The Barrel Room A back alley bar Donkey Kong'll totally dig

They say good things come in threes, or maybe it's to those who wait..in threes, or something. Damn you, confusing cliches! For a new drinkery from a trio willing to make good things happen for you, check out The Barrel Room, opening Friday.

Helmed by three Amigos Ninjas Men And A Baby sommeliers, TBR's a re-do of the old Hidden Vine space in Lower Nob Hill, a cozy living room-esque back alley wine bar with a newly installed electric fireplace and Victorian furnishings. As per the name it'll feature loads of vino -- 48 by the glass and 100 more in bottles including a $100-plus 2001 Gevrey-Chambertin, plus three-wine flights, dessert vino & chocolate pairings, and 12 mostly artisan beers, like Almanac and Midas Touch, which no doubt already has your trust. Food-wise, you'll feast on a brie-like cheese topped with Cognac and brown sugar-soaked walnuts and -- if all goes according to plan -- Port-injected figs dipped in chocolate, plus less boozy housemade pickled foodstuffs (tomatillo, heirloom tomato, purple cauliflower, and fennel), double-smoked ham-ified flatbreads, and prosciutto-wrapped dates that'll be stuffed with applewood-smoked almonds and bleu cheese, a tribute queso dedicated to the late, great Joseph Palasky.

Still to come in month two: winemaker nights, sommelier seminars, and blind tastings, which are king, unless this is the land of one-eyed tastings.