Tonic

2360 Polk St.

(415) 771-5535

by Kezia Pearlman

Is it just me, or is Russian Hill turning into the Marina?

Lately, whenever I stroll up Polk Street I get the eerie sense that I’m on a mini Chestnut Street. Maybe it’s all the new trendy Sushi places. Or maybe it’s the warring coffee shops (Peet’s, Starbucks, and Tully’s are all on the same block). Or perhaps it’s the rumors that the Real Food Company is leaving and the space will soon house the Pottery Barn.

In any case, the recent addition of Tonic, a trendy, upscale bar from the creators of Infusion, certainly indicates that Russian Hill is the new yuppie playground for those not ready or willing to slum it in the Mission.

Judging from the crowd of fashionable twentysomethings reveling at Tonic last Wednesday and Thursday (yes, I was there both nights) Russian Hill institution, The Royal Oak, will be getting a run for it’s money.

Like The Royal Oak, Tonic is a beautiful and well-designed space. Plush couches and cushions are juxtaposed with galvanized metal table tops and wrought iron chairs with leather seats. An oversized mural teeming with Rubenesque women engaged in Bacchanalian celebration cuts a sharp contrast with the skinny, capri pant-clad women clutching Cosmopolitans and Amstel Lights.

Recessed ceiling lights and tea candles on the tables give the place an intimate and mysterious feel. It makes you want to engage in deep, meaningful conversation. Unfortunately, the sheer number of people crowded into such a small space, coupled with deafeningly loud music (a curious mixture of James Brown, Michael Jackson, and Jamiriquoi) makes Tonic anything but intimate. The noise didn’t deter a disproportionately large number of men from clamping their StarTec cells to their ears, trying to carry on self-important conversations.

While the actual crowd at Tonic may, depending on your taste, leave something to be desired, the staff is friendly, hospitable, and quick to dispense glass bowls of Gummy Bears to your table. The drinks are generous and not outrageously priced. A wide selection of beers on tap will make the beer enthusiast happy; the decent wine list made me happy.

While it may not have the uber-hip pedigree of other SF watering holes, it’s also not the post-collegiate, meat market scene prevalent at the Bermuda Triangle bars. I predict that once the initial fervor dies down, Tonic will be the perfect after work and occasional Saturday night venue.

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