THE SPRING ISSUE
Urbanite
Cocktail Queen
“People can have whatever they want” the artist insists with a laugh as she pours out the last strands of an herbal original cocktail—“Ro’s Merry Baby.” Rohini Moradi has stepped out from behind the bar after ten years serving among San Francisco’s most revered watering holes to give us an intimate taste of her philosophy. […]
Raising Spirits
Distillation is the art of making spirits. Basically, you start with a grain or a fruit, let it ferment, then heat it up in a still to concentrate the alcohol and desired flavors. You can take this a step further by infusing botanicals and fresh juices—it then becomes a culinary art. If you want to […]
Adam Edwards
Adam Edwards is a long way from home. It’s been two years since he and a few friends packed up and set out from Florida to come to San Francisco. They came to Union Square to open up Hops & Hominy, a restaurant and bar located down an unassuming alley, and they brought with them […]
Erik Adkins
The glow of over a hundred bottles of whiskey glimmers off the barman’s smooth head, accentuating the perspiration as veteran drinksmith Erik Adkins works away, mixing cocktails and pouring the amber goodness to the packed-in patrons at Hard Water. The Pier 3 whiskey bar is the latest Charles Phan venture, this time featuring whiskey—one of […]
Robb Collins
Barman Robb Collins approached the craft by utter chance when he was in need of some fast cash while pursuing a master’s degree in sports science. It took him a couple of months to realize he enjoyed the creativity that the job offered, and he has never looked back since. “Fortunately, I managed to talk […]
Carrie Lawrence
Carrie comes to San Francisco by way of Palm Beach, Florida. Raised down the peninsula, she cut her teeth behind the bar with her first big industry gig in Palo Alto. There she learned the importance of the cocktail and memorized over 80 drinks so secretive the recipes were only told to her. Thanks to […]
Keith McNally
In the vibrant, ever-changing and fast paced New York City, where restaurants come and go quicker than a carton of milk spoils, how has one man has been able to continually build and thrive? Enter Keith McNally: brainchild behind some of the most well-known and sought-after restaurants, such as Balthazar in the fashionable SoHo, Minetta […]
Night Out at Supperclub
SOMA magazine celebrated in usual style with the release of its Spring Fashion Issue at trendy Supperclub, located in San Francisco’s fashionable SoMa district. Guests indulged in Blue Angel martinis while enjoying a marvelous performance by violinist Sarena Hsu. The audience was treated to hors d’oeuvres along with a brilliant hair and beauty show by […]
Roe
The art of DJ-ing requires a lot of patience, an innate sensitivity that is keenly in tune with a crowd’s temperamental emotions, along with the confidence and ability to recognize what will bring the masses pleasure on the dance floor—even when they themselves don’t know or aren’t quite sure. Put those skills into practice for […]
Norwood
We think of New York as a city of skyscrapers. But nestled within the stature of it all is the exclusive Norwood Club, a London-style members-only establishment. This private club located in the heart of lower Manhattan is now part of the National Registry of Historic Places and the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. […]
Sleeping on a Jetplane
In a country that’s famous for its bizarre experiential hotels— from the IceHotel in Lapland to the floating Utter Inn that features an underwater aquarium for guests to sleep in—comes a new take on the red eye flight. Arlanda’s Jumbo Stay hotel repurposes a retired Boeing 747 and turns it into a travel experience, offering […]
Owen
Ten years ago, Manhattan’s Meatpacking District was in the process of gentrifying from a once desolate neighborhood—historically for slaughterhouses and derelict factories—to an emerging gritty-turned-glitzy, club and restaurant scene. In the 1980’s, the area was known for drug dealing and prostitution. With what seemed like an overnight regeneration, New York’s hippest hotels, like the Standard […]
Huli Pau!
Scouring the globe for mixologists harboring the most exotic and intriguing cocktail recipes in their repertoire, SOMA stumbled upon this Big Island jewel. You won’t have to fly across oceans to feel transported. Just a sip from this tantalizing treat conjures warm, tropical breezes and sand beneath your toes. THE BIKINI MARTINI 1 oz Ketel […]
Best Drinks
Inside the extravagant SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, the collaboration between celebrity chef José Andrés, world-renowned designer Philippe Starck, and retailers Murray Moss and Franklin Getchell is a eclectic undertaking, to put it mildly. Arguably, the four pillars that comprise this lavish undertaking are: Rojo y Blanca, a play on the traditional Spanish tapa-teria; the Patisserie, […]
Salon Urbain
Albert Einstein said, “Logic will get you from A to Z… Imagination can take you everywhere.” Logically, creating a lounge-style area out of what used to be a parking lot next to a famous concert and music hall is a good idea. That was the general concept behind Salon Urbain at the Place de Arts […]
The New Golden Age of Cocktails
Socially speaking, the cocktail is king. Few common customs will entrance and cause obsession in the manner of a properly mixed drink. Urbanites throughout the world scour their cities for the best Old Fashioned, the finest Last Word, often to realize beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
GP’s Neapolitan Elegance Romances Jersey City
After 34 years in the restaurant business, George Politis brings a bit of East Village flair to Jersey with GP’s Restaurant, newly opened at 236 Pavonia Avenue (second to his first location in Guttenberg, NJ). From the small classic dishes with fresh ingredients that make up Politis’ signature menu, to the modern design, his new restaurant reflects the East Coast romance vibe of the young neighborhood. With Politis’ contemporary twists on typical Neapolitan fare and his restaurant’s chic interiors, GP’s Hamilton Park takes classic Italian dining to another level.
SOMA and TOKYObay Salute Top Mixologists
JON GASPARINI 15 Romolo, Rye, Rosewood, Rye on the Road – San Francisco Designer-turned-serial-restaurateur Jon Gasparini keeps busy. With three bars (15 Romolo, Rosewood, and Rye) and an A-list cocktail catering venture (Rye on the Road), Gasparini also acts as a consultant all over, from local distillers to brands like Jim Beam Global, and […]
Crème Brûlée On The Street
Castro and Market, a corner we San Franciscan’s are well familiar with, has another great reason to stop by. There, in the heart of leather and lace, sits what is becoming a sweet tradition. The Crème Brûlée Cart, with its array of growing flavors brings to life an adult’s fantasy of the ice-cream truck. With […]
At Home on the Shore
Text by Vanessa DeLeon It’s easy to mistake the entrance to the subterranean playground that is Lure Fishbar for one of Manhattan’s many subway stops. Rest assured, the green iron stairs leading down to the yacht-like interior are loath to be stained with gum or city grime, instead replete with navy and ivory leather banquettes, […]
The Pleasures of Today
Text by William Blake Photography by Oleg March Today, you can enjoy a wine cocktail alongside a beer cocktail alongside a liquor cocktail alongside a cappuccino, next to a friend’s bowl of sculptural pea soup or a stranger’s stroopwafel. Today you might experience a ‘head-butt’ or a ‘turf-war’. Today, as in all days, you can […]
Kyle Ford
Text by Eileen Chiang Dapper as Dan and thickly mustached in a gentleman’s three-button waistcoat, Kyle Ford is a callback to days where integrity stood behind the bar and delivered your libations with true craft and an authentic smile. Co-founder of Ford Mixology Lab with his wife and former high school sweetheart, Rachel Ford, Kyle […]
Rachel Ford
Text by Eileen Chiang It is rumored that Graydon Carter used to spend his late afternoons in the offices of Vanity Fair carefully curating the private-line only reservations and seating arrangements of his A-list guests at his Midtown power lounge, Monkey Bar. The storied bar and restaurant has since allowed its exclusivity to ebb, though […]
CATCH
A fitting name for a seafood restaurant, Catch made its debut on the New York restaurant scene in the fall of 2011, forcing the Meatpacking District to make room for yet another work of art in restaurant décor. The multi-level eatery is housed in a turn-of-the-century building, and was designed by the EMM Group, a […]
