TRUTH. 

Do not ask me this question.

Happy Hour Adventures Part 3

Hooray! My favorite part of blogging is doing bits like these where I get to write about getting drunk and eating delicious unhealthy food. What woman wouldn't like doing this? This week I ventured over to Southside Spirit House in the Soma district of beautiful Downtown Spirit House. I have heard great things about their specialty cocktails so I had to try it for myself.

To start off with, this place is busy. Very busy.

It was hard finding a spot at the bar and when I got up there, I was crowded around with suits and women in high heels they could barely walk in. You get the vibe that it is a big FiDi hang out. (For those of you that don't know, FiDi means Financial District.) When I was waited on, the bartender was very sweet and charming. A dark haired girl with a cool haircut and covered in tattoos. She made me a drink called a Resurrection which consisted of jalapeño vodka, sweet and sour and green chartreuse. I could have done without the chartreuse but I will say that I had two more after the first ones. They were delicious.

I was surprised to see the menu. It was not huge but the food they had listed was different. Carnitas tacos, deviled eggs and a killer cheese plate were brought out and placed in front of my friend and me. The deviled eggs are a forced to be reckoned with. The cheese plate was big for and hearty for only being $18. (Thats cheap for SF.) The tacos were killer. The meat was soaked in a Deshutes beer and cooked to perfection.

The music was great and the vibe was killer once the d-bags from FiDi left. My friend and I ended up stayed past happy hour and cabbing it home. I highly recommend this place to anyone but come after Happy Hour because there is a good chance you won't get in. Check it out!!

SouthSide Spirit House SF

How Weird is too weird.

This past weekend was the How Weird Street Festival on Howard Street in Downtown San Francisco in the Soma district. Ravers, Goths, Plushies, BDSM, Burners and God knows what else come out and hit the streets where a huge dance party takes place across multiple outdoor stages. Sounds like a blast right?! Well truth be told, it is a good time. I went one year and ended up in a hot tub full of cross dressers at around 1 am. It doesn't get much better than that. I will spare you the details. However if you are a bartender in the Soma district, I'm sure you are happy this weekend is over. Picture this. A bunch of sweaty ecstasy driven weirdos crowding your bar and asking for water while NOT tipping. It happens every year. Any bartender that I know hates How Weird and for good reason.

Secondly, the trash is awful. I remember walking through the neighborhood last year and seeing leftovers from How Weird's shenanigans and thinking about how I felt bad for the people who have to clean it up. Wigs, wings and beer cups flooded the curbs of the streets while the Financial District suits made their way to work.

So if you go to How Weird next year, prepare yourself. Bring lots of water with you. Don't stumble in to a bar and bother the already overwhelmed bartenders with your dehydrated ass. It's not their problem you didn't prepare. And if you do go in, make sure you tip! Getting a glass of water may not cost anything but it still counts as getting a drink.  AND POLICE YOUR TRASH!

This is a picture my friend took of the bar she works at during How Weird. Do you think you could handle working this?

Cheers!

We Say Goodbye to A San Francisco landmark.

Its a very sad week for Tip Me Over and Over because we are saying goodbye to Capp's Corner which has been a landmark in San Francisco as for the restaurant  side of things since 1963.  If you don't know Capp's Corner is a very well known restaurant in the heart of North Beach off of Green Street which is in between Powell and Columbus.  It's been there since 1963 and it closes THIS SUNDAY and their having an everything must go so anyone who goes there is going to be there to send this place off with a bang.  The owner Tom Ginella has maintained it beautifully. He's kept it going since he bought it. They are most well known for the landmark itself but the food which is amazing. The meatloaf is amazing. The red sauce on any of their pasta will dominate any Italian  red sauce you have had in this city. Linguini with clam and mussels is absolutely to die for! I have had it one time and I have also worked at the Old Clam House in San Francisco which is the oldest restaurant in San Francisco and maybe I shouldn't say this...but it throws Old Clam House  out of the park whenever it comes to linguine with clams. Basically it's a sad day because anyone that goes there on a regular, its likes Cheers! Everyone knows your name when you walk in. Its a landmark! Famous people from San Francisco from way back when like Joe Dimaggio have been to this place. In the back on the wall they have a clock that stays on 5:04 pm set for Oct 17, 1989 which marks the big earth quake that happened here in Northern California. And not only that, but were saying goodbye to very famous bartenders such as George McCarthy and Randy Harris.  It's really sad because the reason they are going out of business because the rent is so out of control. We're seeing places left and right closing. I know that on Union Street, Betelnut restaurant  is going out of business. If you have ever been to Betenut, great food, great service and  they are closing and this is happening all over the city. The rent just being completely out of control. You would think these place are doing very well in business but if you think what they're paying in rent it's probably ridiculous and not only that but the person who owns the building is going to make a profit off of selling the building and unfortunately it is legal to do that in San Francisco. And so its happening and it'
s happening to our landmarks and our most famous restaurants here in the city. Unfortunately Capp's Corner is closing for sure this week. If you can make it out there, make sure you do it. Get a bottle of red wine! Get the meatloaf or the clams with mussels and linguini! So if you're in the area,  make sure that you stop out at Capp's Corner. Its their last week that they are open. Make sure you get some good food and some good wine. Support your local businesses and this is Tip m over and Over. I am your host Summer Moore. Go to Capps's Corner and support.

Your word against Theirs.

Recently a friend and I went to a very well known restaurant here in beautiful San Francisco. Our food was good and the waiter was cool but he got a little too relaxed with us. The guest I was with is also a bartender so when he found out that we both were in the service industry, he loosened up...but got a little too loose. He started telling us about how he hated this table two down from us and how he doesn't like anyone and blah blah blah. I get it. I get into moods where I hate everyone too but I certainly don't tell my customers about it. Save that for your fellow waitstaff and let them know about how table 23 can fuck off. Moving on. When it came time to pay the bill, I had a card and my guest had cash. She pulled out two $20's, a $5 and four $1's totally $49.00. She handed the cash to the server and I handed him back my card. The bill was about $100 so when the server came back and handed me my bill, I was shocked to see that he had only taken off $9. WTF?! We quickly flagged him down and he stated that No, she had only given him $9. He is saying this while he is holding two $20's in his hand. When she politely asked him why he had two $20's, he shook it off and said this is from something else.

This is the thing, the guy had told us that we were his first table of the day prior to this. When we glanced over at his money pouch, there were more $20's in it. Strange right? My friend was now also missing her money. A big scene breaks out in the restaurant between my friend and the server. He then tells her "You're making a scene." WOW. So I ended up paying $89.00 for our meal after he clearly had misplaced or pocketed our money. He asked to get the manager but there was nothing we could do. It was our word versus his. In my professional career of being in this industry I have never seen anything so unprofessional in my life. Its pretty sad actually because up until this point I had never had a problem with this place. It was actually one of my favorites but I will definitely never be going back. Wanna know where to go get ripped off? Sorry. #notsorry

Water Conservation. Terrifyingly real...

California is in a terrible drought.

That being said, the shortage of water has turned into an eye opening and terrifying reality. I am honestly scared of the future and were talking about a very NEAR future. It is being predicted that California only has one year left of their reservoir water supply. It is now against the law for servers to bring water to the table unless upon request.
Here is my issue with this. DO NOT ASK FOR WATER IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DRINK IT! I have no problem bringing water to you and your guests if you are dehydrated and have been out walking all day. The weather is getting warmer so more water is going to be consumed. Unfortunately we have those who think they are above water conservation or they just plain don't care. So many times this past week I have had tables come in and before I can even greet them at their table they request water for everyone. Then they order other drinks and don't even touch it. Its such a  selfish thing to do.  I don't understand how people cannot take this issue seriously! We are going to run out of water in a very short period of time. My guess is that you are now going to have to pay for water when you order it at a restaurant or bar. I would definitely help and although it's going to suck, it would help put money into a study to figure out a way to bring the water down from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Just a personal theory.

But let me sum up my rant. If you are going order water at least have the decency to drink it.

Apryl Foster

New Evidence in Apryl Foster case.

Recently some unfortunate news has come about in the case of the missing waitress Apryl Foster. A quick backstory is that Apryl was a young waitress working in the Tampa-Bay area in Florida when she went missing. It has been said that she only had one drink before she got into her car and was never seen again. Until recently some two boaters hit a car that was submerged in the lake and saw it on their underwater camera. After the car was pulled from the lake, the body of Apryl Foster was found inside. There is suspect of foul play from witnesses stating that she left with a mystery man.

Immediately after reading this story I put myself in Apryl's situation. How many times have I been hit on at work by some skeezy dude that has asked me to go with him? The answer is always simple. NO. Just no. Service industry folk work in an environment where anyone can be a client. I have served bums off the street a beer if they're a paying customer. That being said, not every bum is a serial killer. But we work in an environment where alcohol is encouraged. Going home with someone that you have just met is never something that is encouraged though.

New evidence in the Foster case shows that maybe she was not abducted. Witnesses are now saying that Apryl had more than one drink and was seen drinking heavily. There is now footage of her car being drove in to the lake. The tables have now turned. This case has went from an abduction to a drunk driving accident. After commenting on the Tip Me Over and Over Facebook page, fans had some comments of their own.

Melissa Dolbert stated, "It definitely sounds like the cops know something that they don't want the public to know about."

Stacy Morris stated, "Sounds fishy to me."

Kimber Brase Lockstone added, " I don't feel like there is the whole truth being told in this story! I feel like there is more to the story police are either willing to say or willing to look further into! I find it odd that one video shows her car parked for over 50 minutes, then a claim that the gate was tampered with, but they want to say it's a DUI! It's not adding up!"

All of our fans are right! Things aren't adding up. It is very unfortunate no matter what the circumstances are. We at TMOO cannot stress the fact that you should never drink and drive. And if you're going to hook up with a stranger at a bar, be smart about it. One night stands happen. We have all had one. But in cases like this, maybe it's best just to call a cab and go home. Condolences to her family and loved ones. 

RIP Apryl Foster. 

-TMOO

Happy Hour Adventures Part 2

My favorite blog to post! Happy Hour Adventures! This is where a guest and myself head out to a recommended Happy Hour in the city of San Francisco and give our review. This week we headed out a place called Chino in the Mission District. The food theme is asian fusion so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Let me start off by saying that as soon as you walk in, you are surrounded with pops of neon pink and lime green decor. Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough" was jamming from the speakers and I couldn't be happier. 

It was busy but nothing crazy. We walked right in and sat at the bar.  I, of course ordered a hibiscus margarita which was delicious per usual and my friend ordered a beer. (They have plenty to choose from on tap.) We ended up ordering the dumplings and shrimp fried rice. The rice was a little dry for my taste but the dumplings were on point. The best part of the meal came when the bartender placed 4 little jiggly cubes in front of me.

 I looked at him with confusion and said, "What is this?" He told me that those were their famous grapefruit jello shots covered in sugar.  I hate jello. HATE IT. I can't stand the taste and I can't stand the texture. But out of respect for our bartender I ate one. They were delicious. Almost too good. Before I knew it, I was eating another one.  I think I mentioned to my friend that this is the jello shots they do at Harvard. 

The atmosphere is what it's really all about here. The food was great and the staff was very friendly. The one thing I took away from this place was the grapefruit jello shots though. This is what a restaurant in  San Francisco is all about. They take simple things and make them better. And of course, organic...

Here is a link to their web site. I highly recommend it. 

CHINO SF

Ask for Tara. Tell her TMOO sent ya!

Fear of Saint Patricks Day

Saint Patty's day is coming up and do you what this means?! Drunk amateurs flooding the bars.

Back in the day, I loved St Pats. I didn't miss it for anything. My friends and I would run out and by cute little shamrock shirts and put green in our hair. By the end of the night, we were complete shit shows. It's a good time for sure but not when you are on the receiving end of St Pats Day. If you work at a bar, this is a real life nightmare. I should also throw in that I work at an Irish Pub. KILL. ME.

Picture this: 150 people jam packed in to a tiny little pub. Most of them inebriated from countless Irish Car Bombs, Jameson whiskey and Guinness. Mix in the fact that its a holiday that is based around drinking and you've got to work in the middle of all of it. Serving food and slinging drinks all in the hopes that you HOPE customers will remember to tip. Most holidays in the service industry can go one or two ways.

1.  You're going to get your ass kicked. That goes without saying. Hopefully you will have some awesome people who realize how busy you are and feel sorry for you. If not, you are going to have so many customers that no matter what they're tipping, you're making money. This is the best case scenario.
2. You're going to get your ass kicked. People are going to be so drunk and oblivious that they forget they are in an establishment and treat it like shit. Drunk people trash the place or better yet a fight breaks out. (My personal all time favorite.) 

I am hoping that with this post that I may be able to enlighten a few of you lucky readers out there to remember that people are working when you come in to a bar on Saint Patrick's day. Remember to be courteous. If you order drinks, its going to take longer to receive. Don't get made because your Long Island Ice Tea is taking a long time. It's coming. Another thing. Take off your backpack. If you're in a crowded bar and you walk in with a back pack, you're taking up way too much space. Leave it at home people.

Also, remember to have fun but be smart at the same time. When people know that they're going to be drunk people pouring out of the bars and on to the streets, they notice. A lot of muggings and pick pocketing happen around St Patrick's Day so remember to keep your belongings on you. Also, WATCH YOUR DRINKS ladies and gents. Do not set your drinks down and don't take something that has a fizzing pill in the bottom of it.  

To sum up, I love Saint Patrick's Day. I really do. If you go out, remember that the people working are getting their butts kicked so you can have a good time. Tip 20% if you have good service! Your server or bartender will love you and you'll probably get some free shots out of it.

Cheers!

-TMOO

To tip or not to tip?

This week with TMOO, I discovered another position in the service industry that is not at every restaurant. I am talking about hired entertainers. Some of these entertainers can be singers, violin players, maybe the occasional balloon animal guy, and whoever else may cater to the establishment. (No pun intended..) The reason why I wanted to acknowledge these people is because not everyone knows to tip them. Not only that, but not everyone does tip them after they provide their service.

I ventured out to San Francisco's Mission area to a great place called Puerto Alegre. I had been here once before with some friends because their margaritas are off the hook good. So is the guac......MOVING ON. While I was there a couple of mariachia singers were walking around and singing to the tables. This went on for a few minutes and everyone stopped to watch them play. They were very good needless to say. After they were done, they walked around with a bag to every table saying "Tip? Tip?". I wasn't sure how to take this. Is it rude for them to so bluntly walk up to a table and put someone on the spot for money? I mean, we didn't order mariachi singers with our tacos so why should we have to tip them right?

I get it. They provided a service but the service was not requested. However working in an industry where you live off tips, I understand the struggle. So I coughed up 5 bucks and put it on the table. They said thank you and then I was stuck with them at my table singing for the next 5 minutes. It was fun. We had a good laugh. Thank god there were margaritas.

Below is our famous mariachi singers. Bless their hearts...

Mariachi @ Puerto Alegre SF


I would love to hear other people's thoughts and opinions on this matter. Please feel free to let TMOO know!

Happy Hour Adventures

Greetings everyone! This week I discovered a restaurant in San Francisco's Cow Hollow district that has a great happy hour. Now, this normally wouldn't be a big deal but the place is very chic and looks like its overpriced. However the happy hour is unbelievable!

Unami sits off of Union Street and after walking by it a few times in the past, I was certain it was not going to be a place I would ever spend money in. The vibe is very uppity and trendy. Not my usual scene to say the least.  After their happy hour came highly recommended, it was time I tried it. So I grabbed a girlfriend and we headed down. As we walk up, there was already a line starting to form. The place opens at 5:30 pm which is when HH starts. It also ends 1 hour later at 6:30 pm so there's not a lot of time to spare.  As the doors open, the crowd comes flying in the place. The bartender handed us the menu and I couldn't believe it when I saw $5 dollar sushi rolls. The cocktails were great and the appetizers were cheap and delicious as well. The sticky bun bacon cheeseburger sliders are something that I will have dreams about for the rest of my life.  The sushi was very Americanized but tasty. I think our bill was around $50 bucks but for the amount of food and drinks we had, it was very reasonable. In one hour, I had managed to eat 2 rolls, 2 appetizers and 2 signature cocktails. It was a lot in a short about of time but I highly recommend Unami for Happy Hour.
http://www.umamisf.com

For more information on Unami SF, click the link above.

Cheers!

Lemme Introduce Myself.

Welcome to Tip Me Over And Over. This is a place where you can get helpful tips and advice on your dining/drinking experience. I myself am an experienced waitress and bartender for over 10 years. I grew up in the industry. My parents owned one of the hottest restaurants/bars in my hometown until I was 13 years old. I was waitressing when I was 10 years old.  At the ripe age of 19, I became a bartender.  It is what I know and love.  (Yes, it's legal in some areas to bartend under the age of 21.) Although it may not be the most glamorous job in the world, it is thriving and there is no denial in that. No matter what people eat and drink. People eat/drink when they are happy and people eat/drink when they are sad. This is a place where you can get the most out of your experience as well as develop an appreciation for server life.