Search Results for: "Shop Talk"

Shop Talk: The ins and outs of Berkeley businesses

May 21, 2013 12:19 pm by Lance Knobel
Arabica

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WHAT’S IN A NAME? A sign declaring “Berserkeley” announces Gilman District, being developed just south of Gilman on 10th, adjacent to the relocated Office Depot and across from the proposed Whole Foods Market. [Update: the developer clarifies that the marketing sign with Berserkeley is not the name of the development. It will be Gilman District.] Berserkeley Gilman District has two parcels, a divisible 10,735-square-foot lot facing 10th Street for retail, and a 5,376-square-foot lot facing Ninth Street for specialty food outlets. “We are gearing all prospective tenancies to make sure they all are aligned with community, and have dual purpose of retail and customer experience that address active lifestyles,” Michael Fogelman, the developer, said in a press statement. According to Matt Holmes, principal of Retail West, which is marketing the development, ideal tenants would be “a highly specialized bike store like Velo cult in Portland that offers expertise, service in the cycling world and a brew pub in one store experience, or a specialty soccer or running shoe store that can start weekend group runs or activities from our project.” The specialty food annex along Ninth will have a large outdoor deck and feature a mix of restaurants, cafes and specialty food purveyors.  … Continue reading »

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Bites: What’s new in East Bay food, XXII

May 16, 2013 11:45 am by Tracey Taylor
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SISTA SANDWICH New in town: start-up Sista Sandwich, which provides grab-and-go gourmet gluten free sandwiches in Berkeley. Laura Tucker, who founded the company with her sister Sharon Pearlstein, says Sista is one of the few companies to be filling this niche and, so far, business is good.  ”Our 100% gluten free sandwiches are made in Oakland and sold in Berkeley,” she says. The idea for Sista Sandwich came in the fall of 2011 while the pair were sitting in a cafe discussing how they would love to start a food related business of their own. While at the cafe Laura, who had been on a gluten free diet for two years already, realized that there was nothing for her to eat, other than yogurt, chips and packs of nuts. The Sista Sandwiches can be found at Berkeley Bowl, in two cafés on the UC Berkeley campus, at the new Café La Renaissance (see below) as well as a couple of small Berkeley markets. … Continue reading »

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Shop Talk: The ins and outs of Berkeley businesses

May 15, 2013 2:45 pm by Frances Dinkelspiel
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CAFE LA RENAISSANCE Christina Sun, who owns 3045 Shattuck Ave., a building that has been a neighborhood flashpoint for years, has opened up a cozy cafe on the ground floor. Called Café La Renaissance (pictured top), the eatery two blocks south of Ashby Avenue opened its doors May 6 selling coffee and other beverages. Now it has introduced sandwiches, salads, pastries from The Bread Workshop, as well as gluten-free sandwiches from Sista Sandwich in Oakland. The interior is inviting, with couches, posters, a Renaissance-style oil painting, and a fireplace mantle. “Renaissance means rebirth,” said manager Dani Stewart. Sun “wanted to set up an environment where people could come and leave all their worries behind. It’s a play on words.” The building, once known as “the flying cottage,” was declared a public nuisance by the City Council in 2003. It was heavily damaged in a 2006 arson fire and then rebuilt. The hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. … Continue reading »

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Bites: What’s new in East Bay food, XXI

May 10, 2013 12:00 pm by Emilie Raguso
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NEW NEXT DOOR Next Door has now opened in the old Addie’s Pizza Pie location, at 3290 Adeline St. in Berkeley (as tipped by Nosh in March). Eater SF reports that the “menu has a little bit of everything,” from red curry tofu to fried chicken. See the full menu here. Chef Sharon Lorraine Anderson, formerly of The Purple Plum, is running the kitchen. Henry Alvarez, the controversial former head of San Francisco’s Housing Authority, and his wife Dionne Roberts, are the owners. Hours run from 5-10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, as well as Sunday; and 5-11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The restaurant is closed Mondays. A Mother’s Day brunch is available this weekend; generally, breakfast is available Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Learn more at Next Door Berkeley.

BARKADA BAKERY After several weeks popping up on the sidewalk, Temescal’s new bakery, Barkada, at 4316 Telegraph Ave. in Oakland, is set to open Saturday. Get connected with all the latest Barkada news via the café’s Facebook page and blog. At the end of April, the owners posted a short round-up of what it’s taken to get the business going: “We are so happy to be joining the neighborhood! We have been planning, designing and constructing the space for the last five months and are pretty close to opening. We are in the homestretch and are going through our inspections this week.”  … Continue reading »

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Shop Talk: The ins and outs of Berkeley businesses

May 7, 2013 11:41 am by Frances Dinkelspiel
breads-of-india

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RISING FROM THE ASHES Good news for fans of Breads of India. The restaurant at 2448 Sacramento St., which was seriously damaged by a fire in September, plans to reopen sometime in mid-June, according to the owner Rohit Singh. Construction to repair the building started in late April after many months navigating insurance issues and city permits, he said. When the restaurant reopens it will feature the same menu with changing daily specials, but the space will be updated and ADA compliant. The Sacramento Street location was the first Breads of India location – it opened in 1997 – and it’s been tough having it closed,  said Singh. There are two other branches, one in Oakland and one in Walnut Creek. … Continue reading »

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News

Best of Berkeleyside: This week’s most popular posts

May 4, 2013 11:30 am by Berkeleyside Editors

Our number one story for pageviews this week was our Bites column: a weekly round-up of all the exciting things happening on the food scene in the inner East Bay — which just goes to show that our readers appreciate the good things in life, including, NOSH, our spin-off site dedicated to all things delicious.

Nikki Hodgson’s essay reflecting on all the good things she would miss when she moved from Berkeley to Boulder, Colorado, clearly struck a chord. Who wouldn’t feel nostalgic for Tilden Park, Berkeley Bowl, surplus Meyer lemons, and our city’s “quiet corners of refuge.” … Continue reading »

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Bites: What’s new in East Bay food, XX

May 2, 2013 3:04 pm by Tracey Taylor
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Screen shot 2013-05-02 at 2.24.55 PMHIVE A new coffee shop called Hive (“the place to bee”) should be open within a month in Oakland’s Dimond district at 2139 MacArthur Blvd. Calanit Kamala, who is opening the spot with Bree Dezort, says they will be serving Highwire coffee and Starter Bakery pastries, as well house-made sandwiches and salads. ”We are going to have honey cake as one of our specials, as well as completely vegan honey-lavender-coconut granita,” she adds. Follow Hive on its Facebook page for details of opening day. … Continue reading »

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Shop Talk: The ins and outs of Berkeley businesses

April 30, 2013 11:45 am by Berkeleyside Editors
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TELEGRAPH EVOLVES Naan ‘N’ Curry, a longtime fixture at 2366 Telegraph Ave. and a student favorite, shut its doors last week. Sales had gone down 30% over the last three years as more and more “quick serve” restaurants opened on Telegraph, finally forcing the Indian restaurant to close, according to a press release put out by the new Telegraph Restaurant Association. There is no sign on the door announcing the closure, but all the tables and chairs have been moved out.

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Bites: What’s new in East Bay food, XIX

April 25, 2013 2:30 pm by Emilie Raguso
Hoi Polloi friends and supporters have been doing lots of work at the Alcatraz Avenue space to get it ready to open. They're shown here getting rid of the old vinyl tile. Photo: Courtesy of Hoi Polloi

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Bites is Berkeleyside Nosh’s round-up of restaurant, bar and food-related news in the East Bay. To stay up-to-speed with all that’s going on locally, read our daily Nosh Wire, and check out previous editions of Bites. We always love receiving food-related tips at nosh@berkeleyside.com.

Openings, closings…

BEER GARDEN OPEN Moxy Beer Garden, in South Berkeley, opened recently at 3136 Sacramento St. The business is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to midnight, and offers burgers and fries as well as beers. Recent customers have raved about truffle fries and say the spot will be “in heavy rotation” for nights out. Read more on Berkeleyside about Moxy.

TOMO’S JAPANESE CUISINE Tomo’s Japanese Cuisine plans to open next week at 2026 San Pablo Ave. in Berkeley, a space that used to be Chinese restaurant Lee Wah. Details are thin, but Chef Tomo Owada says on the restaurant’s website that his eatery will provide traditional Japanese food with an emphasis on local and sustainable ingredients. (Hat tip: Lawrence Grown) … Continue reading »

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Shop Talk: The ins and outs of Berkeley businesses

April 24, 2013 9:00 am by Berkeleyside Editors
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EAST BAY SPICE COMPANY A new restaurant and bar, the East Bay Spice Company (above), has opened at 2134 Oxford Street opposite Cal’s main entrance in downtown Berkeley (sandwiched between the Sunny Side Café and Cinnaholic). The eatery is serving Indian street-food-inspired dishes and artisanal cocktails with an Indian twist, as well as craft beers and wines. East Bay Spice Company is owned by Deepak Aggarwal who also owns Mint Leaf in the Gourmet Ghetto’s Epicurious Garden. The new spot takes over the shuttered Punjabi buffet restaurant.

TOMO’S JAPANESE CUISINE Tomo’s Japanese Cuisine plans to open next week at 2026 San Pablo Ave., a space which used to be Chinese restaurant Lee Wah. Details are thin, but Chef Tomo Owada says on the restaurant’s website that his eatery will provide traditional Japanese food with an emphasis on local and sustainable ingredients. (Hat tip: Lawrence Grown.) … Continue reading »

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Shop Talk: The ins and outs of Berkeley businesses

April 16, 2013 3:30 pm by Berkeleyside Editors
Lindgren's

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LINDGREN’S Lindgren’s Coffee and Café (above) in downtown Berkeley opened for business in February. Now it’s having its grand opening celebration — on Thursday, April 18, at 5 p.m. and all are welcome. There will be the chance to feast on house-made delicacies, enjoy a sparkling beverage and get a free chair massage — as well as the requisite ribbon cutting. Lindgren’s, 2120 Dwight Way (at Shattuck). … Continue reading »

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Bites: What’s new in East Bay food, XVIII

April 12, 2013 2:30 pm by Berkeleyside Editors
La Fable (brunch) by Nancy Rubin

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Bites is Berkeleyside Nosh’s round-up of restaurant, bar and food-related news in the East Bay. To stay up-to-speed with all that’s going on locally, read our daily Nosh Wire, and check out previous editions of Bites. We always love receiving food-related tips at nosh@berkeleyside.com.

Openings, closings…

Screen shot 2013-04-12 at 11.37.41 AMTRIBUNE TAVERN The hot restaurant opening of the week happened Wednesday with the arrival of another big Chris Pastena eatery in Oakland (he’s behind Chop Bar and Lungomare and has others up his sleeve). Tribune Tavern is housed in the former Oakland Tribune building at 401 13th St., at Franklin. A meat-centric gastropub menu is overseen by chef Huw Thornton, who most recently worked at the short-lived Locanda da Eva in Berkeley. Before that he was at A16 and SPQR in San Francisco. One early review was more than positive. Oaklavore called the restauran’ts trotter and cheek fritters “nothing short of amazing.” … Continue reading »

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Shop Talk: The ins and outs of Berkeley businesses

April 9, 2013 2:00 pm by Berkeleyside Editors
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TRACKERS BAY Outdoor education organization Trackers Bay has taken over the distinctive building formerly occupied by Marmot Mountain Works at 3049 Adeline St. in Berkeley. Trackers’ regional director, Jess Liotta, describes the company as offering training in old-school skills and story-based immersive experiences for kids and adults. She tells Berkeleyside: “Think archery, foraging, wilderness survival, zombie apocalypse training, blacksmithing, etc!” The Adeline space is going to serve as Trackers’ central headquarters, office, and meeting space for its workshops and classes. Community gatherings and events will also be held there. Trackers Bay parent company Trackers Earth was founded in 2004 by Tony and Molly Deis. Tony based Trackers on his personal work in outdoor education since 1992. Marmot Mountain Works closed at the beginning of this year, after 36 years operating in Berkeley. Visit the Trackers Bay website for more information.  … Continue reading »

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