Exploring the Bay Area

  The Melt The Melt is a fast-food chain with multiple locations across California and Arizona. It takes a high-quality spin on the classic notion of an American fast food joint. As the name suggests, they take some pride in their melted cheese. It's fast food, but they take care to provide a uniquely tasty product. When I first walked in, I was mesmerized by the salty smell, and then I became baffled by all the possibilities on the menu.   The menu features cheeseburgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, cheesy chicken sandwiches, and mac and cheese for all the cheese-lovers out there. They also have a selection of soups, salads, drinks, and desserts (including some delicious hand-spun shakes).  The menu denotes several items that are vegetarian. It has a selection of add-ons, extras ($0.99), and premium extras ($1.99), which, for a small price, can be used to personalize the menu items. You can opt for an impossible burger patty for an additional $3.00 as well. I opted f...

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...

Cafe Tibet Cafe Tibet specializes in Tibetan cuisine. Everything is both vegetarian and vegan, and it has many gluten free options.  It is a small hole-in-the-wall lovingly decorated with Tibetan artwork and souvenirs. I particularly admired the paintings on the wall that depict life in Tibet. I also liked the photo of the Dalai Lama and the flags on the wall. It is a family-owned restaurant, and the proprietor is a friendly man who waits the tables himself.  From the decorations and the attitude of the owners, I could tell that this small restaurant is a labor of love, born out of a pure desire to share their own delicious take on authentic Tibetan cuisine.  They have a selection of starters, salads, soups, gluten-free noodles, gluten-free entrees, noodles, momo (Tibetan dumplings), curries, and other entrees, as well as some interesting drink options. Nothing on the menu costs more than $20, making it one of the more affordable restaurants in the area.  We tried t...

Caffe Chiave Caffe Chiave is a cute and homey Italian cafe overlooking San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley. The interior design has clearly been influenced by Italian style. Its design utilizes warm-colored wood and dark red trim, a color scheme that reminds the visitor that this is an Italian cafe. The cafe is not particularly large; it holds only about twenty small tables. This gives it a cozy feel. The speakers play instrumental music that sounds so Italian that it adds to the ambiance.  When you enter, you order and pay at a long wooden counter that bends slightly to conform to the shape of the room. It turns into a glass case showcasing beautiful cake, pies, and other artistically crafted sweets, and then a counter where you can get condiments and water. Behind that counter, you can see them make your order right then and there. You can hear the food sizzling as it is carefully prepared. Caffe Chiave serves as both a coffee shop and a restaurant. They 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...

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 ...

Rojbas Grill Rojba's Grill is a down-to-earth, family-owned, small restaurant in Berkeley that specializes in delicious Mediterranean food. The service is always incredibly friendly. It is plainly obvious that they take great pride in what they do, and we come back frequently because it is one of our favorite places.  The menu has a set of interesting options options, including salads, wraps, and gyro plates. Everything is prepared with love in a small kitchen behind the register. You can hear the food sizzling while you wait. The vegetables are always fresh, and the meat is always tender, succulent, and well-seasoned. Everything is served with a special hot tea and delicious pita bread that is easy to devour. The salads can be served with a side of any of their meats or kebabs like salmon, lamb, or chicken. The wraps make a satisfying meal. They are easy to hold and bite into and bursting with flavor. The meat wraps feature their thinly cut, slowly cooked, tender, succulent, and w...

Cafe Etoile Cafe Etoile is a charmingly small cafe that takes a fascinating spin on French and Korean cuisine. It is a hidden gem that you will find if you explore Berkeley carefully enough.  It is both a coffee shop and a sit-down restaurant; they serve coffee and pastries but also full-on meals. You order and pay at the counter and then sit down and wait. You can watch them create your order in their small kitchen, or your can turn your attention to your laptop, the people you came with, or one of their televisions.  The coffee at Cafe Etoile is very good. They have hot and iced brewed options, mochas, lattes, and even affogatos with a choice of different flavored syrups. In my opinion, their lattes and mochas have a very good amount of milk and sweetness, and the bitterness of the coffee cuts the sweetness of the flavoring perfectly.  The pastries are fantastic! They make wonderful small snacks, side dishes, and/or desserts. They have lovely croissants, muffins, and sc...

Eureka!  Eureka! is a fantastic restaurant available in many locations in California, including Mountain View and Berkeley.   It is a sit-down restaurant where you order from a server. It has a lively environment, with televisions that show sporting events and speakers that play popular music. The service comes at a relaxed pace. The pricing is reasonable for a sit-down restaurant.   The menu includes several appetizers, salads, and a steak (all of which are good choices), but in the end, the burgers are what steal the show. Their burgers are far from simple, fast-food burgers. They use premium ingredients and unique recipes to create burgers that exceed your expectations of a typical burger. The complexity of the flavors, textures, and taste of these burgers is incredible!