Well my friends.. they can’t all be winners now can they? This past weekend was a reminder of that. Also, a reminder as to why I typically do not go out on weekends and much prefer the mid-week crowd. Today on Metal Mouth Style here’s what we’re going to cover:

1. The best Sushi Happy Hour in San Diego

2. The worst goth night I’ve ever been too

3. Why being anti social & inhospitable is bullshit

Let’s start at my new favorite little gem in the Gaslamp District. Enter Sushi Lounge on Market. When I cross the border from TJ to SD I like to come in early before a night out to discover new places to grab quick bites. This place has great indoor/outdoor seating options, nice decor, friendly staff, a kickass bathroom and incredible sushi. Not to mention their happy hour specials daily from 4-6pm. You’ll find a  great selection of sushi/bites and brews all for $5. My personal favorite is the Spicy Tuna Roll & Cucumber Salad. Plus your bill comes in an anime comic. The details here are very camp and I am all for it.

Ask for Brittany she’s a doll and will totally take care of you. Tell her I sent you!

The day was off to a great start. Full of great food and fine service. I then met up with my new friend Rachel (Who just started a restorative furniture business which I will feature here in the future). Girls night was ready to begin! Our plan was to grab dinner/drinks at Kindred then head to a Goth Night.

As night fell we headed over to Kindred first. Upon walking in the cardinal sin of any establishment (Especially one charging upwards of $10 for a well drink) was committed. We where not greeted. I am always very understanding of places being busy or having an off night. However, when 2 girls walk into a bar, the sign says please wait to be seated, and we’re waiting to be greeted after almost a two minutes pass… That just does not sit right with me man. We didn’t know who to flag down to be seated and no one else acknowledged our existence during this time. A far cry from the previous amazing experiences I’ve had in past posts lately.

The hostess finally made her way over to the front door in a fluster. The place itself was busy but not slammed (As I’ve mentioned in past posts I used to be a hostess and damn good at it. The easiest yet most important part of that job title is to greet everyone. Even when slammed. Just let people know you see them there). There was no line, it was just us waiting for the next table to open. Yet, we where told that there would be a 25+ minute wait. On a Friday night they should be ensuring they have a dedicated front of house staff to not only seat but greet every person walking through that door promptly. This is all comes down to first impressions and how hospitable you are at the end of every day in the hospitality/service industry. 

I will say that once we where seated our server was really bubbly and very sweet. My main complaint with Kindred lies with their lack of a front of house staff. Being made to feel welcome upon entering an establishment is so key for everyone. Considering it’s marketed as a metal vegan bar I was the only alternative looking person in the joint aside from the inked bar staff. A sea of white was what packed the place on Friday night. Golf tees, khakis and buttoned up plaid shirts, the crowd didn’t match the atmosphere in the slightest. I wasn’t expecting a Wayne’s World Gasworks moment here but something a little less square would have been more suiting. This place is beautiful by interior design/decor but not so much in regards to people watching or having a very social atmosphere. Mostly dates and groups of main-streamers go here to be anti social in a social environment. Which is pretty much gentrification at it’s finest.

Moving on to our second stop. Hemlock Goth Night at The Merrow. This place left me with very little to write about. We lasted all of 30 minutes here. I had high hopes for this to be good. I usually go to Bar Sinister in Hollywood for my Goth night fix a few times a year (Because any scene gets old fast when you go too much). The front of house here was just flat out miserable. The guy checking ID’s outside was one of the iciest dudes I’ve ever had the displeasure of handing my ID to in a long time. There was no greeting, no”have a good night”, no direction to pay cover past point x. Nothing. No words at all where exchanged here between him and us. Again, front of house is important people! Your staff is your bar. If the people don’t want to be there and give icy cold attitude to social patrons out seeking only a good time you have a massive problem and your bar will die. Period. Dive bars like Dandy Del Sur are around after almost 100 years because of 2 things. Service & Hospitality. 

We paid a $5 cover, ordered some overly poured, rotten tasting vodka soda’s (Someone call Jon Taffer ASAP) and took in this band playing called “The Shrouds”. Both Rachel and myself felt that we really wanted to help update the lead singers style. It was exactly what a typical Hot Pocket Goth looks like which I wrote about here. I want all goths to move into a new generation of personal style. Understanding the subtlety of key notes in their attire rather than feeling they have to wear stereotypical things to identify themselves. The entire scene was very forgettable. A very anti social environment yet again. No one was talking to anyone outside of themselves. Which is a drastic shift from what I’m used to in the LA goth night scene. It’s truly not a good representation of what goth culture should/could be and if you want to have fun, dance, and meet new people this is not the bar for you. If you like to stand around in dark bar by yourself with an over excess of fog pouring out of a machine then this is a the bar for you! To each their very own.

Despite neither of these places blowing myself or my gal pals socks off we made the most of our night and ended up having a great time elsewhere. It was around midnight when we left The Merrow so our only option left was to head out to The Gaslamp District to find people we knew and have a good old social Saturday. When your with the right company even the worst of places and people turn into an adventure. I needed that reminder this week as if this had been a solo night out it may have been ruined.

Oh! Before we get to the Style Breakdown this week I must let you know that my new record just came out. It’s called “Screw You” and my new buddy Zane makes a much more adorable intro to it that I ever could below.

You can purchase it here: Screw You – Tiffini Truth

Stream the title track “Socket Screw You” 

2 Piece Dress (DIY Cut) Skingraft  TJ Flea Market : (Retail $200) $4

Carlos Santana Leather Shoes Creations of Lily : (Retail $60) $4

Pleather Woven Bra Aliexpress – $4

About Me: My name is Tiffini Truth and I’m a Power Tool Performer!

 I love style and this blog is my way to share my personal style experience with you when I’m not performing my live show in my home studio. I have a weekly Podcast “The Metal Mindset” which goes live every Wednesday. “This Week In Metal” is my Metal Art Youtube series, Season 1 is streaming now.

Subscribe to  My Patreon Page so you too can also get the look for less online with my personal styling advice.