The operative word here is "swanky," not "elegant" or "stylish" or "dashing" but a combination of all three, with a hint of ostentatious swagger thrown in. Bix harks back to the days of the Rat Pack and Nick and Nora Charles, and midnight cocktails sipped to the rhythms of the King Cole Trio. Hidden up a brick-and-cobblestone Gold Rush alley, its interior is as opulent as a Pacific Heights mansion, but the vaulted entrance, high ceilings, and elegant pale-rose wainscoting don't overwhelm the venue's Art Deco joie de vivre. The place has a sleek 1930s mahogany-and-stainless- steel look, pools of emerald and amber light punctuating the romantic dimness. The long polished bar is a particularly classy spot to sip a cocktail, with its skilled bartenders in crisp white jackets, martini glasses set in big silver bowls of crushed ice, and Miles Davis songs playing in the background.