California Nightlife

Have you ever seen someone smell a glass of wine and remark on its “lemony overtones” or “essence of plum” and wondered if they had any idea what they were talking about? Usually you're right, and they're pulling words from the 2009 Unabridged Wine Libs Dictionary. Pair one word from the "Obscure Fruits and Woods" chapter with another from "Vague Concepts" and you've got a smart-sounding wine description. How many times have we heard a Wine Libs poser foolishly declare that a wine resonated with "cedar echoes?" Too many times to count on one seven-fingered hand—eight times, to be precise.

In the most recent installment of Consumer Reports, stand-up comedy was named the far superior postural form of comedy, beating out sit-down, lying-on-your-side, spread eagle, Indian-style, running-in-place, crucifixion pose, hunched-over-out-of-breath, kneeling-on-your-right-knee-while-tying-your-left-shoe, Statue of Liberty, King Tut, Napoleon Bonaparte, and the Heisman. The magazine's editors concluded that other comedy stances proved too distracting and greatly limited the comic's material (most jokes told in the King Tut pose went something like "Hey, somebody let me outta this coffin, I'm dyin' in here…").

Today's deal gets you $30 of wine, beer, fruits, and cheeses for just $15 at Hotel Biron. This cozy, relaxed Hayes Valley wine bar is a hidden gem with a combo of fabulous wines and great artwork from a new, local artist every month.

Carefully choreographing everything you say and premeditating each approving nod you nod becomes exhausting by day’s end. Today’s Groupon provides an entertaining education in off-the-cuff living with one general-admission ticket (up to a $20 value at the door) to a Friday- or Saturday-night improv show at BATS Improv for $5. Buy up to four of today's Groupon for extra in-the-momentness and improv-ering witticisms.

Established in 2009, The Vin Club—which grew out of proprietor Dario Zucconi’s background in producing handcrafted wines—pairs a rotating roster of more than 20 globetrotting vinos with a European-style café and upscale supper club. Once home to such bygone speakeasies as the Blue Moon Café, the contemporary lounge now features 12-foot ceilings and hand-blown pendant lights that glint off a wooden bar custom-built from wine-box tops and the finest chunks of the Trojan horse. Plumbing small artisan vineyards from California to Italy, The Vin’s experts handpick wines from terroir-focused producers to ensure high-quality glassfuls. Handmade salami headlines charcuterie plates at The Vin’s café, where artisanal cheeses and oven-baked eats accompany platters laden with homemade desserts. Echoing croons from Bay Area jazz musicians bounce off the dining room’s spread of local artwork during Friday-night supper clubs, where patrons can indulge in elegant cuisine while raising glasses to the toe-tapping spirit of Louis Armstrong.

At the Hollywood Improv, comics lure laughs from deep within bellies as they follow in the footsteps of standup legends such as Ellen DeGeneres, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, and Dave Chappelle, all of whom have graced the Improv club stages. The club's calendar schedules comedians as often as seven nights a week, alternating between big-name headliners and up-and-coming funsters who tickle funny bones with fresh material, abundant energy, and feathered reflex hammers.