Boys night out

Tonight I was out on the town with D from the Formula One club. He’d promised to show me round some of San Francisco’s nightspots.

D’s a vintner who’s a California transplant like me and we bonded over a love of fast cars, smart yet sarky women and Mexican food. So after a pint and a feed in the Mission we headed off to check out a few spots.

First off was a whisky bar where he knows, with a stunning selection. Had a very nice Arran that bought back memories of home before we headed off to the Bay Bridge and a cigar bar he knows.

Now technically speaking this place is illegal; California has stricter rules on smoking that London but this place was a very expensive members only club and the police have better things to do. Technically I’m off tobacco but I wasn’t inhaling and it was very nice to sit in good leather armchairs drinking white wine and smoking a fine cigar.

Cigars are something I do maybe once a year and while the first two thirds of them are fine the build-up of tar and nicotine in the final third can get unpleasant. Still it was an enjoyable evening; I learnt a lot about fine, agreed to disagree over the merits of Alan Prost and Michael 'the cheat' Schumacher and think I may have got a story or two.

Too bad my mouth tastes like I've been chewing dirty cotton wool :)