As I’m a huge fan of anything pink and sparkly, the interior of Saturn Cafe in Berkeley caught my attention as soon as I walked in. This was no ordinary-looking diner — the walls were hot pink, and the columns around the restaurant were made of silver sparkles. The back Read More…
If you haven’t indulged in Berkeley’s Indian food scene, you are totally missing out. But that’s all right. Many students who can name a favorite Indian restaurant will probably admit that before coming to Berkeley, they knew absolutely nothing about Indian food. Some might have eaten naan without knowing where Read More…
In “The Odyssey,” apples were one of the many prides of Ithica. In Kafka’s, “The Metamorphosis,” shiny red apples were just the thing Gregor’s dad threw at his slimy, shattered roach body to get him back into his room. In Cezanne’s paintings, apples are warm, unassuming and shy beauties. Quite Read More…
I never thought that I could find another Ici in Berkeley that was closer to where I lived, but it’s possible. Walking around the Gourmet Ghetto last weekend, I decided to check out that small food-courtlike area, where I’d been before but somehow failed to notice the gelato shop in Read More…
At the new pizzeria in Downtown Shattuck are families with young kids, waiters in black, chefs in white and girls in college with flowers in their hair. “A flower comes with some of the drinks,” explains owner Lisa Holt, sitting beside the other owner and her husband, David Shapiro. The Read More…
I have fallen in love with my fair share of baked goods. Everyone has a favorite local bakery, and the place I’m about to talk about is unquestionably one of my top two favorites in Berkeley. The cupcakes there taste like no cupcake I’ve ever had before. A hidden gem Read More…
Berkeley is known for many things. The protests, the hippies, the arts, homeless people, the diversity and the acceptance of that diversity (you can literally see every type of people and every type of activity in this city, and anyone who has actually lived here would stop seeing them as different Read More…
Jupiter is the giant, red-brick building at 2181 Shattuck Ave. The beerhouse has been brewing and serving beer since 1992. A lively garden grows in its large back patio. The building itself was erected sometime between 1868 and 1911, according to fire insurance maps. Although little is known of the Read More…
Being an avid coffee drinker, my goal is to try coffee from every country I visit, and international coffees in the States also easily grab my attention. When Semih, a dear Turkish friend of mine, asked me if I wanted to experience Turkish coffee one night at 11 p.m., I Read More…
Walking down Shattuck Avenue, I’ve passed Venus many times, but it never stood out to me, because I was always in a rush to go elsewhere. It wasn’t until my roommate gushed about how delicious brunch there was that I made a point to go there. Having arrived early, I Read More…