Harry saves the night!

5:25PM Text from Sarah G: Happy Hour?
5:26PM ME: YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

45 Minutes later we found ourselves bar-side at Out the Door, which is about 25 feet from my apartment and about 75 from hers. In all fairness, we had some wine and shared a small salad appetizer, so probably not fair basis for a full review. But still, there were some issues about the visit that are still lingering in my mind.

First, I knew OTD had a dish on 7X7’s Top 100 Things to Eat in SF Before You Die list. I actually brought the list with me, but didn’t bother to cross-check it when the waiter told us it was the green papaya salad. Not only was the salad unremarkable, it wasn’t even the dish on the list! Anyone who knows me knows I love a list and I love crossing things off a list even more. Imagine my dismay when I went to check off the green papaya salad only to find we should have gotten something else. Furthermore, we advised the bartender upfront that we were here for a drink and maybe an appetizer. He must have asked us about our dinner order five times. He refilled our waters ten times. “Another glass of wine?” six times. He wiped down the space in front of me. You’ve heard the term “helicopter parent;” this guy was a “helicopter waiter.” Chill out!

Feeling a bit like we put the edge on rather than taking it off, we agreed a pit-stop at Harry’s was our only option. Ah, yes. Redemption. Laugh all you want, but that’s a fun bar with great food. After sampling our friendly bar-neighbor’s sweet potato fries, we placed a small order of our own. $2.95 gets you a big bowl and these suckers are TASTY! The mayonnaise-based dipping sauce hit the spot too.

On to a pun I cannot resist: I won’t be going In the Door at Out the Door anytime soon.