The beer was good, the karaoke was better--a night out in Chinatown
Just on the edge of the North Beach neightborhood in San Francisco's Chinatown lies the Bow Bow Cocktail Lounge, a tiny and easily missed watering hole. Slightly smaller than neighboring gift shops, the Bow Bow is owned by Candy Wong, a funny, outgoing Taiwanese woman who will buy you a shot if you seem to be dragging the place's energy down. I stepped in with visiting friends last weekend with few expectations and left more than satisfied. The male half of Bow Bow's management team mans the Karaoke machine; more often than not, he is the one singing as well. There is no stage to embarass the singers (a plus for me). There is, however, a very long catalog of karaoke favorites and the opportunity to make one's drunken self feel very, very silly. There is no beer on tap, as the Bow Bow is a true cocktail lounge, but don't let that stop you from hearing Mr. Wong rumble out the words of such favorites of yesteryear as "Li'l Red Riding Hood" by Sham Sham and the Pharaoh's.
