Restaurant owners voiced concerns that if the quota were relaxed, other restaurants would enter an already competitive environment, which would hurt their businesses. Multiple restaurant owners, including those of Gypsy’s Trattoria Italiana and Pappy’s Grill and Sports Bar, spoke at the meeting in opposition to removing the system.

“I strongly disagree with the proposal,” said Jahanshah Jowharchi, owner of Gypsy’s. “Our restaurant has suffered tremendously in the last two years … Many of us are going out of business due to overpopulation of restaurants.”

Currently, the city has quotas limiting the number of businesses, such as restaurants, barber shops and gift shops, that operate in the Telegraph commercial area. The proposal, if approved, would relax the restaurant quota system for the next three years.

Alex Popov, manager of Pappy’s, initiated a petition against removing the quota system. He also created the Telegraph Restaurant Association last week to voice the sentiments of local restaurant owners.

Thai Basil, CREAM and La Burrita are among 34 local restaurants that have signed the petition in favor of keeping the quotas.

“When I explained to (business owners) the issue, especially to those who are mom and pops, they said, ‘How are we going to survive if this passes?’” Popov said. “(Even) talking to nonfood businesses — they are concerned.”

Yet other business owners, such as Craig Becker of Caffe Mediterraneum — who is also president of the Telegraph Business Improvement District — think the quotas have done more harm than good.

“I think the government has a big role in making any commercial district successful, but I just don’t think that the quotas are the right way to go about it,” Becker said.

Due to time constraints, the council did not debate the restaurant quota matter and decided not to approve it at this time.

“If they would have taken a vote last night, we would have prevailed,” Popov said. “The fact that we didn’t get everything done in one meeting is not that big of a deal, but as long as we’re continuing to have Telegraph in the spotlight … It might take a long time, but as long as we’re looking at ways to improve the business district.”

The City Council voted, in one motion, to adopt of a number of the other items pertaining to Telegraph, such as looking into the financial impact of converting Bancroft Way and Durant Avenue into two-way streets and of creating parklets.

Gladys Rosario covers academics and administration. Contact her at grosario@dailycal.org and follow her on Twitter @gladysrosario93.

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The post The most important meal of the day appeared first on The Daily Californian.

He gave me a puzzled look before gesturing to the restaurant’s kitchen and telling me to wash my hands there when I was ready. The nosebleed — which conveniently erupted right as he scanned my debit card — was short-lived. So, a few minutes later, I was cleaning myself up and didn’t have to worry about bleeding into some unsuspecting spaghetti sauce or something.

Episodes like that are fairly common for me, and I’ve never been able to pinpoint the exact cause. It wasn’t until I was walking home after eating my dinner that I realized the cashier probably thought I had a cocaine addiction. I don’t, for the record.

Initially, I couldn’t decide if I wished I’d had a friend with me to share the experience, or if I was glad no one I knew was around to witness me making a fool of myself in a greasy kitchen. Definitely the latter, I realized — the glares of people behind me in line were enough to make me acutely aware of how ridiculous I looked. It was the first time I really truly appreciated the benefits that dining alone provides.

I usually fly solo when I eat out on weeknights. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the company — people are great, especially when they’re listening to me talk. But sometimes, when I tire of hearing the sound of my own voice all day, sitting by myself in a crowded place while eavesdropping on others’ random conversations is a good reality check.

It’s not that I don’t ever cook for myself. Sometimes I’ll make a quesadilla for dinner. Or eggs. Anything that requires more effort than that, though, and I need someone else to validate my cooking by eating it with me. The labor has to be worth it. Cooking is, after all, an ultimate sign of love. Which I guess makes me pretty unselfish.

The benefits of eating out by yourself far outweigh the drawbacks. True, when you’re in a group of people at a dining establishment, there’s a certain amount of schadenfreude in seeing someone else sitting at a table with only one place setting. People look down on solo diners. It’s like high school all over again. Common stereotypes I used to associate with people who eat alone are friendless nerds who can’t get anyone else to sit with them, or lonely slobs slouched on a recliner in their mother’s basement, shoving endless amounts of potato chips into their mouths while playing Halo 3.

But the disdain goes both ways, I’ve found. When you’re free from the obligations of conversation, you get to listen to all the little gems that pop up in other people’s mundane exchanges. Such as someone discussing their friend’s acquittal of murder charges. You know, the usual. Some call it people-watching; I call it judging. It’s America’s second favorite pastime, in my view — the first being eating out, of course.

There are also two different ways of looking at the constant staring you might receive when you take a table for one. Either those around are scrutinizing you, or they’re just jealous that you don’t have to try so hard. You’re mysterious. You’re like a B-list celebrity spotted in public, or some kind of exotic animal.

Plus, you don’t have to worry about things like appearance and manners if there’s no one else at the table. You can show up to Thai Basil in sweatpants and flip-flops or two clashing patterns of plaid. You can spill tikka massala on your face, clothes and/or the tabletop and not have to apologize.

Also, when you make bold moves such as striking up a conversation with a homeless man outside Top Dog, you don’t have to worry about your date thinking you’re crazy. Unless you’re eating out alone in the hopes of meeting the love of your life, in which case you’d probably want to be a little classier.

Be mindful that if you frequent the same establishment alone too many times, though, people who might seem to be strangers could recognize you. And those people could also be your classmates. A peer once confronted me awkwardly before lecture and told me that I obviously “really love that Gypsy’s place.” I stayed away from there for a few weeks.

Eventually, I conquered this quintessential “first-world problem” over the summer when I interned in Orange County, a place where I didn’t know many other people. At first, I dreaded the idea of eating by myself. When I decided to eat out, I got everything to go and ate it in the privacy of my apartment. Alone.

Yet once I realized I was spared from the fear of running into someone I knew, I was able to embrace the concept. More than that, though, I missed the college environment, so frankly I just enjoyed being around all the other people. After more than two months being “That Guy” most nights of the week, I learned that I don’t mind eating alone around people in Berkeley, too. I learned that solo diners aren’t pathetic. We just don’t give a shit.

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Whether you’re climbing the wooden steps to the treehouselike cafe, or stepping into the elegant yet modest dining room below, Chez Panisse will provide you a meal to remember. With a constantly changing menu of organic, locally-grown ingredients, the historical restaurant tucked inside the Gourmet Ghetto has offered California cuisine of the highest tier for over 40 years. Think hand-cut pasta with braised Monterey Bay squid, or spit-roasted Llano Seco pork loin with wild fennel and roasted turnips, if you want just the tiniest taste of what April’s menu looks like.

Although the Alice Waters initiative was named “Best Restaurant in America” by Gourmet Magazine in 2001, its sparkle in the foodie universe has since been dimming, resulting in the loss of its Michelin star in 2010. This May, however, the next generation of culinary experts assume the restaurant’s head chef hats. Despite this transition, there is no doubt that Chez Panisse will continue to satisfy taste buds with more nuanced flavors and culinary class than any other restaurant in Berkeley.

— Sarah Burke

Best Indian Cuisine: House of Curries

Exquisite Indian food is full of flavor and spice. House of Curries does Indian simple and does it right. The menu features a wide collection of curries with lamb, chicken and prawn as centerpieces and vegetarian options that are just as good.

The chicken tikka masala is a favorite with students and the vindaloo, both chicken and lamb, although a little more on the spicy side, is a close second. House of Curries also offers a good selection of tandoori along with kebabs. To accompany the main dish, you can buy a side of naan, and it comes out of the oven wonderfully soft and crunchy. (The garlic naan is highly recommended.)

And to top off the meal, the mango lassi is an icy yogurt drink that provides a delicate counterpoint to the spicy Indian flavors.  Inside the restaurant, the lighting is dark, but adds to its atmosphere as a casual, self-serve affair, perfect for a quick meal with friends. If the curries are not tempting enough, free chai with any meal should give that extra push to get you in the door.

— Kelly Fang

Best Italian Cuisine: Gypsy’s

Perennial favorite Gypsy’s Trattoria Italiano is once again king of Italian in Berkeley, and for good reason.

The Asian Ghetto stalwart is as dependable as ever, providing tasty pasta, topping-filled pizza and calzones the size of half a human head to students on a budget. And even though a giant calzone might seem like it would be a heavy brick of food, the ones at Gypsy’s feel almost delicate — mozzarella, ricotta cheese and either pesto or tomato sauce are layered around meat and veggies, and this is all enveloped in a thin, crisp pizza crust pocket.

Just as consistent in the restaurant are the strip mall diner decor and order numbers called out over loudspeaker, but patrons know not to expect fine dining at this fan favorite. One factor that could have dethroned Gypsy’s this year is an increase in prices — a combo with an entree, a salad and a drink is about a dollar more expensive than it was in the fall — but the restaurant’s quality and quickness kept it on top for yet another year.

— Christopher Yee

Best Japanese Cuisine: Joshu-ya

Joshu-ya Sushi Brasserie is a little gem packed into the world of Berkeley cuisine. The eatery is nestled in just below Telegraph Avenue, a small wooden frame with an adorable outside eating space, sheltered from the hustle and bustle of Berkeley and glowing within a rim of strung-up outdoor lights. Inside, Joshu-ya is cozy, and sitting by the big circular, vine-curled window is entirely conducive to the start of the sushi consumption process.

The food at Joshu-ya is inspired by flavors from around the world, concentrated foremost into sushi and tapas. Tapas, you may ask? Yes, Joshu-ya serves California and New York-style tapas with a Japanese influence, giving a kick of oriental flavor to dishes that never saw it coming. And yet somehow it works. Joshu-ya cuisine is a treat. The foods are finely crafted and experimental, with a freshness that is overwhelmingly tasty. While it may be pricier than its fellow Berkeley sushi hubs, the extra few dollars is easily worth it. Where else can a connoisseur find sushi rolls inspired by Disney favorites such as “The Lion King?”

— Hannah Levy

Best Thai Cusine: Thai Basil

Cash in your wallet?  That means one of two things: strip club or Thai Basil.  If choosing the latter, be prepared for long lines and hilariously slow service. And to be honest, Thai Basil is pretty average. Scrolling through the Yelp reviews of Thai Basil, most of them sound like juvenile insults for somebody’s mother. Most of them contain the words “quick,” “easy” or “cheap.”

But that’s just what sets Thai Basil apart from the competition: the proximity to campus, the bustle and the cost all draw college students like flies to honey. For Cal students, Thai Basil has become a sort of comfort food.  Most regulars of the Asian Ghetto landmark order the same exact dish every time, knowing that it will be a lot of food and completely edible.

Don’t go if you want to impress your dinner companion or want to go out on a culinary limb.  My only advice for Thai Basil? Stop playing Animal Planet on the big screen. I don’t wanna see an antelope get taken down while I’m enjoying my pad see ew.

— Taryn Erhardt

Best Vegetarian Cuisine: Saturn Cafe

Vegetarian food has the unfortunate connotation that it must be exclusively healthy.  Being vegetarian, I can attest to the fact that I have days where I don’t want a salad, dammit, I want something deep-fried.  For like-minded vegans or vegetarians, Saturn Cafe is a rockabilly oasis just for such cravings.  Vegetarians, pay attention: You can eat everything on the menu.  Not just salads or tofu, no bland pasta dishes that you could have made yourself.  Here, laid out in front of you is an entire menu where you don’t have to look for the little green “v” beside the item descriptions.  Vegans, too, have a large array of options.  The best part?  Most of it is gloriously, deliciously unhealthy.  Burgers, shakes, deep-fried ex-vegetables all take center stage.  Seriously invested carnivores can even (begrudgingly) enjoy the cleverly disguised soy products purveyed by Saturn Cafe.  As if the food isn’t enough of a draw, the adorable, bespectacled waiters and waitresses certainly are.  Finally, you can convince yourself that being vegetarian may not have been the worst mistake you’ve ever made.

— Taryn Erhardt

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