Butter

Jell-O shots are the quintessential way to kick off a night of debauchery, and at $2 a pop, Butter serves them up jiggling and oozing with sweetness and vodka.

Butter, known as the "white trash bistro" is in San Francisco's South of Market (SoMa) neighborhood, and has been around since the peak of the Dot-com era in 1999. Two brothers, Carlton and Chris were trying to open a bar, but needed a food concept in order to obtain their licenses.

The brothers did not want to install a full kitchen, and instead, began serving microwaveable and deep-fried foods out of the back of a trailer, inside the bar. Their idea was "two turntables and a microwave," there would be a DJ spinning different types of music depending on the night, and food being served fresh from the microwave oven. Eight years later, everything is still smooth as butter.

Oliver Paine, the current owner, said that Butter was totally unique.

"Nothing has been packaged with a trailer in the back, serving nothing but microwaveable and deep fried food," said Paine. "We're Americana with our ingredients, we even use the really bad sodas. The food concept has put us on the map. We've been featured on The Food Network, and as an answer clue on Jeopardy."

Paine took over the bar in 2003, but had been there since the beginning. When he took over, he also added a drink menu to go along with the comfort-food inspired delicacies such as mac and cheese, corn dogs, chili-cheese tater tots, deep-fried Twinkies,White Castle hamburgers and the Frito pie. The drink menu he developed features specialty drinks much like liquid candy, and include the Tang-tini and the After School Special. The Tang-tini is made with mandarin vodka, triple sec, and orange juice, and is served in a Tang-rimmed glass--not quite how mom used to make. The After School Special is made with watermelon vodka and grape soda, a taste reminiscent of juice boxes found in elementary school lunch boxes.

But Butter isn't just a kitschy destination bar with a trailer covered in bumper stickers serving up treats, or a velveteen Elvis leading the way to a fairly clean restroom. It's not just a theme bar with the odor of Spaghettio's brewing in the microwave and Hulk Hogan's heroic wrestling being projected onto the wall. Butter is that friendly bar where people know each other and are open to newcomers. Katie Callahan is a regular and says it's one of her favorite bars because of the relaxed and friendly atmosphere. She said that she started coming to Butter because her roommate used to DJ every Friday night.

"People here are really nice," she said. "It's like Cheers! The bartenders know your name. I've been coming here for five years, and it's a great place to start your night. It has a good vibe."

Steve Bolbenweck, a bouncer known as "Rhino," has worked at Butter for six years and said it's a great place for anyone to have a 32-ounce Miller High Life.

"It's a cool place for anybody to hang--skate punks, hipsters, 45-year olds," he said. "We cater to everybody. We even have a beer-bong."

On Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays Butter features house music with some rock & roll, on Wednesday the music is hip hop and country, and Sunday it is more underground.

Unlike most bouncers, Bolbenweck does not have to enforce a dress code, because at Butter, anything goes, from cut-off shorts and beer-stained tank tops to Marc Jacobs dresses and patent leather Christian Louboutins are the norm, because according to Kristen Ferguson, a cocktail waitress at Butter, there is no dress code.

"I love that there's no dress code, she said. "You can come dressed in a bikini and we'll still serve you. We prefer no shirts for girls. They'll get free drinks. The more horrible you dress, the more we love it. We're a 'just want to have fun' bar."

Music is essential to having fun, and as Bolbenweck said, Butter mixes up the genre's throughout the week, playing anything from hip hop and country, to rock & roll and house. Local talent is constantly brought in, usually delighting the crowd with a raw and unique sound, bust sometimes, the crowd is a little hard to please.

"This is the worst place that I play, but I love it" said J. Bowman. "I always get the most hecklers and annoyers. It's very rock & roll."

Bowman is a guitarist and local musician who has been playing at Butter for more than five years and works mostly with DJs and has his own band, the J. Bowman Band. Bowman usually plays on top of the bar (literally) every second and fourth Friday of the month, and when he's not at Butter he is often working on soundtracks or albums for stars like Pink, Tupac, and Sting. And despite the hecklers, he keeps coming back.

"The owners and staff are supporters, they put up with me, they protect me, he said. "It's a nice, young, rambunctious crowd always looking for good entertainment."

Butter passes along good entertainment regardless of musical preferences. The menu is simple, the crowd is international and local, young and old, friendly and relaxed. Movies and wrestling matches are projected onto the back wall, and the staff is attentive and friendly. Butter is nothing but delicious.

Butter is at 354 Eleventh street, between Folsom and Harrison streets in SoMa. Visit the website at http://www.smoothasbutter.com. It is open Wednesday through Sunday, 6:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. Butter is also available for private parties, and staff can be reached at (415) 863-5964. During regular nights, cover is usually $2 or free.