The ABV team is embracing a concept that can feel a little foreign to dining in San Francisco right now: having fun. The two-and-a-half-year-old cocktail bar is making excellent use of its upstairs loft by opening a bar-within-a-bar called Over Proof, which will be a quarterly-changing, reservation-only tasting menu cocktail bar with food that focuses on a different spirit each time. And the most exciting part about it all is the sense of whimsy that the team encourages, through its casual presentations, playful food, and colorful decor.
First up this year — opening this Monday, January 23 — is Flip Flop, a rum-focused, tiki-infused bar with creative cocktails and paired bites. Once you climb the back stairs, you’ll enter a rum Narnia, as the space has been completely transformed into an island oasis, complete with sunsets and straw umbrellas. The menu matches that feel, highlighting food from rum-producing countries with spam musubi, chow mein, and jerk chicken gracing the menu. It’s an all-inclusive (tax and gratuity, too) experience of $80 for six courses of food and drink. You can check out the full menu here, and see photos of the space and some dishes above.
Flip Flop runs Monday through Thursday with two 90-minute seatings at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. to start, and will change to the next concept — whiskey, along with a complete decor and menu redo — on May 1. Reservations (a must) can be made here.
