Pig knuckles...

This photo is from a sidewalk menu board for a Financial District German eatery. I suppose that if you're going to target the knuckle-eaters of the city, then drawing attention to the gargantuan size of your knuckles is a good idea. Certainly caught my eye :)

So yes, Friday evening started on a humorous note and turned into a full-fledged fine evening.

I began the evening having wine with coworkers at a wine bar in Embarcadero 2. The specific name of the wine bar escapes me, but I'm sure it had "wine bar" in it. Regardless, I had a fine glass of wine, chatted with my good friends at work, and well-wished a departing colleague.

Afterwards, I headed South of Market to Paragon to join Jeff at a happy hour with his friend Jeff (yes...this could get confusing). We spent a few delightful hours at Paragon talking with The Other Jeff, his wife, and some of his close friends. Topics ranged from wandering the streets of Venice, to the importance of urban architecture, to the lack of earthquake preparedness by us non-natives. We had a REALLY fun time...I felt like I had known these folks for years.

When the happy hour dissolved around 10pm, Jeff and I walked to a nearby SOMA restaurant/lounge called Sutra. We had not been before, but the hip decor, creative menu, and ultra-lounge soundtrack intrigued us. We sat at a table in the spacious lounge area...perfect spot for people watching. The waitress described the menu as "Asian-French fusion"...sure...why not. Basically, another small- and large-plate restaurant with a variety of exotic flavors (and prices to match). Nevertheless, Jeff and I both thoroughly enjoyed our dishes...I had a Kobe flank steak with a sesame-garlic-something-or-other dipping sauce...Jeff had a lemongrass chicken hotpot. We'll go back and try more.