by Sean G. on My girlfriend and I were excited for a great dinner at Kokopelli after reading the recent reviews and looking over the restaurant's website. Sadly, the restaurant stopped serving at 10pm. When we first walked in, I was expecting a higher end themed Hispanic influenced Tapas style restaurant (something along the lines of one of Jose Garces many successful restaurants). We instead found a restaurant bumping house-style music lit up with cheesy fluorescent lighting. We ended up going elsewhere for dinner and coming back to check out the upstairs "club". The music the DJ was spinning was good but no one was dancing, the decor of the club was poor (almost as if they ran out of money trying to finish the place up), and the environment turned into our entertainment for the night (watching the mishmash of clientele and laughing at what the owner initially had envisioned for his upstairs club). Overall it seems like Kokopelli has panicked. While I'm only going off my personal impressions, it seems like the original vibe of the restaurant didn't catch on as quickly as the owner hoped and he scrambled to change things around to bring in more (and a completely different) crowd. With patience and staying true to it's original finer dining tapas style restaurant and tequila bar, this restaurant could have had a chance to be a success. With this new formula... not so much. I'm not even sure where they really serve food. I only saw a small downstairs area for seating mainly focused around a bar that belongs in cheesy club. I hoping to try again on a weeknight and get a chance to have dinner and have my opinion of this restaurant changed. Until then... Overall: 2 stars
by Pam A. on FLIP has been on my list for a long time. Even before I moved to Atlanta, I knew FLIP existed because I'm a huge Richard Blais fan. We finally stopped in last night for our first real experience at FLIP. We'd been there twice before- once for a quick pumpkin milkshake, another to try for dinner but it was a 1.5 hr wait. No thanks! A quick call to FLIP beforehand let us know there'd be no wait for our party of 2, but that doesn't mean they aren't busy! We did get immediately seated at the bar that sits in front of the kitchen pass. It was really fun and entertaining to see the masterpieces be created. Aside from the fun experience, there wasn't much to the food itself. If you just like a normal burger you'll feel really stupid here. Each burger has a unique twist- whether it be a non-beef patty, interesting toppings, or it just looks pretty. As a burger connoisseur, I struggled to find something familiar. The best I could find was a bacon cheeseburger, that I ordered medium. The burger was definitely medium-rare, but it wasn't that big of a deal. I just didn't think it was that great. The patty was tasty, but I didn't care for the FLIP sauce. I couldn't taste the bacon and the cheese was barely melted and looked like a Kraft single. I've definitely had a better burger at Taco Mac. Now before you get all pissed off, I think my issue with this place is that I don't like the gourmet burger concept. If you are a burger person, you just need to know this place is gourmet first, burger second. I also ordered the vodka-battered onion rings. They had a perfect, light crispiness to them and the onion didn't pull out when I took a bite. But they were so bland!! I mean, almost no flavor. I felt stupid requesting ketchup to go with it. Service wasn't the best. It took a while for our server to make her way to greet us and then another 5-10mins for a coke. The burgers do come out FAST though, especially if there's no one else waiting for a burger before you (the people next to us must have gotten their burgers 5 minutes after they ordered!). They turn the tables quick making this a super-fast experience. I wasn't a fan of the atmosphere either. Weird music + tons of people = really loud!! It's certainly a place to be seen and feel cool, but it's just not my style. We got away spending $30 for 2. There are lots of other places where I'd get a better burger for less. However, I will be back for the A5.
by Lonny Sesco on Harlot is the latest ultra lounge & bar to hit San Francisco and it is arguably the most beautiful. As nightlife in "the city" attempts to make a resurgence in the wake of the depressing dot-com bust, the Ultra Lounge craze is leading the way, bringing sophistication and sometimes confusion to the 415. While many new clubs attempt to mimic the styles of yesteryear, or duplicate the crowds in other cities (such as Los Angeles and New York), Harlot stands out as an SF original. This unique feel illuminates throughout the venue as co-owner and architectural visionary Jasek Ostoya has helped to create an elegant yet haunting facility that works to mysteriously consume each and every partygoer, leaving one temporarily unaware or unconcerned with the outside world. This undeniable allure, coupled with the fact that Harlot is also owned and operated by veteran club creator Robert Nunez (Dolce, Air) and infamous party promoters Martel & Nabiel, makes for an unforgettable combination. Although new clubs will continue to pop-up in attempts to garner the city's "in" crowd, if Harlot treats its SF clientele correctly, with its distinct decor and superior music, this venue will no doubt whether the storm and continue to shine... limelight and all.
