Located in the heart of North Beach and just up the street from The Saloon, Citizen Thai and the Monkey Bar is a fun and festive spot with good drinks, tasty food and happy hour from 5 to 7pm seven days a week. During happy hour there are no drink specials, but you receive a complimentary appetizer of the day. We were there on Sunday and the appetizer was fried corn balls served with a sweet and sour dipping sauce loaded with fresh ginger, cilantro and sliced red onion. I am not much of one for fried food, so it was just another plate for my friends to enjoy. The wine list is short but well-thought-out given the strong flavors and sometimes very spicy food items on the menu. For wine, I chose to ahve Dr. von Basserman-Jordan Estate Gruner Veltliner from Germany. I thought all Gruner Veltliner's came from Austria, but apparently there are a few producers in Germany as well. The wine was light and refreshing and had a silky finish on the palate - perfect for the evening. Most folks ordered other food items as the evening went on. Favorites included the Fresh Garden Noodle Roll with chicken and shrimp served with spicy lime sauce, Chicken or Beef Satay with peanut sauce, Salt & Pepper Calamari served with sweet & sour sauce, Duck Salad tossed with red onion, chili flakes parched rice and spicy lime dressing, Lath Nah Rice Noodle in rich gravy sauce with broccoli, and various Wok Dishes whereby you choose chicken, beef or tofu as well as a sauce, the favorite for me being Broccoli with Oyster Sauce. The dish was hearty but not huge, the sauce was savory and delicious and the vegetables were all fresh and bright and nicely julienned for presentation. The group really enjoyed the evening, and I would pop back into the Monkey Bar again for any fun and casual occasion.
Citizen Thai and the Monkey Bar
1268 Grant Avenue in San Francisco
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