This week's SFist reprint

Staggering Through Fog

A once-a-week trip and fall into the Champagne pyramid known as the San Francisco bar scene. By Andrew Lowder

At the risk of turning this column into 'I love the '90s', remember when we couldn't get enough of anything Australian? You could take medical waste, slap a Koala bear on the front of it, get some muscle-bound Yabbo to shout 'OY!!' next to it and people would be lining up around the KMart to buy it.

Now we've been around for awhile and we've seen our share of Australian surfer-themed bars. From Toe's Tavern in Canoga Park to the Australian Beach Club in Tustin, they're usually terrible. Nothing more than a mish-mash of flourescent surfboards and Jager shots. Kind of like being a Savage Steve Holland movie but without anyone cool like Curtis 'Booger' Armstrong around to make things fun.

Bender's, the latest inhabitant of 800 S Van Ness Ave, tones down the stereotypes of Australia so well that it doesn't feel like a theme bar at all. Apparently named after an actual person and not the robot from Futurama, Bender's is super friendly, easy to hang out in and eager to please. And even though the weather's a-startin' to turn, they've also got a great back yard area.

So we recommend that you head down to Bender's or bite our shiny metal asses.

Liver...Out!!