by Delbert Ridgebear on "Intelligence arises when you realize you are fallible" - J. Krishnamurthy In the past, I had a tendency to label any Bars in SOMA as "LA type" and give it a low rating. However, over the past 9 months I am realizing that our judgements are clouded by our perceptions and in order to be truly objective, we need to eliminate as much of our mental biases as possible. Hence, even though Harlot is not my kind of place(as I don't like Bars in SOMA) I will still rate it 5 stars due to the following: Star 1: The name Harlot conjures an era of hoary whoriness; brings a touch of elegance to our basic instincts. Star 2: For the harmony in the layout of the space; subtle touches like the mysterious staircase to the upstairs bar abound. I was stoked by my experience of being shown the iron pillars embossed with turn of the century "Carnegie steel" by Jeremy, the Carnegie of cyberspace. Star 3: The elegant decor from the cowhide chairs to the pictures of Harlots from different cultures, subtly appealing to the archetype of Harlot embedded in our collective unconsciousness. Star 4: For the choice of drinks and for the choice of those who provide the drinks a.k.a hot bartenders and staff. I casually complimented a staff on the taste of a piece of chocolate and lo and behold, she tracked me down after half an hour and gave me another piece. Star 5: Harlot is located at 46 Minna(which, along with Jessie St, is also named after turn of the century harlots). So basically, Harlot within Harlot is a metaphor for mankind as most of us have an inner Harlot as we are selling our services for money. Nish, in his State of the Union address, pronounced that Harlot is going to be THE place for Happy Hour from Wed to Friday. For those wanting to let their inner Harlots come out and play after a hard days work, Harlot's proximity to the FIDI will surely make it the watering hole of choice for the after work party animals.
by Nikki K. on Well, what can I say about the place I grew up in? I've been going there since it was further down Ponce than it is now and George Chang used to let me in when I was a little too young to be in there...ahh memories... Anyway, I continued my late teens (and now early 30's) at MJQ Concourse, hanging out with the amazing DJ's and musicians that show up there after a show (usually coming from somewhere else.) I have hung out with some very amazing celebrities there! The scene is mostly underground (and I am not cracking the joke about it literally being underground....or did I just do that?) and I only go for britpop night on Wednesdays in the big room, or Saturdays in the cafe. Or if the Drunken Unicorn has an amazing band I will go any night of the week. Stuff about MJQ- it is a compound of two bars with amazing ambiance, and one room where bands play, it is a cash only bar (don't argue with them), ask for the MJQ drink- it's tasty! And do yourself a favor and do not go to the bars until after midnight at the very earliest- you might find yourself terribly alone. Don't go there begging for hookups, its largely frowned upon, go to Buckhead for that. You will meet interesting and diverse people if you just act cool! Also, don't show up there in your frat boy clothes- it may cost you dearly at the door. In recent years it has changed from being a mostly britpop/indie rock establishment to having a more urban, hip-hop flair on many nights of the week. The best part about MJQ is if you find yourself without plans for New Year's or Halloween you can always come here and be assured a good time! I always sport my costume and make an appearance on Halloween! But it is definitely a place to go and see cool people shaking it to the most amazing music in town! And be nice to the staff- they are all cool people so don't give them a hard time or else!
