raeanne's Profile
Very promising cafe opens in Berkeley
For me, I think they really shine with drips. Their Guatemalan is solid every time and the Don Mayo was exceptional! Although I am a drip coffee person and love a good medium/light roast. Perhaps some of their baristas are still in training when it comes to pulling a knockout shot. If Freida's around (co-owner), which she usually is, you have to get a shot from her. She's amazing! And perfectly consistent. What kills it for me is really their great service. We ordered a scone that was sub-par a couple weeks ago and when I brought it to their attention, they thanked me profusely, pulled the rest of the batch, and brought us some awesome pear ginger muffins. It's really everything I want in my local cafe- gorgeous, clean, homey space, friendly faces that know my drink and a warm fuzzy feeling of community on top of IMHO, the best coffee this side of the bay! I even wrote about them here, I'm so glad they opened up
http://baypiggy.blogspot.com/2009/10/best-drip-of-week-local-123s-don-mayo.html
Foodie Plans of a 25 Year Old's Long Weekend in San Fran- Need Tips!
I think the Ferry Building is a big must. It's definitely not cheap but I'm also a 20-something year old foodie and I enjoy it immensely on a budget. Stop by Cowgirl Creamery and sample the local cheeses. I'd buy a slice of Humboldt Fog, made by Cypress Grove and a small roll from Acme. There's also a small patisserie there, Miette, since you're into cupcakes. I love their little handmade candies. Also Hog Island Oyster company has a happy hour Mondays and Thursdays from 5-7pm with $1 oysters and $3.50 pints. Here's a link, you check around for other happy hour deals there too http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/
best donuts in Berkeley?
I know this may sound crazy but I All Star Donuts on University has awesome old-fashioneds. Even crazier, they have a huge sign outside that advertises Cambodian BBQ that's also really good. The hours for food are a little wacky cus it depends how many people are working there at the time but really good an cheap when u can get it. I've also seen people ordering a big chocolate cream donut that's sliced in half and stuffed with banana slices and whipped cream that's probably awesome when you're in the right mood. Anyway, their chocolate old fashioned donuts are totally solid an delicious. Here's a previous thread: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/566455
All Star Donut
1255 University Ave, Berkeley, CA
(510) 666-0878
Coffee and Snacky Food Tour with Dad
Hey thanks for the tip, I will definitely check out Adesso. 30 different kinds of house cured meats free twice a night? Omg I'm so there!
NOPA, SEBO and one of Beretta, Flour & Water, A16
These are some great pics, Beretta's drinks are very worth a trip. Don't miss the Airmail- rum, prosecco, honey, yum. Sounds like you're set on the city but if you're at all open to a trip to the east bay, I think you'd enjoy Dopo from your selections here. I just had a spectacular meal there this weekend with a pork fat and farm egg pizza that I'm already craving again. I wrote up with some pics here if u wanna check it out: http://baypiggy.blogspot.com/2009/10/coffee-and-snacky-food-tour-with-dad_15.html
They're also close to Lush Gelato which is also totally worth a trip. See thread here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/618843
Coffee and Snacky Food Tour with Dad
Thanks everyone for your great advice! The trip was fantastic. A few lessons learned: Having Humphrey Slocombe's right next to BiRite makes BiRite look not-so-spectacular. IMO, Humphrey is not only more innovative, but also had a cleaner flavor. We had the McEvoy Olive Oil and Salt-N-Peppa flavors. Finally, Dopo totally hit it out of the park! What a perfect way to end our SF trip, with 3 courses of pork. The lardo and farm egg pizza was out of this world, as was their pork chop and salumi platters. We also ordered a vegetable platter just to mix it up but the pork was the star of the show!
I put some write ups here with pics if you're interested:
http://baypiggy.blogspot.com/
Coffee and Snacky Food Tour with Dad
My dad is coming to visit for two short days and I've been compiling a list for our brief foodie tour. I'm thinking one day in SF and the other in the east bay to show off my new favorite local cafe. He runs a coffee place in the Philippines that uses a siphon system and loves a good cup, so I'm definitely taking him to Blue Bottle at Mint Plaza. He's also into new and interesting food ideas so I thought we'd do lots of snacky tasting during the day. Obviously we may not hit all the places below but thought I'd throw out all my ideas now. We only have time for two dinners, one in SF and one in the east bay so I just jotted down some ideas here based on how we're feeling (how full!) at the end of the day. Any advice on places to add or omit are very welcome. Thanks!
Coffee:
Blue Bottle
Philz (original location)
Ritual (or Four Barrel?)
Local123 (Berkeley)
Cole Coffee (Berkeley)
Snacky Treats:
Boccalone (and other Ferry Building spots)
Miette (Hayes Valley)
Mission Pie
Tartine
Creme Brulee Cart
Humphrey Slocombs
Bakesale Betties for fried chicken sandwich (Oakland)
Ici (Berkeley)
Lush Gelato (Berkeley)
Dinner:
SPQR, Sozai, or Berretta
Dopo or Wood Tavern
