Victoria E.
Yelp
There is a cover charge, if you don't stay in the hotel. I did, for four nights I camped out at a corner suite at Park Hyatt. So on the last night, it felt appropriate to ride the elevator to the 52nd floor to check out the scene where Lost in Translation was filmed. A blond gal in dark black long dress was singing. As a hotel guest, they sit you by the window, and there is no cover charge, and a wait staff who spoke perfect English arrived to take the order. Nice and efficient service, and I got to check out the band on the stage.
There is absolutely nothing like this in San Francisco. Nothing. Not even close. It's not just the view, which I think Top of the Mark and Sir Francis Drake's Starlight Room seem to have as well, it's the level of service and cocktail choices. I went with the only sake on the menu, and my companion had their anniversary signature drink. Very delicious. There was some bar food snack. I had already eaten sushi for dinner and was not particularly hungry, though I must admit their fries fried in duck fat seemed very intriguing.
I googled Lost in Translation, the movie, simply because I had forgotten about it. It's about a middle age man seeking some sort of connection, and found Scarlet Johansson in the city of Tokyo. Tokyo does seem to be filled with middle age white men who have shacked up with bunch of younger women who could be their daughters. This bar, however, did not seem to have any of them. It seemed to attract foreign travelers and locals who were looking for a special occasion place. I tried not to pay attention to the couple who were kissing to the right of me. I also tried not to eavesdrop the neighbors' business talk, they spoke English and Finnish. I looked out to find the spectacular view. It was pitch black with blinking red lights, scattered in the evening sky, and not to far into the distance.
There is something like it in New York, London and Paris, and that's about it. This is not just any bar, it's New York Bar. The one and only in Tokyo. It's a place one must come and visit like one visits the Tsukiji fish market.
While there, be thankful you are not that middle age man lost, and is seeking for that illusive connection in a foreign land. Or, are you?