Spasso is a neighborhood Italian restaurant in San Carlos’ Laurel Street business corridor. There are 5 Italian restaurants within one block! Read the rest of this entry »

ubuntu is a vegetarian restaurant located in Downtown Napa. “A celebration of our own biodynamic gardens, what shows up at the door and relationships with the local farms in Napa.” Chef Jeremy Fox (Manresa, Rubicon, Charles Nob Hill) originally put this restaurant on the foodie map, but left in February 2010. ubuntu serves up innovative vegetable-inspired daily-harvested cuisine for both omnivores and herbivores. Ubuntu grows food from their own biodynamic garden. They also run a yoga studio. The restaurant is top rated and has a very high 4.5 stars on Yelp. Menu changes almost daily. We went for lunch, dinner costs considerably more. Read the rest of this entry »

Tog Dog has been serving up grilled sausages on French rolls since 1966. They now have 5 locations in the East Bay, most are near UC Berkeley and are open very late. They serve 10 different varieties.

Decor, Vibe – Tiny hole in the wall with pretty low key decor, political leaflets all over. Many students getting food.

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El Farolito is a Mexican Restaurant with several locations in San Francisco’s Mission district, Oakland, South San Francisco, Santa Rosa, and Rohnert Park. We visited the 24th street location. Read the rest of this entry »

Dopo is a small Italian neighborhood restaurant in Oakland’s Piedmont Avenue shopping district. The chefs used to work at Oliveto. It is located almost across the street from Fenton’s and opened in 2004. They recently opened a sister restaurant Adesso a block away. They do not take reservation unless you have a party of 5+, so wait times can be long. We went at 5:45pm and just barely got a table. We saw them offer wine to some people waiting. Read the rest of this entry »

Shan Dong Mandarin Restaurant is a family run Chinese Restaurant in Oakland’s Chinatown focusing on Shan Dong regional Cuisine. The focus is on noodles and dumplings. It was top rated on Yelp and has been mentioned in newspapers, so we decided to try it. Read the rest of this entry »

Chez Panisse Cafe is the lower cost, a la carte menu restaurant upstairs from famous  Chez Panisse. We visited the main restaurant Chez Panisse downstairs in 2012 and reviewed it. Alice Waters started a food revolution here, way back in 1971. She strives to serve only the highest quality products, and only when they are in season. All produce, meat, poultry, and fish come from farms, ranches, and fisheries guided by principles of sustainability. This restaurant has produced many famous chefs that have gone on to start their own restaurants.

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Camino is a restaurant in the Grand Lake area of Oakland, California that opened in 2008. This restaurant is run by Chez Panisse alumni and has ever changing menu with only 3 entrees. Food depends on what is in season and available that day. Focus is on organic and sustainable items. Call ahead to see when is scheduled as we saw a someone leave after they saw the menu. Read the rest of this entry »

NOPA is a “neighborhood based restaurant designed to attract and comfort those from all over the Bay Area.” They serve “simple, rustic food created with seasonal ingredients sourced from local purveyors.” The restaurant has redefined the north of panhandle (NOPA) area since 2006 and has been packing them in. We did not have reservations, so we can in early and put our name on the list, otherwise you can eat at the bar or communal table. Read the rest of this entry »