Here are a few of my favorite places to grab quality food on the run.  Cafe 15 is in Downtown Oakland at 597 15th Street behind the State building.  This is owned and operated by husband and wife team Lauren and Arash Ghasemi  (Arash was a chef at Eccolo restaurant on 4th Street in Berkeley, [...]

I recently investigated a few more restaurants for you!  Bocanova has now been open for a month in Jack London Square.  I love the dinning room and outdoor seating.  The little gem salad was fantastic and my halibut sandwich with onions, peppers and avocado was very satisfying.  My friend ordered a few items that I [...]

The other week, I attended the Eat Real Fest at Jack London Square.  To kick off the festival there was an ice cream evening.  It was  a 90 degree Friday night, Perfect!  Ice cream for dinner.  In the name of research  I sampled several scoops of creamy goodness.  If I had to pick my [...]

In the 1950’s Giovanni Gianni, (Papa Gianni) moved his family to America and in 1956 opened the first espresso house on the West Coast on Vallejo Street in San Francisco.   Now 50+ years later, a cult following and several Bay Area locations, it is fitting that food mecca, Oakland gets a location.  Last evening [...]

Oakland is often written in the media as a gritty, high crime city to avoid.  Oakland insiders know Oakland as the only city we want to live in.  It is not that we are oblivious to our City’s flaws, but we love the culture, feel completely at ease and understand our potential.  Being the foodie [...]

The Bay Area is one of those places where you love to live.  If you grew up here, you stay here.  You might move away for college or a boyfriend, but chances are you will be back.  If you moved out here to attend schools such as Cal, you often decide to linger and plant [...]

Last weekend I made a point of getting out and enjoying my community.  Friday morning I headed to Brown Sugar restaurant, a cute soul food eatery on Mandela Parkway in West Oakland operated by chef  proprietor, Tanya Holland. I had a “screaming”, (that means unbelievable, over the top) piece of brown sugar peach coffee cake, [...]

Berkeley Bowl West – 920 Heinz Avenue in West Berkeley. Deidre Joyner

Berkeley Bowl West has arrived!  This is great news for foodies and folks who live in West Berkeley and North Oakland. (Berkeley Bowl West will also service the North Oakland community as it is a few blocks from the North-West Oakland and Emeryville [...]

Preserve the old!  I love these vintage mid-century signs in Oakland and Berkeley, a quick reminder of yesteryear.  Signs that have withstood the rain, earthquakes, wind, and decades of life in the Bay Area.

The other day I finally stopped by Sweet Adeline Bake Shop in North Oakland.  I heard that this place was the neighborhood hang-out with excellent pastries made in true East Bay style – handcrafted with all natural ingredients.  I was greeted with a smile by Samuel and enjoyed a fantastic cheddar cheese and scallion scone!  [...]