Antoine Delaitre, Hernàn Ludueña Segre and Luis Nara at the A-List event in the Bubble Lounge. Photo: Rick Gerharter

Singer Jamie Cunanan (red dress) offers an aria to the A-List, meeting at the Bubble Lounge.

Photo: Rick Gerharter

In the Bars

Published 08/16/2007

by Mike Sher

Gay guys at straight bars: the A-list

This column has been covering gay bars and clubs for a while, but there's a whole other world out there. Just as the Bay Area has lots of straights, there are also lots of straight bars, some of which have interesting atmosphere or stories to tell.

A gay guy by himself might feel a little uncomfortable in a straight bar, but Antoine Delaitre has come up with a solution to that: the A List. Every Wednesday night at 9 p.m., a group of gay guys led by Delaitre meets at some of the most interesting straight spots in the city.

Our meeting with Delaitre was set for one of the newest and most controversial straight bars and restaurants in town: Supperclub, at 657 Harrison near Second. Preparing ourselves for Supperclub, we examined the Citysearch and Yelp websites to see what people thought of it. Comments ranged all over the place, from an absolutely unique experience to a rip-off.

At Supperclub, you dine on beds. You enjoy a five-course, prix fixe dinner (four on Tuesdays, for a slightly lower price). Entertainment is sometimes bizarre and could be anything: Delaitre tells us about one performer who administered Botox to herself. The dining room is lit in purple. Above the open kitchen is a stairway for entertainers, with movie projections in back.

We met Delaitre in the stunning red circular bar next to the dining room. On one side was a men's room with dramatic black tiles, and on the other, a mini-lounging area with a bed that Delaitre tells us fills up readily. (Even though Supperclub is headquartered in Amsterdam, it follows the SF tradition — there are four rest rooms: one men's, one ladies', and two unisex.)

Born in France, Delaitre came to SF 10 years ago, and immediately immersed himself in gay life, with lots of parties, clubs and gay bar after gay bar. He felt there must be more to nightlife than this. The result started out as Antoine's List, and is now known as the A-list. There's no charge to join. Just give them your e-mail address and you'll get an invite every week. About 1,000 invites a week go out, and from 60-120 people attend the average event. Juggling his A-List obligations with his day job as a history teacher at a French-American school keeps Delaitre tres busy.

Before an event is scheduled, Delaitre personally visits the venue and talks to the owner or manager. Not only does he want to check out the place's color and atmosphere, he wants to be sure they'll have enough staff on hand to handle an extra 60-120 people.

A-Listers are over 30, and Delaitre loves the ethnic mixture. This goes well with his love life — his other is a German-Hawaiian mix originally from Texas.

Memorable places? Delaitre immediately presents the Bubble Lounge in North Beach, specializing in caviar and champagne, perfect for the A-List. Another was Bourbon and Branch, a retro place inspired by the speakeasies of Prohibition. In order to get in, you had to have a code word, which was supplied in advance of the event. His Gay Pride party was at the Fluid Ultralounge. He remembers the classic Redwood Room at the Clift Hotel. All the bars, notes Delaitre, are gay-friendly and welcoming.

So if you want to go where no gay guy has gone before, sign up for the A-List by sending an e-mail to antoine@sfalist.com. A whole new world of bars will await you, and the company will be great!