E-MAIL CHRIS   PRINT   2008 COLUMNS   ARCHIVES   SEARCH ARCHIVES A SAN FRANCISCO BAR LONG ON CHARM By Chris Barnett September 18, 2008 -- From the Jazz Era to the 1950s, the Long Bar, a joint about 10 minutes west of downtown San Francisco, boasted one of the longest bars in the world. It stretched from the front door on Fillmore Street all the way back to the next block. No records note the length of the bar in the old days, but now The Long Bar has returned to Fillmore Street as a saloon and bistro. There are no jazz singers or keyboarders, but the place has a nice feel the minute you walk and it has commanded a crowd since its recent opening. The location, at the corners of Fillmore and Clay, has had a culinary curse on it the last 20 years. It's been a bad Mexican restaurant and a dark and badly managed bar and grill between extended stretches of disuse. Today's Long Bar and Bistro is lighter and a good place to meet for a drink, a meal and a deal. The frosted front windows have been defrosted. The seating is more comfortable and the second level has brown leather banquettes. And the bar is once again the star of the show. The proprietor, Alan Walsh, was a mixologist at the saloon's previous incarnation as the Fillmore Bar and Grill. The Irishman knows exactly how long the Long Bar is: "30 feet of Honduran mahogany," he says. Alan Walsh also has a philosophy: "The kiss of death is a dark bar." So besides defrosting the front windows for passersby, Walsh has built two mirrors into the custom-crafted mahogany back bar. They surround a 50-inch plasma television screen. Opposite the bar is a mahogany rail for standup drinkers who don't want to perch on a stool or sit at a table or banquette. The rail is a big feature in British and Irish pubs and other bars where customers like to move and mingle. Other nice décor touches: a brass foot rail on the bar and the white tablecloths on tables that aren't jammed too close together. Walsh did his homework on bar design and etiquette at a young age. His father was an international salesman in Ireland for an American company and he accompanied his dad on sales calls. Those calls often wound up in pubs for a little get-to-know-you-better socializing. Under a 20-foot ceiling with amber-glowing sconces encircling the room, the new Long Bar is long on the old traditions. You can eat on the plank, too, choosing from a house Caesar salad to grilled salmon to a grilled Angus New York steak. There are about 30 dishes on the menu. But I'm here to assess the libational hospitality, not the food. Four Long Bar cocktails have been created as twists on old classics. The Longbarita is a marriage of Partida Anejo Tequila, Agave nectar and freshly squeezed lime and orange juices. The Fillmojito has high-end Trinidadian 10 Cane Rum and mint-infused simple syrup. The Long Bar's San Francisco Sling (You're surprised?) blends Junipero Gin, pomegranate juice and a float of Pama liqueur. The famed Mint Julep uses smooth Bulleit Bourbon. Each sells for $9. The beers, to be honest, are rather boring and predictable. Wines range from $8 to $16 a glass. So far, the Long Bar is getting thumbs up from customers, mostly in the Fillmore neighborhood. "We're 'hood kids and if the service is slow or I'm pushed to order, I'm outta here," said Eric Fifield, who works in business development for a software company. "Everything is good here although I ordered a Ketel One dirty martini and didn't get eye contact. Normally, you throw your eyes on them [the bartender] and look for a connection. Didn't work here." His pal, Melissa Swanson, who works in corporate communications for the Gap, was sipping on an Andeluna Cabernet Sauvignon from Mendoza, Argentina. She also gave her approval. "It's nice to have something different and nice-looking that caters to an older crowd in the neighborhood." (Swanson, by the way, was hardly a member of what I'd call the "older crowd.") I tried to jaw with owner Alan Walsh several times, but he's been too busy to spin yarns about himself or his new venture. That's an odd reaction for an Irishman who owns a bar. If he wants to break the curse of the corner of Fillmore and Clay, he needs to amp up the personal charm no matter how busy he is.

ABOUT CHRIS BARNETT Chris Barnett writes about business-travel tactics and strategies that save time and money and help minimize hassles. He is based in San Francisco and has written for a wide variety of major newspapers and national magazines. Barnett on Business Travel is syndicated by Creators Syndicate. THE FINE PRINT Joe Brancatelli makes this space available to Chris Barnett in the spirit of free speech and to help encourage editorial diversity and the wider discussion of important travel issues. All of the opinions and material in this column are the sole property of Barnett. This material may not be reproduced in any form without the express permission of Chris Barnett. This column is Copyright © 2008 by Chris Barnett. JoeSentMe is Copyright © 2008 by Joe Brancatelli. All rights reserved.