Alembic

Seven months ago, the owners of Magnolia Brewery opened up a restaurant called The Alembic on Haight, near Cole.

Soft glow from Edison bulbs hanging from the ceiling, dark wood, that similar tin ceiling (as seen in Bourbon & Branch), blackboards with lists of rye, bourbon, and Scotch, make you think that you've walked into a bar.

The Cole Valley crowd gathered around the bar sipping well-crafted drinks, the above mentioned whiskeys, or Magnolia Brewery beers will confirm that you are in a bar. However, if you continue walking further back, you'll see a smattering of tables and people eating different bits of food here and there.

The menu - divided up into drinks and eats - is a small plates menu meant to be shared. These are not light dishes, though. They're heavy, good fall weather eating along with a scotch or ale from Magnolia. We sampled a few dishes and thought they were a bit too much on the heavy side (too much oil on the calamar) but I thought overall they were tasty. Be prepared, though, for the food to be on the more gamey side - with rabbit, porcini mushrooms, duck.