San Francisco Still Packs Them in at Jazz Dinner Venues

Fewer and fewer of the legendary dinner clubs dot the great cities of the world. Manhattan’s Rainbow Room is closed. Headlines bring recent news of yet another great dinner club’s closing at the Oak Room at New York City’s Algonquin Hotel. San Francisco, everybody’s favorite city, boasts a couple of venues that aren’t new to the scene, but just won’t quit. Bring your wallet, leave the car.

Top of the Mark
A San Francisco tradition for more than 70 years. They call it a sky lounge, as it sits on the 19th floor atop posh – and steep – Nob Hill above the Mark Hopkins InterContinental Hotel. Home to 100 martinis, Top of the Mark has been the beloved romantic spot for celebrities, regulars and regular folks since it opened as an instant success in1939. Affording fabulous views over sparkling city lights, Fisherman’s Wharf to the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island and the Marin Headlands beyond, it’s a vista for the memory books.

There is an opportunity to listen to some of the artists on the schedule of toe-tapping favorites. Live music five days a week looks something like this: Wednesday evenings feature “played for five U.S. presidents” soft jazz pianist Ricardo Scales, on Thursdays it’s the Stompy Jones sextet, hits from the 40s through to today come to life on Fridays from a six-piece band called Black Market Jazz Orchestra and on Saturday nights there is a rotation of acts from the Best of the Bay calendar.

Drag yourself away from the window when you can, cocktails and light dining are on the menu to accompany the rhythmic sounds. Playboy Magazine says Top of the Mark is one of America’s Greatest Bars. More than 640,000 voters on OpenTable place it as one of the top 50 brunch spots in the nation, where Michael Athens holds forth on the piano each Sunday.

Top of the Mark has played host to Elizabeth Taylor and Judy Garland, Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson, Herbert Hoover and Dwight D. Eisenhower, Prince Charles and Prince Edward. Ask to see “Weeper’s Corner” where sweethearts would gaze off toward the Golden Gate Bridge for one last glimpse of men shipping out to service during World War II. Nostalgic. Romantic. Classic.

Plenty of room for dancing the night away. Cover charge and dress code applies…and to make the most of it, do try to avoid a foggy night! Price range $30 and up.

Yoshi’s Jazz Club
A San Francisco Bay Area institution. Yoshi’s has two locations, at Jack London Square in Oakland and on San Francisco’s famed Fillmore Street. Yoshi’s modern Japanese-themed dinner menu by Executive Chef Shotaro Kamio is served up with terrific jazz performances, which locals and visitors alike have ranked tops since 1973. The chef’s culinary philosophy, “simple, seasonal, surprise” is something to look forward to, which you won’t easily be cooking up at home, such as black cod, lobster blossoms, duck tataki, yellowtail and tuna nigiri.

The legendary Dizzy Gillespie has performed at Yoshi’s as have such great artists as Harry Connick, Jr., Diana Krall and Branford Marsalis. They keep packing in jazz lovers seven days a week for two nightly performances.

The dinner and show package can be reserved in advance with a deposit of $20 per person which may be applied toward the dinner bill and allows for reserved seating. A good insider’s tip regarding seating is to reserve on OpenTable for the pre-show dinner, which allows reserved seating for the show. This is important to note, as the restaurant is in a separate room from the dining room. Arrive for dinner an hour and a half before show time. There is also a 5:00 p.m. Sunday matinée and a mouth-watering 50% student discount on selected performance tickets.

As you pass by on the #38 bus, the exterior of the two-story venue appears deceptively small but is actually a cavernous 28,000 square feet. Some call it an acoustic marvel. Others say it is vast yet cozy. Do prepared to be squished if it’s a busy night; the show is worth it. Coming with a party of ten or so? Book the semi-private seating which offers great views from a glass-walled enclosure in the center of the room.

And if you feel like dancing, check the schedule for Brazilian, Latin jazz, Salsa nights when the dance floor is hopping. Price range: $30 and up.

Top of the Mark
at the Mark Hopkins InterContinental Hotel
1 Nob Hill
San Francisco, CA 92108
(415) 616-6916
www.topofthemark.com

Yoshi’s
1330 Fillmore Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
(415) 655-5600
www.yoshis.com


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