By Phyllis Bowie
Happy Hour Crawl $5 drinks at Fat Angel
The Living with Phyllis Fillmore Street Happy Hour Crawl. I get so excited as I am feverously working hard to finish the 4th season of the Living with Phyllis Urban Food Show. I am planning the 2nd Fillmore Street Happy Hour Crawl and in the process of completing last year’s crawl. It actually was my God-sister, Nikki’s idea since I always tell her my favorite happy hour spots that won’t break the bank. We decided to stop by 3 places: Fat Angel, The Social Study and Black owned Sheba Piano Lounge. All three were in walking distance from my home and all were on my favorite street - Fillmore.
My Beautiful God-sister Nikki on the Crawl
We started our crawl at Fat Angel their happy hour Power Hour was from 4pm to 5pm M-F. Flatbreads $5 select beers $5 and select wines $5. I was at Fat Angel 6 months earlier with my niece and her girlfriend and we had the flatbread and wine. We actually, thought the happy hour food was ok, but the price of beer and wine was the plus hands down. View the Video of Entrance
I love the Chandeliers and $5 wine
View Video of our order. I loved the convenience of it being such a short walk from my home and the beautiful cozy neighborhood atmosphere. And those bar stools gave me life. Definitely, Fat Angel is a product of gentrification. As we continued our happy hour crawl up Fillmore Street headed to The Social Study, hoping that we would see a few Black folks. View our Crawl to next stop
Three Amigos - $9 Vegetarian Potato 3 Mini Tacos
I have been to The Social Study several times. My first time, I was walking past on my way to Safeway and heard R&B music coming from the open glass doors. So, I stumbled in and fell in love with the interiors. The exposed brick wall and a button tufted upholstered wall of blue vinyl with cutout seating. The communal tables made it welcoming and open. I felt comfortable immediately. I consider it a bar with causal dining. Order at the bar and get a number. The happy hour made me very happy.
View Video of our Order. Everything from bar food items to wine and beer ranges from $5 to $9. So, I was not surprised when Nikki also fell in love with the vibe and the prices. She ordered a $5 glass of wine and the $7 Three Amigos - three mini Vegetarian Potato Tacos. I really wanted what I always usually got, the Cuban Sliders for $6.50. View Taco Video
$6.50 BBQ Sliders at The Social Study
But they changed the menu, so I ordered the BBQ Carnitas Sliders and a $5 wine. With tip we paid $28. Nikki agreed the vibe and the music were the stars. The food was ok and the wine was great and of course the happy hour prices carried a big value! Oh, the Black folk count was zero.
View the Slider1Video. View the Slider2 Video
Mushroom Sambussa at Sheba Piano Lounge
View our Crawl to last stop. As we bundled up to walk 1 block up Fillmore street, we knew that our third and last stop we were guaranteed to see Black folks because it is owned by an Ethiopian family. Sheba's Piano Lounge is one of the few jazz bars still left on Fillmore street. Sheba’s serves authentic Ethiopian food and has live music nightly. Chef Netsanet Alemayehu’s and team are the genuine deal. We ordered wine and food. View Walking to Sheba's Video
$7 Sweet Potato Fries at Sheba Piano Lounge
I ordered the $9 Wings and $7 Sweet Potato Crisscross Fries and a $9 glass of Rosenblum Vintner’s Cuvee Zinfandel, that was a generous pour.
$9 Wings at Sheba Piano Lounge
Nikki ordered the Mushroom Sambussa - delicate pastry filled with sautéed mushrooms, green onions, ginger, garlic and cilantro and a $11 speciality cocktail called Sheba. Sheba’s did not have a regular happy hour. They instead have a late-night Red Eye Special happy hour weekdays from 10pm – 1am and weekends, 11pm-2am which is smart business for when the music listening crowd comes in. Actually, the regular prices were very reasonable. Two appetizers and 2 glasses of wine $34. I just started recently doing something when I eat out. I pay tip in cash. I simply have to remember to get cash. For such a small effort, the wait staff really appreciates cash. So I left a 25% cash tip. I tipped a little more than normal because I know how extra hard it is for a Black owned businesses to stay in business in San Francisco!
$11 Sheba Cocktail at Sheba Piano Lounge
Sheba's Out of Africa speciality cocktails are made with Ethiopian spices, are definitely worth the mention. Nikki's Sheba cocktail was tequila infused with Fenugreek (simular to clover) and garnished with lavender. It was amazing with a very unique flavor. I will definitely order one next time. By the time we bundled up to leave with our full bellies, the band had started jamming and the dinner crowd was in full bloom. Oh, and the Black folk count 10+. View Band Video
Full episode coming soon to the new season of The Living With Phyllis Urban Food Show. Stay tuned. For past shows navigate to the Living With Phyllis Food Show Page at top of this page.