Tag Archives: Caffe Mediterraneum
Bites: What’s new on the East Bay food scene, XIII
Bites is Berkeleyside Nosh’s round-up of restaurant and bar news in the East Bay. Bites is produced by Nosh in collaboration with Christina Mitchell, founder of East Bay Dish. To stay up-to-date, read our daily Nosh Wire, and check out previous editions of Bites.
Freshly served…
ASSEMBLE Assemble Restaurant has quietly opened for lunch service in the old Boilerhouse space at the Craneway Pavilion in Richmond. Terumi Shibata-Mazzera (Downtown Restaurant, Trattoria Corso) and her husband Richard Mazzera (Cesar, Downtown Restaurant, Chez Panisse) are at the helm. They’re serving American cuisine with regional classics like a cheesesteak sandwich (roast beef, peppers, onions, melted house-made cheese whiz on an Acme torpedo roll served with house-made chips, $13), muffaletta (salami, ham, mortadella, provolone, mozzarella, olives, tomato and celery, served with potato salad, $11) and fish & chips (club soda batter, tartar sauce, served with cole slaw and house-made chips, $15). Dessert also looks promising with “Serena’s Solution” chocolate cake, served with salted caramel ice cream ($6) on the menu. There are beer, wine and cocktails. Dinner will be added in the next few weeks. 1414 Harbour Way South, Richmond. 510-215-6025. Monday to Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. … Continue reading »
Op/Ed: We can do better with civil sidewalks
Craig Becker, owner of Caffe Mediterraneum on Telegraph Avenue, says that since an encampment of young travelers, including their dogs and belongings, made their home a block from his coffee shop, his business has seen negative growth and declining sales. In an Opinionator piece published today, he argues that the nomadic youth are not to blame — it’s the city’s fault for allowing this behavior to continue year after year, and he encourages people to vote yes on Measure S.
Berkeleyside welcomes … Continue reading »
Perk up at the Berkeley Coffee and Tea Festival
Sina Carroll is a committed tea enthusiast. She travels to China twice a year to source high-end tea from local farmers and sells a wide selection through her online store Red Circle Tea. Carroll has no employees and acts as the company’s owner, accountant, and buyer; her favorite part of the job, however, is teaching others about the craft of tea making.
“I love the process of steeping tea for others,” said Carroll. “I like to show people how easy, elegant, and fun it can be to make tea in this beautiful and traditional way. The look of wonder on their faces when they see this ritual is amazing.”
Carroll’s favorite place to share her enthusiasm and meet other tea connoisseurs is the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce’s Coffee and Tea Festival. The second annual festival, which will be held on Saturday, August 18th at Hotel Shattuck Plaza, will feature dozens of local coffee, tea, and dessert vendors. Along with Carroll’s Red Circle Tea, other offerings will include traditional lattes from Berkeley favorite Caffe Mediterraneum, and unique Vietnamese coffee from V Café. (See below on how to win free tickets to the Festival!) … Continue reading »
A mother’s day, the Berkeley way
Jane Stillwater is the quintessential Berkeley mom. After reading our recent coverage of the “Your Mom is So Berkeley” website, she wrote this delightful account of her quintessential Berkeley Mothers’ Day. Stillwater, a grandmother as well as a mom, has four children and lives in Berkeley.
Did you know that there’s a website out now that is completely devoted to jokes about Berkeley moms? Blond jokes and Polish jokes are out now. Berkeley Mom jokes are in. “My mom is so Berkeley that….”
Hey, I’m a Berkeley mom. So when my daughter Ashley and son Joe asked me what I wanted to do for Mothers’ Day this year, I got to thinking about Berkeley. “Hey, I’ve got an idea. Let’s drive around Berkeley to all the places we used to hang out at when you guys were kids.” Tot lots? Soccer fields? Elementary schools? No way! My kids had different kinds of memories about their pasts.
First we went to the Caffe Mediterraneum up on Telegraph Avenue, where I used to sit and gossip in the 1970s and drink caffe lattes while my kids played under the table. Other kids may have gone to Blue Fairyland for daycare but not mine!
“My mom was so Berkeley that she raised me at the Med.”
Then we drove by People’s Park. “I was there when we first started to plant its gardens back in 1969,” I told the kids. “I was there for the riots and the tear gas. And I got my picture on the front page of the Berkeley Barb during our victory parade.”
That’s just great. “My mom is so Berkeley that she was a cover girl for the Berkeley Barb….”
Then we drove by the University of California. I always measure my life by this benchmark: “Am I having as much fun now as I did while going to Cal back in the 1960s?” And the answer is still always no.
“My mom is so Berkeley that she used to take us to hunger strikes up on Sproul Plaza.” And I still do.
Next we drove down past the old Mandrake’s nightclub, where I first met one of the backup guitarists for a band called Joy of Cooking. Two months later I was pregnant. “That’s not my child and goodbye,” said the lead singer for a band named Commander Cody and The Lost Planet Airmen.
“My mom is so Berkeley that she spends our entire Mothers Day making us listen to stories about when she was a Flower Child.” Damn straight. And before that I was a Beatnik. And don’t you forget it. … Continue reading »
