The Bar Scene

Finding your kind of bar in San Francisco has a lot to do with which district it's in. The following is a very general description of what types of bars you're likely to find throughout the city:

• Marina/Cow Hollow bars attract a yuppie post-collegiate crowd.
• The opposite of the Marina/Cow Hollow crowd frequents the Mission District haunts.
• Haight-Ashbury caters to eclectic neighborhood cocktailers and beer-lovers.
• The Tenderloin, though still dangerous at night (take a taxi), is now a new hot spot for serious mixologists.
• Tourists mix with conventioneers at downtown pubs.
• North Beach serves all types, mostly tourists.
• Russian Hill's Polk Street has become the new Marina/Cow Hollow scene.
• The Castro caters to gay locals and tourists.
• SoMa offers an eclectic mix from sports bars to DJ lounges.

We've listed a few of San Francisco's more interesting bars. Unless otherwise noted, these bars do not have cover charges.

Eugenio Picks Your Next Wine Bar

Eugenio Jardim is the gregarious sommelier at the restaurant Jardinière, where patrons in jeans enjoy Chef Traci des Jardins's food alongside a theater crowd in tuxedos and gowns. He was named Sommelier of the Year by Sunset Magazine in 2010. We asked him: "What are your favorite local wine bars?"

When it comes to grabbing a good glass of wine in the Bay Area, I think restaurants are still a step ahead of wine bars on what's new and exciting. In general, Bay Area wine lovers want some food with their wine (halleluiah to that). Wine bars are back in full force, but I find them a bit gimmicky these days. I do understand the need to offer something unique that will set one apart but, let's be frank, what should really matter is the quality of the wine you offer, right? Having said that, I still think it is really great that we San Franciscans now have so many more options of places to enjoy wines.

Among the most creative concepts of late is the Pop-Up spot, which with a turn of a key or the ring of the clock turns a coffee shop into a happening wine bar. From the relentlessly creative mind of wine kid Mark Bright Vinyl Wine Bar, 359 Divisadero St. (tel. 415/621-4132; www.facebook.com/vinylwinebar), is born. No one knows exactly what comes next but he and his partners managed to cram into a single room a movie projector, a communal table made-up from the old Embarcadero Freeway Broadway Exit sign, a bar and a kitchen. Oh, did I forget the hordes of youngsters who flock there for the Pizza night, or for the Pasta night, or even for the night when a food truck stops by to feed the patrons?

When it comes to quality of wine and service, associated with some of the most fun people-watching spots, the Wine Bar at the Ferry Plaza Wine Merchants (tel. 415/391-9400; www.fpwm.com), in the Ferry Building, is second to none! Silas and Jason are usually in command from behind the bar stirring the crowds to try the latest discoveries by "Wine Mama" Debbie Zachareas. They serve delicious wines in every pour size imaginable, and if you find something in the adjacent wine shop, just grab it and they will serve it to you for a mere $6 corkage fee. Their food selections include some of the city's best treats: Salumi from Boccalone, cheeses from Cowgirl Creamery, bread from ACME, and chocolates from Michael Recchiuti, all housed in the Ferry Building as well. Every Wednesday night they host a local or visiting winemaker, for what's become the best opportunity to have a one-on-one with the people behind the wine.

Uva Enoteca, 568 Haight St. (tel. 415/829-2024; www.uvaenoteca.com), is unashamedly "all about Italy" and the "double 'B' team" of Ben and Boris create an amazing environment for the enjoyment of casual Italian-inspired foods and wines. The wine list covers the entire "boot" with great local wines from every region. Their mouthwatering menu is, without a doubt, the greatest bargain in town! Located in the heart of the very festive (and young) Lower Haight area of the city, this rustic Italian jewel makes you feel like you are just hanging out with friends in your own kitchen, and life feels just right!

When Shelley Lindgren set out to open her second restaurant in the city, we all held our breaths. Now, a couple of years later, SPQR, a Roman Trattoria at 1911 Fillmore St. (tel. 415/771-7779; www.spqrsf.com), still has a new and exciting feel about it. The food is inspired and wholesome, and the wines -- oh my, the wines! Shelley is not only the nicest person in the business but also possesses one of the finest palates out there. With A-16, her first restaurant, she not only taught San Francisco about the delicious foods and wines of Campania and the South of Italy, but she also created a great center for the passionate and eager wine novices to learn about Italian wines. Emily, one of Shelley's brightest apprentices, is probably the third generation of these young Somms but she absolutely knows her stuff, and when I go to this bustling Trattoria I rarely book a reservation because I love to sit with her at the bar. I normally pick the food and let my fabulous young Somm decide what I will be drinking with it. I am often delighted and surprised but never disappointed.