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If you need something more than a "garden center" and you live in the East Bay you have a few pretty good options including Grand Ave. Ace, the Longs (yeah, the drugstore. They have a freakin...
If you need something more than a "garden center" and you live in the East Bay you have a few pretty good options including Grand Ave. Ace, the Longs (yeah, the drugstore. They have a freakin awesome nursery.) over by Rockridge, and, my favorite, Berkeley Horticulture.
Ok, their prices are little high so Longs will serve you best when looking for garden standards and annuals. But if you need something special, you have a problem area you need to plant, you want great tomatoes, you want bay natives...you get the idea...B.H. is the way to go. Not only is the staff incredibly knowledgable, they are helpful and encouraging and never condescending if you have questions or are a novice gardener. They offer excellent advice when you come in saying things like "I need something that looks gorgeous but will grow in waterlogged soil that sits in full sun and cant be killed by the dog." I look for any excuse to go to this nursery and highly recommend it.
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Pappo
Category:
Food & Dining
2320 Central Ave
Alameda, California 94501
(510) 337-9100
Now this, THIS is what i'm talking about! Pappo is brand spanking new (as of 10/21/05 they've been open less than a month) and i've been 3 times.
If you lived in SF, most neighborhoods have this...
Now this, THIS is what i'm talking about! Pappo is brand spanking new (as of 10/21/05 they've been open less than a month) and i've been 3 times.
If you lived in SF, most neighborhoods have this kind of go-to for nice, delicious dining. In the East Bay, bistros like this are harder to come by. I'm thrilled that Pappo has arrived.
The food is inventive and tasty. The wine list is VERY nice. The staff are super-friendly (though this early in the game they are still working out some kinks in efficiency). The dining room is a lovely modern space in an old deco building. Crisp Modern fittings compliment bare brick walls and the gorgeous leaded glass transom over the front door and windows.
I love this place and consider myself a regular.
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Bay Wolf
Category:
Food & Dining
3853 Piedmont Ave.
Oakland, California 94611
(510) 655-6004
I'd heard a lot of excitement in the East Bay over Bay Wolf. It was talked about as though it were Chez Panisse or something equally exquisite. It is not.
First let me start with the great. The...
I'd heard a lot of excitement in the East Bay over Bay Wolf. It was talked about as though it were Chez Panisse or something equally exquisite. It is not.
First let me start with the great. The service was impeccable. That alone can make or break a restaurant for me.
Now the good. The food was good. We made a combination of selections that were both "interesting" and more common to get an idea of the variety of offerings. I would say while everything was good, nothing was spectacular and the dessert, in particular, was somewhat pedestrian in its overwhelming flavor.
The bad (for me). It's a fairly large restaurant and i don't like that. Large places are fine if i want to grab a bite, but if i'm going someplace where i expect to spend a couple of hours and drop at least $100 i'd like a more intimate dining experience.
All in all i don't feel the need to go back. That's not to say that everything wasn't acceptable, i just wasn't ideal.
I do think it'd be a great spot for a special occasion with a large party. Beyond that though, it would never be my first choice.
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What makes a coffee house fantastic? Well i'll tell you. And it goes a little something like this:
1. The owners are friendly, chatty, and on-site a lot.
2. The best vanilla latte in the...
What makes a coffee house fantastic? Well i'll tell you. And it goes a little something like this:
1. The owners are friendly, chatty, and on-site a lot.
2. The best vanilla latte in the history of ever (tastes like coffee and vanilla ice cream)
3. Fast and friendly staff
4. Incredibly delicious lavash sandwiches (the chicken version and the tuna melt version are to die for)
5. Lovely sheltered back garden
6. Fireplace
This is a cozy, friendly spot with great coffee and extras and it's located in Bernal Heights, my favorite neighborhood.
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I love ice cream. Love it! On a nice evening after dinner, I love to get a cone and just relax. Tucker's is a great place to go on just such an evening (or afternoon).
They have a good selection...
I love ice cream. Love it! On a nice evening after dinner, I love to get a cone and just relax. Tucker's is a great place to go on just such an evening (or afternoon).
They have a good selection of flavors, waffle cones, sundaes, ice cream cakes, all the stuff you'd want and expect,and yes, fudge. Big slabs of fudge. There's something pleasantly nostalgic about being able to buy fudge in your ice cream parlor.
There's plenty of seating inside and the staff (who are friendly and accomodating) throw open the front windows in nice weather. As an added bonus, though, Tucker's has a back courtyard with tables and benches that is the pefect place to enjoy your snack, dessert, or if your me, ice-cream-dinner.
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Barceluna
Category:
Food & Dining
2319 Central Ave.
Alameda, California 94501
(510) 522-7425
As transplants from the good-food-packed city of San Francisco, we are ever on the hunt for delicious food with a friendly atmosphere. You can find several restaurants like this in every SF...
As transplants from the good-food-packed city of San Francisco, we are ever on the hunt for delicious food with a friendly atmosphere. You can find several restaurants like this in every SF neighborhood but they are much harder to come by in the East Bay.
We were, consequently, thrilled to stumble across Barceluna. It's a tiny little spot in downtown Alameda with a few tables lined up across from the bar. We ordered from their tapas menu and pronounce everything we had an unqualified success especially the duck tostadas which were delightful.
We ordered a house specialty called a "Scarlet Harlot" and several glasses of the night's special white sangria. The sangria was excellent and the drinker of the "harlot" pronounced it "the best drink i've ever had in my life."
We topped it all off with chocolate creme pie the deliciousness of which we spent the rest of the weekend reminiscing about.
All this great food coupled with a friendly and efficient staff guarantees that we will go back to this place again and again. It's a gem.
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Dog Bone Alley is a charming little shop in which to find a special treat for own pooch or a clever gift for a dog lover. In addition to beds, carriers, toys etc., they carry several lines of unique...
Dog Bone Alley is a charming little shop in which to find a special treat for own pooch or a clever gift for a dog lover. In addition to beds, carriers, toys etc., they carry several lines of unique (and stylish) dog collars and leashes. If your dog has more personality than can be expressed by your standard Petco leather collar, come see what Dog Bone Alley has to offer.
They also carry several types of organic dog treats some of which are made by locals. The staff are always friendly and welcoming.
Thier inventory is fairly small, but whenever i'm on Park i stop in to see what fun new things they have.
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Kamakura is very popular and they clearly have a crowd of devoted regulars. It's in a lovely neighborhood in Alameda which makes for a pleasant after-dinner (or before dinner if there's a wait)...
Kamakura is very popular and they clearly have a crowd of devoted regulars. It's in a lovely neighborhood in Alameda which makes for a pleasant after-dinner (or before dinner if there's a wait) walk. The staff was friendly but sadly, the sushi was only mediocre. That's a terrible let-down when you've waited 30 minutes for a table. And if you dont live right in Alameda, there's too much spectacular sushi just across the bridge to warrant a trip here.
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The New Zealander is a simple pub. You go there for beer. You laugh and drink and you oggle the gorgeous historic building. And AND you order meat pies. Meat pies are fantastic drinking food....
The New Zealander is a simple pub. You go there for beer. You laugh and drink and you oggle the gorgeous historic building. And AND you order meat pies. Meat pies are fantastic drinking food. They're hearty and savory. The only down side is that they are a little small to be totally filling. So either split a second one with a friend or plan to get a snack later.
The staff is friendly and that accent on some of them is just charming.
Also, you can get the pies frozen to go. They come complete with a little slip of paper instructing you on how to cook them up at home.
(Oh and dont get confused by the "Crolls" sign outside. It's part of the history of the building and an easy landmark when you're trying to find the place.)
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I'm not a huge fan of Filippo's but i know quite a few people who are. The food is certainly acceptable and the staff is quite friendly. In fact, the service here has always been very good. The wine...
I'm not a huge fan of Filippo's but i know quite a few people who are. The food is certainly acceptable and the staff is quite friendly. In fact, the service here has always been very good. The wine selection is decent and there are a few outside tables surrounded by heaters making them a viable option even on nights that are less than perfect.
What really bugs me is the frequency with which children go uncontrolled by their parents here. The restaurant is small, just a few tables so if parents have brought their kids to dinner and they are not quiet as china dolls, the whole restaurant feels it. Well except for the children's parents apparently.
This is a neighborhood restaurant situated in charming Rockridge so i'm sure families feel somewhat proprietary about the place. For me though, that means i avoid it as i'd rather not risk dinner with unmanaged kids.
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