When One Gem Meets Another
Sunday, February 11, 2007 at 6:20PM 
"From Doorways on Block B"One of the best ways to spend a rainy Thursday night is with a good friend, a glass of wine, and a bowl of pasta. This is exactly what I did last Thursday when I met my friend Lee for our favorite house tagliarini at Aperto. Afterwards, Lee suggested we go on to the Hotel Biron for one more glass of something delicious…
The Hotel Biron isn't a hotel, but a wine bar, and is one of those little Hayes Valley gems frequented by both Pac Heights yuppies and Mission District hipsters. I had been to Hotel Biron a few weeks earlier, when my friends Randall, JC, and Jim took me out to celebrate my new job. Somehow “happy hour” became five hours, as we explored Napa, Australia, and Italy in multiple bottles of wine. The talk was great, tastes were complex, and it was a celebration – suffice it to say, I was late to work the next day. Like any detail-oriented writer, I kept our menu from the night, diligently noting the bottles we enjoyed: 2002 Madrigal Petit Sirah from the Napa Valley, 2003 Col del Mondo, Montepulciano D’Abruzzo, 2003 Mount Langi Ghiran, Billi Billi Creek Shiraz from Victoria Australia, and my favorite of the evening a 2004 Feudi di Santa Tresa, “Nivuro,” from Sicily. But what good does all this note-taking do you when you can’t remember any of the names the next time you come to Hotel Biron?
This was the pickle I was in, yet the owner knows his stuff and suggested a glass of the 2004 Amber Knolls Vineyard’s “1975” Cabernet Sauvignon from Lake County, CA. Lee enjoyed a dry Tokaji from northern Italy, and we learned that since Tokaji is a Hungarian varietal Italian wineries aren’t technically supposed to use the term. This is the kind of cocktail punditry you pick up at the Hotel Biron.
You can also pick up on your local artists. For instance, I was immediately arrested by the vivid colors and the oddly-familiar-yet-abstract buildings depicted by Hiliary Williams, the current artist-in-residence at the Hotel Biron.
The one I could get a good look at was entitled “Mission XYZ” featuring the distinctive signage of Bruno’s on Mission Street. Instantly, I was brought to all of the fun times I’ve spent in Bruno’s lounge and the playfully nostalgic post-war atmosphere that runs rampant through that place. And yet, there was something a little off about the image - a little odd, a little strange, a little uncomfortable. What was that red wall at the left? Or the strange black iron flowers sprouting from the bottom? I didn’t know what to think, but knew I wanted to see more.
The postcard of Ms. Williams’ show features a print of “From Doorways on Block B” which I also instantly fell in love with. The red telephone poles grab your attention and then lead you into the complex facades of the Victorian houses on the left. At the bottom, the Victorians are scaled-down and even more complex, lending a muddy blackness full of mystery against the frank red verticals. This art was San Francisco art – the neighborhoods, the detailed architecture, the vibrancy, the mystery. When I asked Ms. Williams about this work she said that she chose it for the postcard because “I love the darkness in it, but it is hopeful and loving somehow at the same time…”
"Valencia and XYZ"Far too often I see local artists that simply overlook the inherent beauty of their city, and why would one do such a thing? Of course, that’s merely one layer of the story, it becomes something else entirely as the art piece becomes it’s own entity, but hey – isn’t the city a great place to start?
In conversation with Ms. Williams, she directed me to another print entitled “Valencia and XYZ” which she owned to being her favorite print of the moment. When I asked about this, she told me that “I had something completely different in my mind when I started and then it really just created itself into something totally different that is fascinating and expressive to me.” I have taken a good long look at this work myself, and while an artist can always see so much more than the general audience, I was also struck by this image. At first look I saw the disparate perspectives of Victorians, the typical taqueria sign…and then I saw the suspenseful red windows in a ghostly void, yet still supporting a complex cornice.
Although the periods and moods are entirely different, something about Ms. Williams’ images makes me think of René Magritte – at first glance everything seems lovely and happy, and then you look again only to realize that something is quite odd and possibly very wrong. The facades are colorful, but could be housing a ghost town; but at the same time, I’m struck with a deep joy and happiness in these images that is playful and energetic.
Catch Hilary William's prints & drawings online or visit the Hotel Biron - it's where one neighborhood gem meets another.
Hotel Biron
45 Rose Street @ Gough & Market
behind Zuni Cafe
Reader Comments (2)
you have a wonderful way with words - thanks for sharing!
I have linked to you (if that's OK) and am looking forward to reading more...