Exploring the Bay Area

Beach Chalet This restaurant is another example of fine dining available in the Bay Area. This top-tier restaurant has a beautiful view overlooking the beach. Sometimes, a live pianist will play background music; other times, the speakers play some pleasant hits. Everything comes at a relaxing leisurely pace as you enjoy the view and the background music. It is a sit-down restaurant (one where you order from a server at your table) that takes reservations. Beach Chalet is on the second story of a beautiful building whose downstairs has a lovely mural and a small museum.  The menu has plenty of options, so there's likely to be something for everyone in your party. They have an assortment of starters including warm sourdough bread, lemon ricotta beignets, tuna poke, and truffle parmesan fries. They serve two types of soup: Pacific chowder and corn soup. As for salads, they have a classic Caesar Salad, a Nicoise salad, Organic greens, and an heirloom tomato salad. In the way of sandw...

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...

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...

Zhangliang Malatang This Chinese restaurant chain is one of my all-time favorites! I have gone many times now and hope to go many more. It is a unique concept of a restaurant; instead of making you order from a server or pick a ready-made item from a buffet, this restaurant allows you to choose uncooked items to be made into a soup or stir-fry of your liking! When you arrive, you are given a bowl and some tongs. It is your task to decide what you would like to use the tongs to put into your bowl. There is a wide selection of meats, including lamb, beef, sausage, and bacon, to name a few. There is also a wide selection of tofu, vegetables, and noodles.  You take only what you want and none of what you don't. I like to go to this restaurant with groups of friends and family because it is fun seeing how different each bowl is; in my experience, no two bowls come out identical, and instead they are as unique as the people who assemble them.  When you reach the end of the line, you...