ordinary and wildly inventive. At first, when they brought out a bunch of hand bells and a glockenspiel, I thought, what the hey? And then as soon as I heard the first few notes to "What to Do", I, along with the rest of the crowd, erupted in pure fascination and awe.

And just how would you top that amazing performance? Of course, as the lead singer, you'd do a song in the middle of the crowd! Which is precisely what lead singer Damian Kulash did, performing "Last Leaf" from their latest album "Of the Blue Colour of the Sky" by himself as he serenaded the more-than-appreciative crowd.

They even had the crowd "choose" a song to play: either the Pixies' "Debaser" or their own song "You're So Damn Hot" (which apparently is a song they do not like performing); the tribe had spoken, and had chosen YSDM, which was great, though it would've been awesome to see them cover a Pixies song and see how they can infuse their own artistic mark into the song.

As a side note, I've never really gotten the point of having an "encore". Out of ego, perhaps? But in this case, their encore actually made sense; there was a different vibe to it. For crying out loud, they had jackets with illuminating letters spelling OK GO as they performed their encore set (WTF?, Skyscrapers, and Do What You Want) with laser guitars. Yes, ladies and gentleman, laser guitars. OH-EM-GEE. The constants throughout the performance (and the encore) were the confetti showers and the rocking performance by the group.

Was I tired beyond belief the next day? (In a Sarah Palin voice) You betcha ! But it was worth it. Best $22.50 I've ever spent. Next up, The New Pornographers in July at the Fox Theatre! I might have to brave the big bad outside world and cross the treacherous pond to Oakland to see them.

Episode Twenty: Single in the City does Bay-to-Breakers

What does a responsible pharmacy student do after coming home from a debauchery-filled vacay in Miami? Why attend Bay-to-Breakers the next day, of course! First day of acute care rotations be damned!

My friend Kat, his boyfriend Mark and a few of their co-workers and friends had decided weeks ago that we were all going to "participate" in Bay-to-Breakers. We ended up deciding that "Jersey Shore" would make a timely and appropriate theme for us to coordinate to. Kat and I decided that we were going to be "Snooki". As a preface, I have never watched a single episode of "Jersey Shore" nor do I intend to. But for the spirit of doing justice to Snooki, I researched a few photos/video clips of hers, and apparently, she's really into having her hair styled in what could only be described as a hideous camel-hump-like contraption, apparently called "the bump".

I got in late from Miami the night before, and so I didn't really have that much time to get supplies to make the "bump". I thought I had left over mousse/hairspray/gel from when I used to have shorter hair; it may be hard to believe, but once upon a time, I did have shorter hair (and if you look at my driver's license photo, it's WAY shorter). Lacking the supplies, and the necessary things to tease my hair (flat iron and blow dryer; I forgot that I've always borrowed them from people), I decided that we were going to forgo the bump, and instead, to just wear something skimpy. That's still in line with Snooki's essence.

It was a bit nipply outside (a cool and crisp mid-50s was the high), especially when you are meagerly dressed, but when you're surrounded by throngs and throngs of people, it doesn't seem to be so bad. The EtOH doesn't hurt either.

Seeing that I lived a half a block near the parade turn on Divisadero and Hayes, I decided that I was going to join our crew at this juncture. I wasn't about to wake up at the crack of dawn to make it in time to Embacardero by 7:15am. Also, the Hayes Hill can be quite unforgiving (at its steepest, it's about an 11% grade), though I have been always amazed as to how the gigantic floats (which are pulled uphill manually by equally inebriated fellows) make it up the hill without rolling back and smashing the sloshed people behind it.

You had your staple costumes: the pirates, the lifeguards, the cross-dressers and the naked men, though I would have to say, I only saw five of them (which is a bit lower compared to previous years in my experience). There were a couple of standouts for me. I really liked the bikers in their Elvis-like get up, though I would have to say that my favorite costume/theme was the shuttercock/badminton group; it's so random and well put together.

In my years of doing Bay-to-Breakers, I had never gone past JFK and Conservatory West Drive in Golden Gate Park, and as I had found out, there was a good reason why; the floats exit the parade here. When you're walking that far, aside from the EtOH, the thing that keeps me going is the music coming from these floats. It's like a giant moving-street-block-party, with the locals (and the voyagers) dancing along to the same beat, if only temporarily. However, this year, my friends' after party was at their brand new pad near Ocean Beach, on 42^nd Avenue, so we trekked through the park and made it almost to the finish line, and I'd have to say that the crowd was a little bit more subdued; perhaps it was due to the alcohol wearing off or if the fatigue was setting in. However, I'd say the clam dip made it worthwhile.

Here's to hoping that next year's Bay-to-Breakers would be a bit on the warmer side and as salacious as ever. Fist Bump!

Episode Nineteen – Bienvenidos a Miami

It's been a trip that I've been looking forward to for weeks, the light at the end of (actually it's more an 1/8^th) the rotations tunnel. I've never been to Miami, much less Florida, and I was beyond stoked when we finally settled on Miami as our break destination. I have a friend who lives in West Palm Beach, but she was going to be in Tampa the same week, so I wasn't going to be able to meet up with her.

The Company

Aside from me, Krystal and Nikolai (also known as Krystolai), Sara Nik, Amy and Walter, Jeremiah, Francis (Jeremiah's friend), Trevor, Devon (Trevor's friend), and Kirtan (Devon's friend from NY) made up our liver-wrecking crew as we hit Miami Beach by storm! We haven't seen each other, at least all of us, since we went our separate ways for rotations.

The Accommodation

We wanted to have a reasonably affordable hotel and at the same time, be as close to the "South Beach" scene as possible, and so we settled on Hotel Shelley, and it wasn't a bad choice at all. Sure, the hallways smell a lot like urine, or that the showers don't have a door and every time you take a shower, you create a mini-puddle. True, the rooms were a bit small, especially when you're cramming in 4-5 people to a room, but it wasn't too bad. Hotel Shelley is an Art-Deco building close enough to all the hotspots in SoBe. But the best part about Hotel Shelley, aside from its convenient location? Open Bar from 7-8pm every night, which we took full advantage of. We immediately bonded with JC, the 40 year old bartender (who looks like he's in his late 20s/early 30s) father of two (22 and 17 years old) and Gladys, who also bartends across the way at Lily's.

The food

Apparently, Miami Beach is known for its burgers! Actually, they were not, but it would seem that way, since I'm pretty sure I ate a burger (or four) a day while I was there; Krystal even brought some FatBurgers on the plane ride home. But the best burger EVER (yes, even better than In n Out – I know, sacrilegious!) has to be Five Guys Burgers and Fries! The meat is delicious, plus you get to put a lot of good toppings (grilled mushrooms, grilled onions, jalapeño peppers, and others) for free, and the fries were amazing!

We only really ate out as a group twice, once when we got lunch at a pita place (which was awesome) the day after we got in, and the other time was when we went to Sushi Samba Dromo. Coordinating feeding time with eleven people is a bit hard, especially when you wake up at different times of the day. That and achieving steady state of inebriation throughout the day was apparently higher on the agenda for the week.

The leisurely activities

The weather was quite balmy, mostly in the mid 80's, with a relaxing breeze from time to time keeping things nice and cozy. My only slight complaint was that at times, it was a bit cloudy. But for the most part, it was perfect beach weather. Relaxing in the afternoon while soaking up the rays, with a cold brewsky and checking out the scenery: a guy can get used to this.
And speaking of the scenery, man, was it a sight. There wouldn't be such a thing called a "South Beach Diet" for nothing, right? Like my friend said, when you live in a beautiful beach town like Miami beach, there's that internal and external pressure to look your best, whereas if you live in a colder area, evolutionarily speaking, you're probably more inclined to have "insulation". But what a beautiful sight! There are guys showing off in the pull up bars doing god knows how many pull ups to impress the adoring crowd. Not that I'm the one to complain.

The Life Lessons Learned

1. Be careful of your belongings – South Beach can be particularly treacherous when it comes to belongings. Case-in-point: someone from my group got their purse stolen, while another lost their phone while cavorting around the beach at night.
   
2. The best way to cure a hangover is to drink another drink – hahaha
   
3. Though to prevent wicked hangovers, it is probably wise to eat something beforehand, and especially avoid anything longer than a 12-hour fasting period.
   
4. Having things open until 5am can be a lifesaver
   
5. Along the same topics of a lifesaver, don't underestimate the life-saving power of a floatie
   
6. Sometimes, the best conversations you'll have with your friend is while eating questionable Cuban food at the airport.
   
7. It doesn't matter where you are – Miami Beach or Beaver Meadow, PA, as long as you surround yourself with good company, you're bound to have a good time.
   
8. What happens in SoBe, stays in SoBe, except if you took photos/videos. Those ridiculous photos/videos will live on in digital format forever in ignominy.
   

 

I live for the nights that I can't remember with the friends that I will never forget. Can't wait until our next week break in August. Did anyone say EuroTrip?

Episode Eighteen: To want and to have: one in the same or a dichotomy?

Nothing ventured, nothing gained
New horizons, ready to paint…
We'd only find ourselves by
Losing all control

Beyoncé – "Control"

In life, nothing worth having comes easily; nothing worth having comes without putting some sort of effort. I'm not cynical enough to think that someone who is "too good to be true" might really just be really good, and not "too good". Though if I were a betting man (and I'm not, I'm more of a shopper/people-watcher/pool-dipping kind of guy when I go to Vegas), I'd say that yes, he is a mirage.

A few months back, I was having a conversation with one of my friends over dinner and among the topics we discussed, aside from news and current events,(the impending Greek financial doom was just bubbling under the surface then) was our recent dating adventures. I was bemoaning the idea of dating, and how hard it is to find a suitable person to date in this city, in spite of what everyone else tells me. In a city that has been historically renowned for its tolerance and that features enclaves like the Castro, Noe Valley, Folsom Gulch/SOMA, and Polk Street Gulch, the common prevailing wisdom suggests this city is teeming with potentials. The next person that tells me this will get a comprehensive metacarpal impression in the jugular vein. Ok, well maybe that's a bit hyperbolic, but you get my drift.

She astutely reminded me that I can't complain about how there's no one out there for me when I haven't put the time and effort to find that person. To which I answered, touché.

There is a palpable disconnect between my actions concerning my love life versus the rest of my life. Like I've mentioned before, I'm a bit reticent when it comes to the affairs of the heart, which is a complete departure from how I approach other things in life. Maybe it's that when it comes to love, I'm ceding some control of my happiness to another person, and that's unnerving. There is that sense of vulnerability and that inescapable feeling that I might get hurt.

Frankly, as a student, I really don't have THAT much time to be raking through the proverbial haystack for that needle. But we'll never find that person sitting around idly twiddling our thumbs. If I have one more person tell me that "it will happen when you least expect it" or "you'll find someone when you're not looking", or any variants of these phrases, I might actually implode. Oops, there's that hyperbole rearing its ugly head again.

So taking her (and my own) advice, I have been putting myself out there a bit more. I'm trying to come out of my clammed-up shell and experience the joys and pains of dating. As Beyoncé said, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

However, just because you put yourself out there, doesn't guarantee that you'll actually get what you want. There are no absolute guarantees in life (except death and taxes). Inevitably, yes, I'll get hurt. And yes, recent experiences certainly hadn't gone the way that I want them to be, to the point of me rethinking this whole strategy. But then again, isn't that just part of life? We're so afraid of getting hurt, but sometimes, the actions that we take only shield us from continued growth as a person; losing all control may be the prescriptive solution to cure our hearts' ailments. And besides, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, right?

Alexander Pope said it best on his "Essay on Man": hope springs eternal. What makes us go through life's trials and tribulations is the prospect of a better life ahead. So you kiss a few toads along the way, but isn't it life more about the process than the final destination?

Next week, get a double dose of Single in the City! I'll be visiting Miami Beach with a few friends this upcoming week, and one of my favorite only-in-San-Francisco-lunacy Bay-to-Breakers is this weekend, and so I will be doing some on-the-field reporting. Finally solved the Vitamin-D-deficiency plague that seems to be affecting pharmacy students, but poor, poor liver; such is the joy of life.

PS: Congratulations to my esteemed colleague, Jed Wolpaw, for finishing medical school, and for many thanks for all of his wonderful insights and perceptive commentaries that he's provided over the years as the "Lub Dub" guy. We'll miss you! Happy trails!

Episode Seventeen : Restaurant Review - Bisou

Bisou
2367 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
Neighorhood: Castro
415-556-6200
$$$ (out of $$$$$)
Five out of Five Stars

The lovably-huggable Chef Nick Ronin (of Chou Chou fame) does it again with Bisou, the newest restaurant in the heart of Castro. Bisou or "petit baises" means "little kisses" in French. It's about time that Nick infused his infectious and incredible persona in this neck of the woods, where pretentiousness and overpriced meals rule this fiefdom.

As usual, I was accompanied by my Chou Chou partners-in-crime Meg and Kat, and we were joined that night by Nancy (Meg's mom), Robert (Meg's friend) and his Jared. And as usual, I arrived a bit later than our 8pm reservation (though to my defense, I did warn them ahead of time). The opening night was definitely busy, even when I (finally) arrived at 9pm, there were still people waiting to get tables.

Its swanky interiors will definitely appeal to the Castro crowd. The red plush velvet has that warm and cozy feeling to it. I especially liked the mirror at the end of the "tunnel"; it was a nice touch. The fully stocked bar had stacks and stacks of beautiful bottles of liqueur. There was a second level, but I didn't get a chance to check it out; I saw pictures though (from the stills that Nick showed us when he was getting ready for the grand opening), and it looked very stylish without being overpowering.

Food preparation and presentation was impeccable, from the appetizers to the entrées and the desserts (more on that later). Bisou employs traditional French cuisine techniques and uses locally and organically grown products. The Salt Spring Island Mussels were great, though I still have a soft spot for the moulles from Chou Chou. The Beef Bourguignon was absolutely perfect; marinated for 24 hours and then braised for 4 hours, the beef really soaks in all of the rich flavors coming from the red wine broth, garlic, thyme, pancetta, mushrooms, and bay leaves. The Truffle Duck Leg Confit was so full of flavor; it was near-impossible to imbue any more flavors in the poor duck. The Steak Frites and its sauce (Bercy, Béarnaise and port shallot sauce) was so mouthwatering; the sauces complemented the meat quite delectably, and at times it was hard to choose which sauce to use.

Wine selection was commendable; compared to Chou Chou, Bisous had more California wines, and sadly, to my recollection, there was not a Malbec in the wine list. Our party had an assortment of red and white wine, but the one that I liked the most was the Grenache from Shannon Ridge, a Lake County Vineyard.

The desserts were amazing! I got the chance to meet James Choplin, Bisou's pastry chef (they're making a comeback!). And no, don't let the American-sounding last name fool you (he's from France); James can make some damn good patisseries. He pretty much told me that the Bisou experience wouldn't be complete without trying his desserts, and he was right. We got two orders of the Le Bisous pour deux, a 4-piece sampler of the desserts they offer; what can I say, we're desserts people. Each one was devilishly delectable in its own right. There was the Chocolate Caresse, a milk chocolate and caramel mouse with crème anglaise which was incredibly rich without being overpoweringly sweet. Then there was L'After Height, mint Mille Feuilles with a thin black chocolate leaf; normally, I don't like mint-flavored desserts, but this one had its way with me. The Pineapple Express was a collection of seasonal fruits with yogurt sorbet and crispy banana tuile served in a sugar glass. Patrick was not kidding when he said that the "Le Macaron" was not to be missed; French macaron, light pistachio cream, and fresh raspberries were like little drops of heaven.

Service was impressive, taking into consideration that it was their opening night. It also helps that my party knows most of the waitstaff, so it wasn't too bad waiting for the food to come. Also, as a shout-out, someone from Yelp gave a review saying that the bartender (I'm guessing Antoine) looked like Beyoncé; I would have to agree.

Bisou also offers a prix-fixe menu (from 5:30 to 7pm) for $26, something that is quite amenable to a poor starving student like me. Another plus is their kitchen is open late, Thursday to Sundays, until 1am! The menu is pared down to the "late-night" menu starting at 10:30pm, however it's still a pretty appetizing lineup: pasta (around $11), pizza (around $10ish), and Croque Monsieur/Madame (around $9ish) are a good alternatives to dining options in the Castro. For a vibrant metropolis, San Francisco needs more late-night options, and Bisou is step towards rectifying the dearth of food options.

Bisou also serves weekend brunches, from 9am-3pm. Not to be undone by other brunch places in the area, Bisou also offers bottomless mimosas and Bloody Marys. And if the thumping dance music from Lime has gotten old, a live swing band will tickle your fancies during the weekend brunches. Not to mention, you'll probably want to ACTUALLY eat the food, instead of tolerating it. I'm looking forward to having my Croque Monsieur, Croque Madame, or Omelette Parisienne on lazy Sunday afternoons.

I imagine Bisou being added to our regular restaurant rotation. It's just a bus ride down from my house, there are some holdovers servers from Chou Chou (makes reservations a breeze), and it's fairly reasonably priced. You've got a live one here, Ronin! May the curse of the Panam/Frisee/Crave be lifted from this amazing space! Maybe all it needed was a little Bisou!