Your Daily Drink - March 31, 2015

Bonjour Mesdames et Messieurs! Today, my report will be about French cocktail bars in SF! jouir! (Thanks to my bff, Google translate!)

First on my list:
Trou Normand
http://www.trounormandsf.com/
140 New Montgomery Street, 
San Francisco
(415) 975-0876
Neighborhood:  SoMa
Hours:
Monday thru Friday 11:30am - 12am
Weekends 10:30am - 12am

All Day “Charcuterie” Menu: Everyday until 12am
Ever wonder what Charcuterie is? It means cold cooked meats such as bacon, sausage, terrines, galantines, ballotines, pâtés, and confit, primarily from pork. oink! oink!

This restaurant is owned by Thad Vogler, owner of Bar Agricole. Bar Agricole is known for having outstanding cocktails and they're nationally-known in drinks. The design of Trou Normand is very spacious with high ceilings. They celebrated their first anniversary last March 17th. Trou Normand's drink menu is similar to Bar Agricoles' and they focus on Armagnac, Cognac, and Calvados. This restaurant is more expensive than Bar Agricole.

#Loveits

• They do not have tipping required because the tip is included on their price. 
• The ambiance of the restaurant is super classy and it has an airy feel. 

$$$ This is for customers who are not on a tight budget. 



Next up!
Garcon
http://www.garconsf.com/
1101 Valencia St,
San Francisco  (between 22nd St & 23rd St in Mission)
14154018959
Hours: 
Tue-Thur 5:30-10PM
Fri-Sat 5:30-11PM
Sun 5:30-10PM
Monday CLOSED

Garcon was opened in 2005 by Jerome Rivoire with the vision of bringing a true friendly French atmosphere to the Mission district. Garcon is small but brings an old-world French bistro with a casual and friendly atmosphere like one would find in France. Garcon offers a diverse selection of local and old world wines.

#Loveits

• Chef Arthur creates an authentic tastes and comes around to introduce himself and talk in depth about the food. 
• They have a delightful house of cocktails and they brag about their wines. 
• The atmosphere of the restaurant is as if you're in Paris. 

Last but definitely not the least.

Absinthe Brasserie & Bar
http://absinthe.com/
398 Hayes St at Gough, (Hayes Valley Neighborhood, walking distance of Civic Center and the performing arts centers)
14155511590
Hours: 
Mon to Wed: 11:30 am to 12am
Thur and Fri: 11:30 am to 12am (bar open til 2 am)
Saturday: Brunch, 11:00 am to 3:00 pm; 3:00 pm to 12am (bar open til 2 am)
Sunday: Brunch, 11:00 am to 3:00 pm; 3:00 pm to 10:00 pm

The Restaurant features French and Northern Italian-influenced brasserie fare for lunch and dinner, plus weekend brunch. Absinthe’s lively bar offers classic and creative cocktails and late-night dining. The bar manager of Absinthe is Jared Schmidt. They focus on maintaining the original, well-crafted cocktail list, while continuing the seasonal ethos in the daily-changing chalkboard menu. Many customers loves their cocktails especially Crusta and Joyride.

#Loveits

• Many customers said that they love the food, drinks and the service. 
• The restaurant has a really nice vibe. 
• Staffs are very knowledgeable about the drink list. 

#PossibleChallenges

• Their menu is a bit pricey. Definitely not for customers on a tight budget. 
• Some customers had parking issues. 

One of the customer reviews: "Overall, 4 stars. Undeniably, Absinthe deserves 5 stars for the cocktails. But approximately 3.5 stars for the rest of the package. There was an element of magical missing in the brasserie part that the bar nailed. But I'm willing to come back and have my mind changed."


That's all for March 31st. Thanks for reading! 

Healthy hugs, 
Meg