This homey west-side haunt offers far more than meets the eye
The avenues of San Francisco are sleepier than much of The City. Rows of squat, colorful houses, the bells of Muni service, and the occasional palm tree on the way to Ocean Beach signal to the average visitor that this is the place to slow down, mull over life and take a deep breath.
Where better to do so than at The Riptide at 3639 Taraval St.? The bar — which is celebrating its 22nd anniversary this year — resides on a block with a couple of restaurants, a record store, a coffee shop and another bar that I’ve written about for this column, White Cap. But when bar manager Jean Fontana started working at the bar 17 years ago, none of that was nearby.But even with the changes, she said the crowd that patronizes The Riptide has remained a steady stream of regulars and neighborhood folks who come by after a long day at work for a shot and a beer, or to watch one of the bar’s burlesque performances, or participate in weekly bingo and karaoke nights. Walking in, I felt as if I had entered a wood-paneled rec-room basement from the 1970s, when people set up their own bars in their homes and shook up daiquiris and mai tais while wearing Hawaiian shirts. Fontana said that the owners were going for more of a combination of the beach and a ski chalet, with a pinch of the Old West thrown in for good measure. After hearing that, I could definitely see what they were going for, with a fireplace in one corner and two stag heads hanging on the walls. An old cowboy boot used to gather tips from the audience following live music performances only added to the delightfully chaotic smattering of themes. Unlike White Cap, which is just across the street and has a clean, minimalist aesthetic, The Riptide has a more worn-in, lived-in feeling to it. That vibe was something that Fontana said the owners at the time tried hard to maintain despite a fire in 2015 that destroyed the entire space.They were able to rebuild quickly and reopen within a year, but everything inside now is only about 10 years old, with the exception of a mermaid bust hung up on one wall that a longtime regular salvaged from the ashes, repaired and presented back to the bar. That regular has since moved to Petaluma and isn’t around as much, but still drops in when they’re in town, Fontana said, keeping with the culture the bar has cultivated.Fontana said she’s seen many “meet-cutes” over the years. She even met her husband at the bar back when she first started out as the bingo host. When asked what cocktails she felt best represented The Riptide, and what customers go there to get, she chose — in a first for this column — a Bloody Mary. I love Bloody Marys. As a fan of dirty vodka martinis, the concept is similar — a bit of salt and a bit of savoriness with my alcohol is often more welcome than something sweet. But I personally hadn’t yet found a place in San Francisco that served a worthy version of it.Ex // Top Stories Community organizations kick off Castro Theatre's grand opening Drag performances, dancing and an interactive film screening come to the venue next month Why Grok’s deepfakes might be protected by the Constitution The First Amendment protects speech of all kinds, even nonconsensual deepfaked bikini pictures, says Santa Clara University law professor Eric Goldman Mahan: Billionaire tax would crash California innovation engine If Californians are serious about addressing economic inequality, there are better ways to do that than the recent state ‘wealth tax’ proposal Restaurants and bars that make Bloody Marys often keep the ingredients in their mixes close to the vest, or even entirely secret. Having tried some really bad ones at the occasional brunch, I understand why. The perfect mix is the right balance of acid, heat and salt — and too often, the flavors don’t work. It can wind up tasting like cocktail sauce, or worse, ketchup. Fontana said that the original owner of The Riptide was the creator of the recipe. While she mentioned some classic ingredients — Tabasco, Worcestershire, celery salt — she declined to offer up the ratios or the rest, which I respected. To make The Riptide’s Bloody Mary, I started with a pint glass, filled to the brim with ice, before pouring in an ounce of well vodka. I then poured the mix, kept in a plastic bottle behind the bar, leaving about a finger of empty space at the top. Then, in an unusual twist, I floated a splash of Guinness on top, garnishing with a lime, a lemon, a spear of green olives and pickled green beans, and two strips of bacon cooked and supplied by the restaurant across the street, Underdogs Too. When I sipped, I got a whiff of the smoky bacon, which paired perfectly with the drink. It was ideal. The mix was the right balance of acidity and savoriness, with the heat muted just slightly by the subtle sweetness of the Guinness. Fontana said that The Riptide’s Bloody Mary is one of its most popular drinks on the weekends with the after-brunch crowd. Then, in a surprise turn, Fontana gave me my next challenge, one that I also hadn’t been met with yet during this column: I had to correctly pour a Guinness. While I understand the basic principles of pouring a draft beer, I also know the parameters for pouring Guinness are very, very specific. The key, she said, is patience. During busy occasions, such as St. Patrick’s Day, Fontana said she likes to be the one pouring Guinness — as opposed to making cocktails — because it allows her a minute to breathe. Pouring a Guinness starts similarly to pouring other beers. I tilted the glass slightly to one side, and pulled the lever all the way forward. I then filled it just slightly past the label, and then set it down and waited. As a nitrogenated beer, the beverage had to have time to settle, otherwise it would all be foam and leave no one happy. After perhaps two minutes, I pushed the lever back slightly, filling up the glass just above the line, so a slight dome of foam appeared. Eyeing my technique with eagle eyes, Fontana declared my pour perfect, and I took a victory sip, embracing the temporary mustache emblazoned upon my face. The Guinness tasted fresher than other pints I’ve had in the past at other bars in The City that shall remain nameless. Fontana said she understood that. The quality of Guinness can vary from place to place, depending on how often it’s served, how often the bar cleans the keg lines and how close the keg is to the line itself — all small details that can contribute to the iconic beer’s flavor. While not a cocktail, understanding how to properly pour and serve a Guinness felt like an essential life lesson, for which I was grateful. While The Riptide might seem like another average neighborhood dive to the uninitiated, I learned quickly that just because something might seem simple — a Guinness, for example, or a Bloody Mary — the details can make it so much more.“I feel like it’s weird when you’re like, it’s this type of bar, this is that type of bar,” she said. “Like San Francisco, it’s everything — we’re a dive bar, we’re a music venue, we’re a local spot ... San Francisco’s a bunch of weirdos, and we like to keep it welcome to all.”
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