After-Hours in the Mission District, Ivory and Vine, SF

One Friday, wandering around in the Mission after work, we spied a newly-renovated bar called Ivory and Vine where the former eponymous Revolution Cafe sat. Located off of Valencia St. right across from CCSF Mission on 22nd St. this wine bar offers quite a selection of rose, whites, reds and beers with a simple menu offering of Greek snacks.

Revolution Cafe was a bohemian hang-out where Cuban and jazz music rang out to attract an equally eclectic clientele—a sprinkling of hepcats and the occasional home-challenged. This was where my husband waited for me while I worked out from my bhangra class. A jazz trio or a Latin-American band played to a very diverse and SF crowd. In short, the closing of that notably unpretentious place created a feeling of desolation in us.

Hungry but heartsick for our Che Guevaran rendezvous, we ventured in and opted for the mezze, which, by the way, was served on a very white, modern, mid-century ceramic plate. The rose and the Guinness went well with the flaky spanakopita and chunks of authentic-tasting feta cheese, dolmas, salamis, sliced pita bread and a generous helping of tzatziki dip As we sipped our drinks and cleaned off our plates, we marveled at the space’s transformation. The blue walls are now decorated with framed photos of Bill Evans and Leon Russel while the Spanish tiles and the French-inspired rattan chairs bring out the shiny-smooth baby grand piano that sits prominently in the middle of the room. In a while, a cheerful pianist entertained us with her rendering of Chopin, Ravel and later, Gerschwin.

It was a pleasant experience overall despite a yearning for the lost and ineffable spirit of another cafe that will forever be embedded in our memory.