BRAINSLIP, a blog I'm not quite sure how I started following but I'm glad I do, recently posted a list of Clooney's lingo:

Easterners (aka Pirates) - Raiders fans. Not welcome inside or outside of Clooney's; no exceptions, get tha hell outta here.

Spillers - patrons prone to fighting; results in spilled drinks and bloodshed; also the best customers.

Crybabies - those coming from nearby mortuaries; not the best tippers.

(full list)

His post reminded me of my prediction that Clooney's would be the hot Mission dive for 2010.  In 2009, Bender's was clearly the bar in the Mission: the crowds increased steadily throughout the year, the Weird Fish grill was on top of its game, the staff was friendly and the beer was hella cheap.  The Bold Italic even dedicated an entire story to the community that made Bender's.  However, Weird Fish left the grill at the beginning of this year and the thrill for many was lost, leaving a opening for another spot to become the Mission's buzz-bar.  In spite of their cheap Busch pints, free hot-dog days, and N'synced jukebox, Clooney's never took over as the hottest dive in the 'hood.

I had to wait outside the velvet rope for 2 hours to snap this pic.

I asked a few friends what they thought the bar of today was, and Latin American Club was the resounding winner.  ”They reinvented the margarita!,” exclaimed one.  “Legend has it that if you ask the right bartender for a water, they'll serve you a watered down gin and tonic instead” hinted another.  “What the fuck is the Latin American Club?” asked a third.  Are they right?  It's seems like it was just a year ago that you could go there pretty much any weekday night and get a table, now it's pretty much packed seven days a week.  They even raised the price of their signature pint of vomit and lost memories margarita by a buck.  Is L.A.C. really the spot in the Mission that has ascended to the height of popularity over the past 8 months?

(First photo by clarkrem)