April 19, 2008 at 10:55 am
· Filed under Berkeley, Food
Tacubaya is one of the best tacquerias in the Bay Area. Situated on Berkeley’s 4th Street it’s the sister restaurant to Oakland’s Doña Tomas in the Temescal district. What makes the tacqueria so special are the rich flavors and fresh ingredients in every bite. The tacos al pastor are made with Niman Ranch pork and served on freshly made tortillas. If you go early you can also get fine desayuno items such as chilaquiles. On weekends, there’s often a line but it’s worth the wait if you want something special you can’t easily find at other places.
Tacubaya
1788 4th Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
510.525.5160
I knew when I moved to Berkeley in 1997 that they had many great record stores — all within a few blocks of each other. That’s what made the arrival of Amoeba Records so surprising. From day one it was the best record store I’ve ever seen. They carried everything including all the obscure and import stuff I never could find elsewhere. Their San Francisco store is bigger but since I’m living in the East Bay I usually end up here. They also have extensive DVD offerings in addition to the music. Online shopping is convenient but I still enjoy the browsing experience. Their buyers always have something on the shelves that I want — but just didn’t know it existed.
Amoeba Records
2455 Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94704
510.549.1125
April 19, 2008 at 10:04 am
· Filed under Art, Oakland
The Crucible is one of those “only in the Bay Area” type places that I love. It’s a huge warehouse in West Oakland that offers courses and studio space in the industrial arts. This includes all kinds of welding, casting, glass blowing, neon, and electronics. I took a course there in the Spring of 2007 on basic electronic circuitry and can now build basic circuits include amplifiers, radios, little light and motion gizmos. It was so much fun. After taking that course I taught myself how to work with electroluminescent wire so I can (hopefully) make mini “neon” signs.
In addition to the courses they offer, they also have these open house events which often feature performances that show off what they do. In July of 2007, we went to their fire arts festivals and saw lots of fire based machines and robots. Additionally, they put on a nearly 2 hour performance of the Oddysey. In this movie, Odysseus is just getting on the boat to cross the river Styx on his was back to Hades.
The Crucible
1260 7th Street, Oakland, CA 94607
510.444.0919
The newest frozen yogurt concept allows you to blend your own flavors and add your own toppings and then pay for the snack by weight. The new Icebee store near my office in San Francisco is a lot of fun. They’ve got all the usual toppings you’d expect as well as some nice suprises such as fruity pebbles. The flavors were actually quite good including green tea and peanut butter/banana. Frozen yogurt seems to be making a comeback — it was really big in the late eighties.
Icebee
829 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
415.882.7800
April 10, 2008 at 3:31 pm
· Filed under Food, Oakland
Officially called G.B. Ratto & Co. International Grocers, Ratto’s has been in Oakland at the same location for generations. The neighborhood is now called Old Oakland. Most people go there for the great deli and sandwich selection. The place still operates like an old fashioned grocery with lots of bulk items and specialty products. I particularly like the cheese selection and the little greek soaps they carry. This is also a good place to find imported wines such as Lambrusco.
Rattos
821 Washington Street, Oakland, CA 94607
510.832.6503
Tacubaya is one of the best tacquerias in the Bay Area. Situated on Berkeley’s 4th Street it’s the sister restaurant to Oakland’s Doña Tomas in the Temescal district. What makes the tacqueria so special are the rich flavors and fresh ingredients in every bite. The tacos al pastor are made with Niman Ranch pork and served on freshly made tortillas. If you go early you can also get fine desayuno items such as chilaquiles. On weekends, there’s often a line but it’s worth the wait if you want something special you can’t easily find at other places. 
I knew when I moved to Berkeley in 1997 that they had many great record stores — all within a few blocks of each other. That’s what made the arrival of 
The newest frozen yogurt concept allows you to blend your own flavors and add your own toppings and then pay for the snack by weight. The new 
Officially called G.B. Ratto & Co. International Grocers, Ratto’s has been in Oakland at the same location for generations. The neighborhood is now called Old Oakland. Most people go there for the great deli and sandwich selection. The place still operates like an old fashioned grocery with lots of bulk items and specialty products. I particularly like the cheese selection and the little greek soaps they carry. This is also a good place to find imported wines such as Lambrusco.