A few weeks ago I wrote the first part of this series on my trip to San Francisco. I’m going to pick up where I left off on the telling of my adventures.

My second day in San Francisco, my first full day, was quite the busy one. I was on my own as my wife was still attending her conference. After some coffee and a quick breakfast I started out to explore. I had a full day ahead of me and it started with a walk to Chinatown. Everyone knows, or at least have heard, of the steep hills in San Francisco. I got to experience them first hand walking from the Union Square neighborhood up Stockton Street and down into Chinatown. And no, I didn’t take the Stockton Street tunnel which would have been cheating. There is a reason I spend so much time on the elliptical machine!

So I spent my morning exploring Chinatown, going through various shops, tourist traps, the Cable Car museum, pretty much anywhere my feet took me. For lunch I walked down a side street and found a small restaurant with no other tourists within eyesight. After looking through the menu I decided to try something I have never had before, soup dumplings and the house noodles. Both were amazing!

House Noodles

Soup Dumplings

One of the main reasons I kept hanging around Chinatown was because I had seen several bartender friends discussing this little dive bar called Li Po Cocktail Lounge. Li Po is “home to the chinese mai tai” so of course I had to try it out.

I was the only person in the bar for a good hour after it opened and I can tell you first hand that it certainly does deserve their “dive” status. But once you get past the ambiance, the bartender was friendly, talkative and full of friendly advice on a new visitor to the city. After she made my Chinese Mai Tai, she stuck around and wanted to know what I thought and had to tell me multiple times how strong the drink was. It certainly had a strong belt of 151 rum, some pineapple juice, a few citrus liqueurs, a few other types of rum and, what was described to me by the bartender as a Chinese whiskey, though it was made with rice and rose petals. Straight, the Chinese whiskey tasted a little like sochu with a distinct flowerly nose. A classic cocktail it was not, but after a long walk at 2pm in the afternoon, it was damn tasty.

The Chinese Mai Tai!

My next stop was to the fabled Comstock Saloon. The location of the Comstock has been a bar since 1907 and the bar is the original bar that has been in place for over one hundred years. It is truly beautiful and a sight to see. When you’re setting at the bar you can feel the ghosts of prospectors come down from the Comstock Lode?with bits of gold panned from the dirt to pay for a shot of whiskey and maybe a little company. Add the ability to get a perfect Sazerac, Old Fashioned or other classic cocktail and a friendly knowledgeable bartender like mine this afternoon, Lindsay, and you have a truly one-of-a-kind place.

Comstock’s Bar

Original urine latrine running under the bar for patrons who didn’t, or couldn’t, leave the bar. Thankfully no longer operational.

The ceiling fan above the bar. Notice the motorized pulley system. Old School.

A perfect Sazerac. Finished.

My next stop was a short walk up the hill to 15 Romolo. This was another bar I heard great things about. I was also warned that it tends to get very crowded and could be difficult to get a bar stool. I girded myself best I could and walked in the front door to see it completely empty save for the bartender and another gentleman chatting. I bellied up to the bar, ordered a Pimms Cup on the recommendation from Lindsay from Comstock and chatted up the bartender Daniel. The other gentleman turned out to be the chef who grew up just outside DC and whose girlfriend just moved to San Francisco from DC. After my Pimms I had a variation on a Manhattan and then introduced Daniel to a shot of Fertreuse (50/50 Green Chartreuse and Fernet Branca.)

Pimm’s Cup ala 15 Romolo

It wasn’t long before I had to grab a cab and head back to the hotel to meet my wife. I was tired, a bit drunk and a much better cocktail nerd for having experienced Li Po, Comstock Saloon and 15 Romolo.

If you?re interested in seeing more of my photos from San Francisco check out the entire Flickr set here. In my final installment I’ll talk about my first ever trip to Smuggler’s Cove and my thoughts on one of San Francisco’s notorious speakeasies.