Local Food Pick
Gregoire
2109 Cedar St. (at Shattuck Ave.)
Berkeley, CA 94709
Berkeley, CA 94709
(510) 883-1893
Chef-owner Gregoire Jacquet, who previously worked at the Ritz-Carlton, opened a high-end takeout restaurant in 2002 in the heart of Berkeley's Gourmet Ghetto. The shareable crispy potato puffs ($4.50) deserve their cult status, and the fried chicken sandwich topped with cole slaw ($8.25) rivals that of Bakesale Betty. Much of the menu changes monthly. With the small kitchen and lack of numerous nearby tables, I'd recommend coming before noon for lunch or calling ahead for your order. A second location opened in 2006 in Oakland's Piedmont district. 4 stars - 1175 reviews (Berkeley); 4 stars - 309 reviews (Oakland)
Previous San Francisco picks: Radius; Limon Rotisserie; Art's Cafe; Little Star Pizza; Yamo; Breakfast at Tiffany's; Humphry Slocombe; Tu Lan; Foreign Cinema; Zanze's Cheesecake; San Tung; Katana-Ya; A La Turca; Boxing Room; Frances; Saigon Sandwich; Brenda's French Soul Food; Park Tavern; Broken Record; Rosamunde Sausage Grill; Curry Up Now; Yasukochi's Sweet Stop; Lime Tree Southeast Asian Kitchen; Firefly; Red Door Cafe; L'Ardoise Bistro; Pluto's; My Tofu House; Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous; Walzwerk; Good Luck Dim Sum; Amber India; Sotto Mare; Sweet Maple.
Previous Peninsula/South Bay picks: Curry Up Now (San Mateo); Little Lucca Sandwich Shop & Deli (Burlingame/South SF); Falafel's Drive In (San Jose); Sunny Bowl (Mountain View); Back A Yard Caribbean Grill (Menlo Park); Pluto's (Palo Alto/San Jose); Ramen Dojo/Ramen Parlor (San Mateo); Amber India (Mountain View/San Jose/Palo Alto).
Previous East Bay picks: Little Star Pizza (Albany); Angeline's Louisiana Kitchen (Berkeley); Asmara (Oakland); Keanu's Island Kine Food (Vacaville); Tara's Organic Ice Cream (Berkeley/Oakland); Pluto's (Chico/Davis/Sacramento/
Previous North Bay picks: Bouchon Bakery (Yountville); Della Fattoria Bakery (Petaluma); Sol Food (San Rafael); Stumptown Brewery (Guerneville); Moustache Baked Goods (Healdsburg).
Local Bar Pick
Antonio's Nut House
321 S California Ave. (at Birch St.)
Palo Alto, CA 94306
It's hard to believe that this rests in Palo Alto. Ample beers are on tap, free peanuts are offered by a gorilla, and an in-house taqueria dishes up burritos and tacos to patrons. Game players will find pool tables, foosball, and darts. Gotta love shells-on-the-ground watering holes! 4 stars - 308 reviews
Previous San Francisco pick: Blackbird; El Rio
Previous East Bay pick: The Trappist
Local History
Herb Caen (1916-1997)
Born in Sacramento, Mr. Caen started writing for the San Francisco Chronicle in 1938 to begin a 59-year career in journalism. The daily columnist would become known for his colorful terms (such as beatnik and hippie), ellipses, and insider gossip. He received a Pulitzer Prize in 1996 and would have Herb Caen Way... named after him along the Embarcadero in San Francisco. Today, the Chronicle continues to republish his old columns.
Previous San Francisco history: John Geary; Samuel Brannan; Michael O'Shaughnessy; Jasper O'Farrell; Frank McCoppin; Thomas Hayes; Francisco de Haro; Jose Bernal; David Broderick; Henry Haight; John Townsend; Cyril Magnin; Jose Arguello; Keiko Fukuda; John Le Conte; Eugene Schmitz; Theodore Judah
Previous Peninsula/South Bay history: Millbrae; Tanforan Racetrack; T. Jack Foster; Leland Stanford; Milpitas; Donald Tresidder; Josiah Belden
Previous East Bay history: Charles Tilden; William Hayward; John Fremont; Mariano Vallejo; Ygnacio Martinez; Henry Kaiser
Previous North Bay history: Cotati; Charles Fairfax; Luther Burbank
Bay Area Charity
FabMo Creativity Center
Started in 1997, this Mountain View-based nonprofit is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) organization that diverts fabrics to Bay Area artisans and teachers. FabMo also hosts an annual art boutique and a variety of workshops. www.fabmo.org
Previous organizations Randy's Guide has spotlighted and donated: Common Ground Relief, LYRIC, Aldea Inc., Glide Memorial, City CarShare, Maitri, Loaves and Fishes, Friends of the Urban Forest, Farm Sanctuary, Bay Area Community Services, Blue Energy, My New Red Shoes, College Track, Foundation for the People of Burma, Vital Life Services, Little Angel Fund, San Francisco Health Services Coalition, Natural Resources Defense Council, Bay Localize, San Francisco Women Against Rape, Sustainable Conservation, Ashoka, Old Skool Cafe, Darfur Sister Schools, Rebuilding Together San Francisco, Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center, Urban Solutions, San Francisco Suicide Prevention, The East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse, Shanti, Curry Without Worry, SF Neighborhood Theater Foundation, La Cocina, Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Northern California, The Bike Kitchen, First Graduate, Lazarex Cancer Foundation (Amy C), and KQED (88.5 FM).
Bay Area Weekend Highs
Spotty showers today, then a warming trend into the weekend.
~ Thursday-Friday ~
Coast: upper-50s
SF: mid-60s
Bay: upper-60s
South Bay: upper-60s
Inland East Bay: low-70s
North BAy: low-70s
~ Saturday-Sunday ~
Coast: low-60s
SF: low-70s
Bay: upper-70s
South Bay: low-80s
Inland East Bay: low-80s
North Bay: mid-80s
Bay Area Free Activities of the Week
1. Bicycle Time!
Bike to Work Day: Thursday
Sunday Streets
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition sets up 27 stations around San Francisco to refuel cyclists with coffee, energy bars, tote bags, and fruit. Several stations will offer free maintenance too. Nine Supervisors will ride with commuter convoys, including Scott Wiener (Castro) and David Campos (Mission). You can also make use of the gorgeous weekend weather by cruising around the Mission district for Sunday Streets. www.sfbike.org
2. Fiesta Time!
Cinco de Mayo: Saturday
The Bay Area - from Danville and Santa Rosa to San Jose's Santana Row and San Francisco's Dolores Park - will celebrate Mexican heritage with live music, parades, and festive activities.
3. Art Time!
Oakland Art Murmur: Friday
Comic Book Day: Saturday
The massive art-inspired event in Oakland's Uptown has spread into other neighborhoods like Jack London Square and Temescal. Uptown Nightclub is hosting a free concert featuring The Hundred Days. Comic book shops such as Comic Experience in the Panhandle and Jeffrey's Toys in Union Square will offer a free comic book to all patrons. www.oaklandartmurmur.com www.freecomicbookday.com
Bay Area Freebie of the Week
Haagen-Dazs
Free ice cream! Stop by between 4-8pm on Tuesday at Bay Area Haagen-Dazs stores in San Francisco, Palo Alto, Santa Clara, San Jose, Concord, Walnut Creek, Fairfield, Pleasanton, and Santa Rosa. www.haagendazs.com
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