This is cocktail heaven — a place where there is no menu, just bliss. At Big, cocktail artisans craft drinks based on your mood; your spirit of choice; or what kind of funky goblet, coupe or crystal you’d like it poured into. It’s part art, part science, part telepathy. And it’s a throwback to the glory days behind the stick. “That’s exactly what we’re doing here: pouring what makes people happy,” said bartender Christian Clark. The warm, candlelit bar with white marble countertops is anchored by a plethora of fruits and herbs at each end.
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Like flowers, rosé wines are starting to bloom. Yes, it is the season, and producers know that there has been a growing demand. I’ve tasted some really good stuff, but the prices are rising.
The $10 rosé is not totally gone, but is much more scarce, I’m afraid. And as I write about different types of rosé over the next few months — and for those who are fans, there is a trove of jolly pink wines waiting for you — be prepared, as it is no longer uncommon to see rosé in the $20 price range.
Today, though, is all about value.
First, here are a few general tips:
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At Hard Water, Charles Phan’s whiskey bar on The Embarcadero, the whiskeys are arranged high up a 20-foot wall and there’s a ladder for the bartenders to reach the highest ones. It’s a towering shrine to brown liquor, one that outshines the accompanying food.
That’s not to say the New Orleans-inspired menu doesn’t have its head-turners.
The oysters Saint Charles, dressed in cayenne and butter, turned out to be a perfect companion to the whiskey — or whiskeys, who’s judging? — of your choice.
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Notorious criminals who inspire movie biopics rarely are colder or nastier than Richard Kuklinski, the high-achieving contract killer who likely killed more than 100 people while working for the mob.
In “The Iceman,” Kuklinski comes alive, courtesy of actor Michael Shannon, as an intensely unembraceable protagonist while displaying just enough humanity to be watchable and sometimes riveting.
Unfortunately, the movie undermines his superb performance by failing to treat Kuklinski with adequate depth.
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Fresh from the San Francisco International Film Festival, Sarah Polley’s third film as director, “Stories We Tell,” is unlike her previous feature films, the superb “Away from Her” and “Take This Waltz.”
But “Stories We Tell” is not just any documentary. It’s a unique, emotional and surprising ride about a powerful event in Polley’s life.
Instead of facts, Polley deals with memory, doubt and a host of other tenuous concepts. As the movie begins, she interviews her sister, who poses the very good question, “Who cares about our family?”
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Very few — if any — TV shows have had the lasting cultural impact of “Star Trek,” which first aired in 1966.
Since then, there have been five other “Star Trek” TV series as well as games, toys, books and 12 movies, including the new “Star Trek Into Darkness.”
Three of its stars weren’t alive when the first TV series aired.
John Cho (“Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle”), who returns as Sulu, loves hearing stories from fans, especially those about fathers and sons bonding over the show.
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That Power Rangers reunion that everyone has been clamoring for (right?) is not going smoothly.
David Yost, aka the Blue One, has said no way to producers, citing the harassment he says he got from them back in the day for being gay. Never mind that this was a show about people prancing around in leotards.
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It’s one thing to complain about all that darn attention, but the minute it’s gone it kind of sucks. Just ask Paris Hilton.
The heiress told The Sun that she’s decided to turn her back on fame -- but someone needs to tell her that her audience turned its back on her about five years ago. Paris’ last ego-driven reality show tanked, and she’s lucky if anyone follows her aroundBeverly Hills with a camera while she pouts over $2,000 mini-dresses.
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When Kanye West rants about being a celebrity and dealing with the paparazzi he sort of sounds like Amanda Bynes when she begs to be left alone yet consistently seems to scream out for attention.
The Huffington Post dissects West’s most recent show in New York, noting that though he famously shuns interviews, he tends to pepper his performances with insights into his psyche.
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Unabashedly intellectual San Francisco producer Kastle hears a huge “Boom!” from somewhere close to his Dolores Park apartment.“That was big,” he says. “I thought this was a nice neighborhood.”
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