Exploring the Bay Area

Panda Express I’ve been known to enjoy the authentic Chinese food served in many proud Bay Area restaurants, but authentic Chinese food just met its trendy American cousin called Panda Express. Panda Express is a chain founded in California back in 1983, and its influence has spread like wildfire through the nation. It’s famous for being cheap, yummy, and filling. It’s a restaurant that proudly does things its own way; it puts its own spin on Chinese food, one that appeals to a broader audience in the United States, and it does not apologize for having a personality of its own.   When you enter the restaurant, you will see a wide variety of entrees and sides displayed under the glass. The work of preparing these satisfying options is already done. All you have to do is pick. The sizzling woks in the kitchen behind the counter keep working all day to make sure there’s plenty of each item in the buffet for the staff to serve when ordered. The food is kept under a glass case with labe...

  Yin Ji Chang Fen I am so glad I discovered this exciting Cantonese food chain with a small shop in Berkeley, California, on Shattuck Avenue! The food here is excitingly inexpensive, but it doesn’t taste cheap, and the portions are a very respectable size. Best of all, the food comes prepared with careful attention to taste and Cantonese tradition. It’s popular here, partially because it has not yet given up on a truly unique and lovely finished product and partially because it’s affordable. Environment   When I visited, I noticed the eating area was bright and clean, creating the optical illusion of being more spacious than it is. In reality, it’s a small business in Downtown Berkeley, California. But it doesn’t feel like a small business in Berkeley. It resembles someplace bigger and gives off very Chinese vibes. Everything about the dining room was appetizing and appealing, and made me really want to sit and eat. And judging by the number of tables filled, even at odd...

Roast and Toast This café is decorated in an exotic emerald green with gold and brown highlights, and the design pays tribute to the Islamic world. The Arabic music playing on the speakers adds to the ambiance.  The chairs are comfortable, and the space offers free Wi-Fi and a television for watching Arabic music videos or sports. It’s a nice place to stay and sit for a while. Roast and Toast offers a variety of coffee beverages, refreshers, bagels, toasts, croissants, sandwiches, as well as ice cream and pastries. You can order and pay at the cashier counter or use the electronic kiosk.  The prices align well with the quality of the coffee shop and its pleasant environment; they are only slightly higher than those of similar coffee shops. I think that the prices were very reasonable.  The caramel macchiato latte had a good amount of strong coffee and just enough sweetness to temper the bitterness. The end result is a milky beverage that is complex and deep.  Overal...

Espresso Roma Cafe Open daily from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm, this cafe is a great place to start your day or stop by and grab a bite. There is an impressive coffee menu and an impressive food menu. It is a cross between a coffee shop and a casual dining restaurant.   When you walk in, you might be overwhelmed by the number of options, which include eggs, sandwiches, soups, burgers, breakfast burritos, and salads as well as a variety of coffee and tea options. They also have a juice bar and an assortment of sodas.  When you finally choose, you can place your order at the counter, where they will ring you up and accept your payment. They will either prepare your order on the spot or give you a number to put on you table. After that, you can be seated. This cafe has lots of seating. The majority of the seating is outdoors, most of which is under a veranda. There is also a small lounge and eating area inside. The vanilla latte (pictured above) was fabulous. The coffee flavor was deep a...

Mel's Express First established in San Francisco in 1947, Mel's Express now is a chain that has 22 locations in northern Nevada and northern California, including one 2014 Kala Bagai Way in Berkeley, California, which I recently visited. (The hours of the Berkeley location are 11:00 am to 9:00 pm daily.) I decided from the music on the radio, the items on the menu, and the decorations on the wall that it was a relatively authentic mid-twentieth-century fast-food diner.  I had fun studying the retro decorations on the walls. What really stood out to me was what a cool collection of classic rock memorabilia they had. They had Elvis, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Bob Marley, Chuck Berry, and other early classic rock superstar photos, posters, and even vinyl records. I noticed an old movie poster or two from films I was not familiar with, a nice Muhammed Ali poster, and a black and white photo of Bill Clinton. They had some old soda and ketchup logos, some nice antique vending ...

Way Station Brew Way Station Brew is a dark and mysterious restaurant, cafe, and beer garden. It is decorated in dark colors and dimly lit, with jazzy instrumentals playing in the background. Half the walls are dark red exposed brick; the other half are painted a dark teal that seems to absorb the light, leaving the room with a dark appearance. There are two black leather sofas, a black leather booth running along one wall, and several black leather bar stools, some at the high-top tables and some along the bar. Both of the long walls are adorned with bright, colorful, modern art displayed on them, adding some childish personality to this mysterious den.  The door opens to Dwight Avenue. The storefront has windows that overlook the street. Upon entry, you will see a piano pushed up against one of the walls, and beyond it, a lounge area, and even beyond that,  a small bar.  Behind the bar, you will see an espresso station that extends for the length of the restaurant on t...

Original Pollo Original Pollo is a down-to-earth casual restaurant with a cozy, old-fashioned feel. Walking in from the suburban streets of Berkeley, you begin to feel as if you have traveled to a different time and place, one that is peaceful and old-fashioned in all the best of ways. The restaurant design exudes old-fashioned simplicity. The color scheme emphasizes red, maroon, and brown, giving off comforting vibes. Nothing looks new, but everything is comfortable. As you sit in the restaurant, you can hear the sounds of the other patrons talking, the kitchen utensils clinking, and sometimes the news playing on their one television. The first thing you’ll notice when you walk in is that they have an extensive menu mounted on the wall, chock-full of meals at prices you would be hard-pressed to find elsewhere in the Bay Area. I almost did a double-take, wondering why the prices, like the attractive interior design, seemed to be from a different decade. Original Pollo serves a variety...

Penelope's Coffee and Tea Walking into Penelope's Coffee and Tea is like entering a serene oasis in the middle of the city. The coffee shop is pristine and immaculate with clean white marble tile along the wall, wood tables, black chairs, wood-like linoleum on the floors, and a pop of blue from the wall supports, the sofas, the cups, and the logo. A pleasant tune plays on the loudspeakers. You order and pay at the counter. Then you find your seat in this comfortable cafe. The service is friendly and fast, so they will have your order shortly. The prices are typical for a coffee shop in the Bay Area. The menu is on televisions mounted behind the cashier, and you can find a printed copy in front of the cashier. Penelope's Coffee and Tea has an extensive menu of typical and interesting coffee beverages and a variety of breakfast dishes.  They have hot and iced Greek coffee, available in standard, white mocha, or mocha. They also serve a Freddo cappuccino and Freddo espresso, ...

Imm Thai Street Food Imm Thai Street Food is located in the heart of Berkeley, where you can take a seat outside or inside their shop. The outdoor tables are nice on sunny days, but the indoor tables are nice as well. The inside of the restaurant is packed with tables. The restaurant's design is somewhat Spartan, featuring a simple black and gray color scheme with brown wood. The only adornments on the wall are a few black and white photos of Thailand. This signals that the restaurant's focus and claim to fame is the incredible food. Imm Thai is a no-frills sit-down restaurant. You will have to wait to be seated, and then you will be offered a chance to review the menu and decide what you would like. The menu has many options, all at a rather affordable price; the lack of frills and Spartan design give way to an exquisite meal at a decent price. Imm Thai is open from 11 am to 10 pm on weekends and from 11 am to 9:30 pm on weekdays. You know that its delicious food is no secret...

Helacio's Deli and Cafe Helacio's is a small cafe and deli located on Sacramento Street, serving a wide variety of options. This includes pastries, breakfast burritos, sandwiches, salads, paninis, soup, coffee, fresh juice, smoothies, and ice cream. The entire menu is displayed on the chalkboards on the wall behind the counter, on signs posted along the counter, or in the glass cases that form part of the barrier between the kitchen and the rest of the restaurant. It seems they have something for everyone. You can order and pay at the register behind the counter. They accept credit cards and contactless pay, and the prices won’t give you sticker shock. Almost as soon as you place your order, they will begin preparing your food or beverage. The service is relatively quick, even when it's crowded. The baristas are friendly and work very fast. It’s kind of fun to watch them hurrying around the small kitchen area. Somehow, the finished product turns out looking and tasting per...

Kui Shin Bo Kui Shin Bo, which translates roughly to "glutton," is a small sit-down restaurant in San Francisco. It is located in the corner of a small mall in Japantown. It seats only about seven parties at once in its small eating area, which is cutely decorated with Japanese art in frames and has dark blue Japanese flower wallpaper as trim; not only that, but the walls to the small eating area were sectioned off by wood paneling and lit by Japanese light fixtures. This gave the restaurant a very quaint and had a traditionally Japanese feel.  Despite its small size, it has one of the most extensive menus you will see. It is a great place to look for Japanese dishes that are hard to find elsewhere, like okonomiyaki, shabu shabu, or sukiyaki. They also serve a variety of noodle dishes (many types of ramen, soba, and udon dishes), sushi (traditional maki and nigiri, modern rolls, and sushi burritos), sashimi, teriyaki dishes, yakimono, and tempura, among other things. Everyth...

Olympus Caffe and Bakery Nestled in downtown Mountain View on Castro Street is one of the Bay Area's best kept secrets: Olympus Caffe and Bakery, the Turkish- and Greek-inspired Mediterranean cafe. This restaurant serves fascinating Mediterranean dishes alongside dishes that are more common in this culture, ensuring that there is something for everyone. This is a sit-down restaurant where you order and pay at the counter, and then they give you a number to take with you to your table. When the food is ready, they will bring it to you. There are some tables indoors and some outdoors; you can pick what you prefer. If you sit outdoors, you may witness some live music or other entertainment on Castro Street.  One of their main specialties is their espresso bar. They have a wonderfully extensive selection of coffee and tea beverages, including lattes, mochas, and americanos, some hot and some iced. Unique to this shop are the options of Turkish coffee and Turkish tea. Every time I drin...

Caffe Chiave Caffe Chiave is a cute and homey Italian cafe overlooking San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley. It’s the kind of place you go to when you’re hungry and leave feeling satisfied.  The interior design, like the menu, has clearly been influenced by Italian style and culture. Its design utilizes warm-colored wood and dark red trim, a color scheme that reminds the visitor that this is an Italian cafe. The speakers play instrumental music that goes with the Italian-inspired theme. The cafe is not particularly large, nor is it jam-packed. It holds about twenty small tables that are spaced apart enough to give each table some distance and privacy. This creates a cozy and comfortable feel. With the nice Italian music to help drown out conversations between other guests, it’s a very nice place to have an intimate conversation with friends or colleagues over food or coffee. Caffe Chiave serves the public as both a coffee shop and a restaurant. The baristas sell coffee (including house dri...

St. Stephen's Green St. Stephen's Green is an Irish restaurant and bar in downtown Mountain View that features many televisions for watching sports and a full-service bar. It resembles an old-style tavern and has all the sounds and smells of a traditional Irish pub. It has a very private and intimate feel because you have to wander back into its eating and drinking area that is away from the entrance and any windows. This feeling helps you feel safe as you kick back and enjoy a sports game and maybe a drink or two. Despite being lit only by electric light with no sunlight streaming in, it is a lively environment. You can hear the sounds of the popular music on the speakers, the televisions, and the cheering sports fans.  On local game days, the St. Stephen's Green is packed full of cheering fans. For those who are from out of town or follow teams from around the country, there are plenty of televisions to air your game as well. In fact, St. Stephen's Green subscribes to...

Oori Rice Triangles Oori is a very small restaurant. In fact, it is more like a stand. It has no seating at all. You come in, order and pay at a kiosk, and then wait as they prepare your order in their small kitchen. There is standing area where you can eat, or you can carry out your order.  The fact of the matter is that this adds to the appeal of Oori. It is fast, simple, and tasty. Nothing more. The simplicity of the restaurant helps it maintain low prices for the food. Customers rotate quickly through the business and often come back for more. Oori has cornered the market in Berkeley for freshly prepared rice triangles. They have grilled salmon (pictured above), short rib, spicy ahi tuna, chicken teriyaki, spicy pork, spicy shrimp, unagi, tofu teriyaki, tofu kimchi, spicy kimchi, pickled plum, spicy tofu, and rice only triangles. All are made with same basic method, which wraps a healthy amount of filling and a rice triangle in crunchy seaweed.  These toppings can also be...

Sushi Arashi  Sushi Arashi is one of downtown Mountain View's best restaurants. It serves a variety of Japanese dishes, including sushi and sashimi. I like to start my meal with some of their warm and savory miso soup. It's very inexpensive but very satisfying.   Ordering the sushi or sashimi is a safe bet here. You can trust this restaurant will have fresh and yummy fish every time. They also have quite a few vegetarian rolls. Whether you prefer nigiri, makimono, or sashimi, you will be delighted by the number of options offered. The sushi and sashimi are served with their slightly spicy wasabi, quality pickled ginger, and umami soy sauce.  I have also sampled their udon and found it more than satisfactory. The thick, doughy noodles went perfectly with the thin and salty soup they were swimming in. The meat and vegetables balanced each other out perfectly in the udon dish that I sampled. Not to be ignored are their teriyaki dishes. The teriyaki glaze/sauce they use...

Blue Bottle Coffee Walking into Blue Bottle Coffee, I was taken aback by it aesthetic appeal. I noticed that it was brightly lit by warm-toned electric lights and by daylight streaming through the storefront windows. Everything was immaculate, and on top of that, the entire cafe was sleek and modern. The gorgeously modern design featured clean white walls and counters, invitingly warm tones of wood paneling, and a pop of blue on the menu. Blue Bottle Coffee is an ideal place to sit and work. It's bright, comfortable, and beautiful. Free wifi is provided, and it is pretty quiet. Simple repetitive music plays just loudly enough to mask the noise of the baristas working in the kitchen and the sound of everyone else working. The seating is set up on stools along long white-surfaced tables, creating a great environment to focus on your laptop or whatever else you have to do. The menu isn't particularly extensive; this restaurant has a toned down menu to match their minimalist desig...

Royal Ground Coffee Royal Ground Coffee is a chain that operates in the San Francisco Bay Area. They sell a variety of pastries, coffee, tea, espresso, and hot chocolate drinks as well as a menu of twenty sandwiches, some that appear to be breakfast sandwiches (like #1, bacon, egg, cheese, and sausage or ham, which I tried), and some that you would think of more as lunch sandwiches (like the #16 the BLT or #19 turkey pastrami).  The inside of the shop has a spacious feel. The tables are spaced out and big enough to eat at. You order and pay at the counter, and then you sit and wait at your table for them to complete making your order. Meanwhile, you can talk with the people you came with (the spaciousness of the restaurant makes all the conversations feel very private), or you can log in to their free wifi.  There were lots of options when it came to coffee, but I eventually opted for an iced vanilla latte. They used a good amount of milk, and it was very sweet, but not overp...

La Mission La Mission is a popular small restaurant in Berkeley that sticks to authentic and delicious Mexican cooking. La Mission keeps the food affordable without sacrificing authenticity or quality. This restaurant is no secret. Crowds come back again and again to dine in or get takeout.  The menu is made up of elaborate, traditional Mexican recipes that they can whip up in a jiffy. They serve a variety of appetizers, burritos, tacos, enchiladas, sandwiches, other entrees, soups, salads, and desserts.  We have been here more than once and have sampled several of the items. Below, I will describe some of our favorites, but honestly, it's hard to go wrong.  First of all, the spicy chile colorado burrito with chicken is a real hit. It is very spicy but very good! The spices from the chile de arbol and the chile colorado mix beautifully to make an intriguing flavor of their own. It makes for a satisfying and filling meal. Next, the ceviche is always light and summery. It ...

MJ Sushi MJ Sushi is an attractively designed restaurant that has a modern and sleek appearance-- and a modern and sleek take on Japanese culinary tradition!  You can order your favorite Japanese appetizers like edamame (soybeans), gyoza (Japanese dumplings), chicken karaage (fried chicken), tokoyaki (deep-fried octopus). They also carry miso soup, seaweed salad, and a house green salad.  I strongly recommend starting with some of their miso soup. It is warm and perfectly seasoned with salty dashi, tofu, and seaweed. I find it to be both hearty and light at once; hefty enough to take the edge off my hunger, but light enough not to spoil my appetite.  Its savory flavor is wonderful for getting my palate ready for the main course. For the main course, they offer beef, chicken, and salmon teriyaki meals, which have Japanese barbecue sauce and are served over a bed of rice. These are viable alternatives for those who do not care for fish or raw fish. They are filling and tas...