Prather Ranch Meat Company is a boutique firm that raises grass fed and pastured cattle in North California’s Mt. Shasta area. Read the rest of this entry »

Marzano is a casual neighborhood Italian trattoria restaurant in Oakland with two locations. Their specialty is woodfired oven neapolitan pizza. We dined at the location on Park for brunch. Their sister restaurant is Garibaldis. Read the rest of this entry »

Bakesale Betty is more of a bakery than a restaurant, but this place has some great food so we decided to try them. There is almost always a line out the door of the nameless corner spot, and sometimes around the block. The line moves fast though. Look for Betty in her blue wig, she is a Chez Panisse alum. They kindly hand out cookies when the line gets long. Our latest visit was in April 2010, and reaffirmed Bakesale Betty’s awesoness.

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Sichuan Fusion is a new Chinese Restaurant located in way in the back of Richmond’s Pacific East Mall that opened in 2009. We came here because it was new, busy, and had people waiting. The focus here is on SPICY Sichuan Chinese food. Our normal goto place in this mall is Asian Pearl. Read the rest of this entry »

Bucci’s serves ‘Italian Soul Food’ in the industrial area of Emeryville. Since 1988 they have been serving as a gathering place for unpretentious comfort food. Read the rest of this entry »

In-N-Out Burger opened way back in 1948 in Baldwin Park, California focusing as a drive through hamburger stand. Their motto is “Give customers the freshest, highest quality foods you can buy and provide them with friendly service in a sparkling clean environment.” They have locations in California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah.
We went to the Mountain View location to refresh our memory of how this popular burger tastes. We’ve eaten a ton of high quality burgers and it was time to test our taste buds. In-N-Out does not freeze their beef, has no preservatives in their buns, hand-leaf their lettuce daily, peel and dice fries daily from whole potatoes, and use 100% cholesterol free oil.
Decor, Vibe – Standard fast food joint decor with this location pretty clean.

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China Village is a Chinese restaurant featured on the KQED public television program Check Please back in 2008. They specialize in Szechuan (Sichuan) Chinese food but serve other styles of Chinese Food. China Village is in the 2010 Michelin Guide as a recommended restaurant. We were nearby and finally had an excuse to visit. It is a generic decor Asian restaurant in the Solano avenue business district of sleepy Albany, just north of Berkeley. Read the rest of this entry »

Commis is a hot restaurant in Oakland run by James Syhabout. He has cooked at several superstar restaurant; Manresa, The Fat Duck, el Bulli, Mugaritz, and Alkimia. Commis focuses on Contemporary California cuisine with a focus on local, sustainable, and eco friendly practices. The restaurant is located in the Piedmont Avenue area of Oakland, home to hot spots like Bay Wolf, Dopo, and Fentons. Commis received one Michelin star in 2010. Read the rest of this entry »

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Pican is a restaurant in revitalized Uptown Oakland next door to Ozumo. New Orleans native Michael LeBlanc started this restaurant in 2009. This area is undergoing a transformation from long closed auto dealerships and the like to a modern inner city. It serves California infused Southern Cuisine with lots of fresh seasonal ingredients in a vibrant cosmopolitan atmosphere. They were on the Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand list for 2010. Read the rest of this entry »

Bocanova opened in September, 2009 and serves Latin American – Californian cuisine in a colorful setting located in Jack London Square, Oakland. This area has recently seen the opening of several upscale restaurants, helping to revitalize the scene. The husband-wife team worked at Chez Panisse and MarketBar. Read the rest of this entry »

Emilia’s Pizzeria is a new small pizza place in Berkeley, located about a block from Berkeley Bowl supermarket. Keith Freilich, the owner, has worked at Pizza Hut, Grimaldi’s Hoboken, Pizzaiolo, and Flour + Water in San Francisco and serves up ‘New York style’ pizza. Emilia’s sells pizza by the slice and pie. Regular and sausage and onion were the pizzas available today. They often sell out, so go early and check their Twitter feed. The place was recently on serious eats.
Decor, Vibe – Tiny pizzeria with two small tables run by one person. Most people got pizza to go. Pizza foodies and locals were the main ones eating.

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