Last week’s news about the tragic passing of Club Deluxe and Orbit Room owner Jay Johnson was quite sad enough, and now comes even more sadness: THE ORBIT ROOM has closed its doors after 20-plus years of brightly holding down the corner of Market, Laguna, and Hermann. Hoodline says it has been sold to a new owner (no word who that is).
That bar has been like a clubhouse for so many people, especially folks in the neighborhood. I always enjoyed its eclectic crowd, Deco styling, Jay’s music playing, and I have many fond memories of craft cocktail exploration when the trailblazing Alberta Straub was there. I used to sit at the counter—witnessing a veritable thicket of fresh ingredients at the bar—and ask her all kinds of questions about booze and muddling and syrups. The pizzas were good. The cocktails were inventive and well made. Damn it, that bar rocked. (You can read this piece in The Bold Italic by another lover of the bar.) 1900 Market St. at Laguna St.
But here’s one piece of good news: that Bold Italic piece mentions that Johnson’s friends Sarah Wilde and her husband Chris Pankow are taking over the CLUB DELUXE, so the bar will live on as it was supposed to.
News of another closure via Hoodline: BARRIQUE, the Jackson Square wine bar that served wine directly out of barrique, is closing on Friday April 10th after an unmanageable rent increase (their five-year lease was up). 461 Pacific Ave. at Montgomery, 415-421-9200.
But hey, an ice bar is coming.
