Best of 2001: Best Submariners' Hideout

Horse and Cow Bar and Grill
2734 Lytton, Loma Portal
619-224-6409

Inside it's as dark as a mile-deep sub after lights out. Once you get used to it, you start seeing things. "Caution: vent tube before unlocking door." "Deepest-flushed head in the world. USS Dolphin." "Wanted: meaningful overnight relationship." This is where submariners come to unwind after six months underwater. The food's simple, generous: burgers, pizzas, steaks. But you're here for the atmosphere. Why "Horse and Cow?" "In Greek mythology," says Mike Looby, the owner, "Neptune's scepter had serpents, one with the head of a horse, the other with the head of a cow'. Any submariner knows its significance. My dad started this bar up in San Francisco 56 years ago. We're probably the greatest museum of submarine memorabilia anywhere." Beware the glass of neon green liquid he may slide across the bar; it's called "Nuclear Waste."