Empire Plush Room

Tonight we saw Wesla Whitfield at the Plush Room. When they introduced Mike Greensill’s Trio they announced the Plush Room is closing forever February 3^rd, which I’m hoping is hyperbole. They’d announced a few months ago that the promoter was no longer going to be booking acts there. Perhaps someone else will. It’s a lovely, intimate room w/​wood walls and a stained glass ceiling and it would be a sad loss if it did close permanently. I’ve been coming here for decades, frequently to hear Wesla Whitfield, but also to hear other artists like Paula West and Jay Leonhardt. Wesla was fabulous tonight, as she always is, despite her fighting a cold. Had they not announced it and had she not taken a breather during the set while the trio played, it hardly would have been evident. The room was vibrant w/​love and appreciation.

Just returned from an awesome caberet with some of the cast of Sweeney Todd that’s currently playing at ACT in San Francisco. Show aside (which was amazing!), this venue is so awesome! I never knew it existed! Tucked away in the York Hotel, it’s a reminder of some of the jazz/​cabaret halls I’ve visited in New York and London. It’s a great intimate, little venue and I really hope to play there some day (if I can aspire to such greatness!) :-)

Top 5 Things to Test if Your Man is a Great Find:
1. The way he handles a missed flight (you just had to make that quick stop to get your cup of coffee now, didn’t ya?)
2. The way he behaves when you crash his precious car (that pole wasn’t there a minute ago, I swear!)
3. The way he looks at you when you have the flu (why baby, that snot trailing down your nose is just too cute for words, and yes, I’ll hold your hair while you throw up your cabbage and pork lunch. Again.)
4. The way he treats your mom.
5. They way he stifles his urge to bolt when watching an old crone at the Plush Room belt out catchy tunes from Wizard of Oz.
For 3 hours.
In falsetto.
If he goes through all that and still manages not to throttle you, he’s a keeper.

I’ve been here so many times over the years and seen a myriad of acts, from biggish names to cabaret circuit regulars, and it’s an awesome venue — particularly for date night. While a couple of drawbacks include the cattle-​like minimum drink deliveries and that fear of being seated at one of the itsy-​bitsy tables behind a low-​baring pole if they’re sold-​out, it’s such an intimate room that you’re soon too mesmerized by the performer to even care. Miss Rita Moreno (yes, of «West Side Story» and «The Electric Company» fame) is SO worth seeing. She pops in now and then, so check out her show if you get the chance. And lastly, I must impart my favorite bit of trivia in that the hotel itself was where Kim Novak ‘lived’ in the 1958 classic Hitchcock film, «Vertigo,» after she returned as I. Magnin salesgirl Judy Barton.

11 $ for a martini? Are you kidding me? That’s absurd, right?
We didn’t go for the show, we just wanted to get sloshed, but were afraid that maybe at 11 $ a pop, our wallets would never allow us to get that far. But then the giganto glass came and the drinks were stiff… I mean, goddamn, if this is how people used to drink in the fifties (it’s got that kind of vibe there), no wonder they seemed «happy» all the time.

Ah… the Empire Plush Room. This place reminds me a lot of Joe’s Pub in New York.
Hands down this is the best venue in San Francisco to see cabaret. I love this place!!! The room itself is beautiful, and the staff is fun and professional. Great performers and performances, not to mention a wonderful ever changing schedule of singers and shows. You do get the over-​the-​top divas here, but come on… that’s part of the fun of cabaret!

Cabaret simply does not get better than the Plush Room. More intimate than some of the great New York cabaret venues, the Plush Room attracts a uniquely San Francisco crowd.
My partner and I have been to at least 100 shows at the Plush Room over the past 15 years and the number of bad performances can still be counted on one hand. Even then, the bad performers gave us some of the best stories.
There is a two drink minimum, which can be non-​alcoholic of course, and I recommend you arrive close to 7 pm since the seating is open. However there are very few bad seats. There are some posts you need to avoid but anywhere on the floor or around the inner banquet is fabulous.
PS. Parking is a problem in this area so be prepared to drive around for street parking or pay too much for garage parking.

This review is for the bar area only… not for the cabaret lounge. Although I did hear, loudly and clearly, the fabulous singing of these entertainers from my room almost every night. My friend and I checked in, put away our bags in our room and went straight down to the bar for happy hour. It was pretty empty… just a few business men dressed in suits with their laptops. The bartender was nice enough to make our $ 4.00 drinks extra strong with cheap vodka. A couple of those and we were on our way to shop in the biggest Bloomies we’ve ever seen. Little did we know that we were gonna be doing a lot of walking…

Why is the V-​Day have to fall on a weekday? Stressful! Told Mr to not waste money on flowers (don’t like roses anyways). However told him to not be late for our Vdate or ELSE! tee hee
Paula West concert @ 9:30 AM (DOORS will be CLOSED & tickets NON-​REFUNDABLE)
Scenario:
Me: Worked til 6:30 from Redwood City — stuck on 101 traffic — made it home in Sunnyvale @ 7:20 (showered, changed & make-​up — grabbed my overnight bag) left home towards the city @ 8:20 PM. Once I hit 280 fwy in Cupertino, floored the accelerator — totally speeding & my CL was dried from wearing it all day (silently praying pls. no COPS)
Mr: Worked til 6 PM from the city — teached class at Stanford — left @ 8:15 (coz I told him so) — also took 280 fwy.
9:05 PM — We both reached his place in Pac Heights. Got to Empire Plush Room at 9:25 PM. Only to be asked by the hostess «where’s your VISA card Ms. Lobusta».
I was like you’re kidding right (left my cards @ home). Awesome thing is I made a print out of out tickets on the web. So I turn to the hostess, «will this do» and she said YES, hand me a box of Helen Grace chocolate Truffles & quickly ushered us to sit down since were the last one to arrive. Still manage to have a great seats.
3 Mins. later they closed the doors & that’s the only time I can relax… Turn to Mr. We made it! Yipee And he said I think you pass me at 280. LOL
Our server was great & fast, we only finished 3 drinks (Plush something, Pomegranate Margarita & French 54) & he said that was fine (were adhering to the 2 drink minimum) & Mr gave him a good tip equivalent to the 4^th drink we didn’t order.
It was a packed house. Paula was awesome, my fav’s is when she sang Bob Dylan & Cole Porter songs. The place is way bigger than Jazz at Pearls but it still manage to feel intimate. Like the Tiffany like glass ceiling. We commemorate our VDAY with a picture and autographed of Paula West. Also they are not strict in taking pictures at all. It was worth it at the end. ^_^

If you haven’t visited this hidden cabaret venue in the York Hotel, we highly recommend that you do this week! This very intimate and romantic venue has housed some of the best entertainment in San Francisco. Whether you are sitting in front at a table or in the back at the rounded booth seats, you feel as if you are on stage with the entertainer. It has that speak easy feel about the place which you notice immediately when you step into the dimly lit room with red velvet seating and dark wood.
We highly recommend the Plush Room for dates or small intimate groups. The music ranges for cabaret type shows, jazz and even comedy. There is a two drink minimum but I tend to always have a few more. If not, a visit to the Red Room right across the street after the show is always an idea!

Such an intimate room. If you go, you’ll be very surprised at how close your chosen ‘talent’ will be to you. When I went, the performer had to move around us and it was just too perfect. Like a supper club without all the bother of food, just drinks.

This is just the sort of intimate spot one wants
to hear the best jazz in the city… ie, that glamorous,
sultry, sexy Sony Holland. I heard her peform twice
last year at the Plush Room and loved that setting —
small, good seating from anywhere in the place,
cozy and intimate. Felt like I was stepping back in
time about sixty years. Nice bar, potent drinks,
all contribute to a great evening at a super night
spot in this city by the bay.

The term «Jazz» here is used in an unfortunate matter.
Cabaret DOES NOT EQUAL Jazz. Two different things. Jazz is improvised music stemming from western harmonic and melodic traditions running head-​on into the African diaspora’s rich harmonies and melodies, and most importantly, completely different rhythms.
Ain’t a lot of jazz here. But lots of good cabaret.

Just an interesting piece of trivia: The Empire Plush Room is in the York Hotel, which is the hotel where the «imposter» was staying in the movie Vertigo (The outside shots show it being called the «Empire Hotel», but it’s the same place)
Anyway, I’ve seen both the Va Va Voom Room show, and Dirty Little Secret, and loved them both. RJ, the magician, has a wicked sense of humor, and is really good at getting the whole audience engaged in his act. I’ve also been there for a cabaret performance, a very cute young gay singer, who was incredibly funny and talented.
The drinks are, like everyone said, strong. And the venue is just too beautiful. It’s fun to come to an event where the audience actually dresses up! (especially since it seems people can’t even be bothered to dress up for the opera. If you were wondering where else to go? This is your place.)

An additional edit: I love the Plush Room 10-​stars style since they’ve offered to host my AIDS Marathon training team’s big fundraiser party on July 24^th. Their hearts, it seems, are as big as their reputation for strong drinks. Hooray, Plush Room!
Edited: I have now attended Dirty Little Secret with my mother in law. Kiiiinda uncomfortable. But I still give it 5 stars. *****
I give the Plush Room 5 stars for its current cabaret/​burlesque show, Dirty Little Secret. It’s got everything: A surly yet charming MC who does magic and comedy, a very cute boy who juggles pancakes, and foxy ladies who take their clothes off tastefully. And one hell of a band. Saturdays at 11pm. Perfect for an after-​dinner date with your swankest and best-​behaved friends.”

It’s that place that when someone asks what’s the best jazz venue in the city nobody thinks to mention it, and then someone thinks of it and everyone says «of course.» It’s that plush.
It’s the place that the best way to describe it is that reminds you of Michelle Pfeiffer purring on top of the piano in the Fabulous Baker Boys (
), but then the best way to describe the film is that it reminds you of the Plush Room.
Plush Room Cabaret is that quintessentially perfect small, dark, cozy, two drink miniumum, two show a night hole in the wall club, and the name says it all.

Recently attended an AIDS benefit show here. Swathed in red velvet, this place is a fabulous throwback to a long-​gone era. Jazz nightclub-​y, small stage close to the audience, with just enough room for a few musicans or performers, and a grand piano. A perfect venue for the cabaret/​musical revue show I saw there; it added just the right ambience to what was already a great performance.
ps. There’s a 2-​drink minimum, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

The Plush Room Cabaret has two sides. During the week you can find acts that your grandmother might like — Linda Lavin, Rita Moreno, etc. Late at night, Empire produces shows like the Va Va Voom Room and Dirty Little Secret — acts like those your grandfather might have told you about over a smoke and a drink.
The room itself is intimate and cozy, with a small stage facing small tables and some plush benches.
I’ve seen the Va Va Voom Room show both here and in New York, and it’s a fun show. Same goes for Dirty Little Secret, though the latter is more cabaret than burlesque. The interesting thing about these shows is that the audience may be better dressed and sexier than the performers. Seems like everyone who was into Swing dancing ten years ago is now into burlesque. This change meant that the men don’t have to change outfits, but the women now sometimes take them off.
There’s a small bar adjacent to the main room where the wait staff gets their orders from a bartender who is not afraid of making a strong drink. After some of the burlesque and cabaret shows, you can buy a drink for the performer, and the emcee, and the ticket taker, if you’re into that sort of thing. Those who want to drink like they did back in the 50’s will want to make sure they have one in their hand and one on the way before the show starts, and them repeat that gambit at intermission.
If I had a guest in town, instead of taking them to see Beach Blanket Babylon, I’d shuffle them off to the Plush Room, get ‘em a snootful, and have ‘em watch a show Gramps would approve of.

At the height of Prohibition, this was a speakeasy reached via a maze of underground passageways that still exists. Today the classy room plays host to entertainers like Rita Moreno, Andrea Marcovicci, Sam Harris, Michael Feinstein, Linda Lavin, Bruce Vilanch, and San Francisco’s own Paula West, and a weekly revue, ‘Dirty Little Secret,’ a campy return to the days of burlesque and vaudeville presented at 11:00pm every Saturday night for only $ 25. Shows with individual performers are generally $ 35 – 40, plus a two-​drink minimum. The attractive room, featuring a stained glass ceiling, has great acoustics and generally good sightlines, and is one of the best venues of this type in the city.

the empire plush room is a classy joint that i would recommend seeing any show that you think you might enjoy. a great stained glass ceiling and a cozy seats/​drink tables make can make for a romantic setting… if your into that kind of stuff.
but this is REALLY a review of the house show, which is called dirty little secret. i’ve now seen 3 incarnations of the show and each one has been more enjoyable than the last. the show consists of a series of short acts (maybe 10 or so) ranging from yo-​yo comedians to magicians and from sultry vocalists to strippers (um…sorry…fan dancers). the emcee is also a magician/​comedian and is very funny.
with the loosely enforced two drink minimum, dirty little secret ends up costing a dirty little $ 40 each, but its well worth it.
come prepared to participate a bit and don’t expect everyone in the seats to behave themselves. the performers don’t expect it either and come prepared with some sharp *zingers* for those who dare to speak up.
as a side note, as fellow reviewer jude f. suggests, i HAVE brought my parents to this show and they DID feel just a little bit naughty… good times…