Exploring the Bay Area

State Flour Pizza Walking down College Avenue in the Elmwood area, what at first appears to be a small hole-in-the wall place to grab pizza-by-the-slice turns out to have a a cozy upstairs eating area, perfect for diners wanting a restaurant environment for lunch or dinner.  My first experience with State Flour pizza was when I was looking for a mid-afternoon snack and stumbled upon a reasonably priced piece of pepperoni pizza, which I gratefully devoured. After that, I had it in my head that this was simply a place where you order at a counter in a small business and are given a small portion to eat at one of their few tables or take with you. I liked it, but I was surprised when my friends invited me there for dinner. I discovered that night that although they do offer takeout to people stopping by and those who order online, their second-story dining room upstairs offers an ideal restaurant experience.  My much-loved afternoon pizza stop turned out to become one of my favor...

Mariposa Baking Company Mariposa Baking Company is a bakery committed to making baked goods that are gluten-free but do not sacrifice taste, texture, or appearance.  I came across this business by word of mouth. Several of my acquaintances spoke very highly of it, so I decided to give it a try.  Despite being a small shop limited to gluten-free items, the business is filled with options. They carry pastries such as muffins, cinnamon rolls, doughnuts, and cookies. They also carry breads, pastas, flours, and pizza doughs, as well as a menu full of gluten-free sandwiches. Everything is gluten-free but tastes incredible. Looking around, the walls are lined with pastries, especially beautifully decorated cookies. The shelves and freezers hold the breads, pastas, and pizza doughs. Behind the glass case are more pastries like muffins and cinnamon rolls. There is also a menu of sandwiches that they will make fresh for you sitting out near the register. Nonetheless, there is plenty of ...