This weekend, when around 30,000 students and faculty stroll through Caltopia, browsing the booths of more than 100 exhibitors, Berkeley’s two driving forces, the city and its university, will be pitched in perfect harmony. And Berkeleyside will be there to sing along too.

Caltopia was launched nine years ago as a way for Berkeley businesses to welcome Cal students, both current and new, back to school. The event runs on Sunday and Monday this year, and classes start up … Continue reading »]]>

This weekend, when around 30,000 students and faculty stroll through Caltopia, browsing the booths of more than 100 exhibitors, Berkeley’s two driving forces, the city and its university, will be pitched in perfect harmony. And Berkeleyside will be there to sing along too.

Caltopia was launched nine years ago as a way for Berkeley businesses to welcome Cal students, both current and new, back to school. The event runs on Sunday and Monday this year, and classes start up on campus next Thursday.

“It’s become a rite of passage, a welcome week tradition,” says a spokesperson for UC Berkeley’s Department of Recreational Sports which orchestrates the gigantic event. He says Caltopia was originally created as a platform for Cal Recreational Sports to reintroduce its programs and services to the campus, as well as to provide campus groups, local and Bay Area businesses and national brands with a responsible way to engage with Cal students

Think of Caltopia as a great street festival, one that is welcoming to families and safe – alcohol is banned from the event and businesses and services are vetted to ensure their offerings align with the majority student audience.

Many local businesses at Caltopia will be hoping to convert those attending the event into valuable consumers. According to the UC Berkeley Economic Impact Study, Cal students contribute $395 million annually into the Bay Area economy, of which, $294 million stays in Berkeley

Berkeleyside will be at Caltopia to raise awareness of our site among a significant and important Berkeley constituency. We will also be launching a very exciting new product (more on that later), and have partnered with a host of wonderful Berkeley businesses to give out some fabulous raffle prizes to Caltopia participants – worth over $600. Through the raffles we hope to introduce incoming Cal students to many of the great businesses and services on their doorstep.

Berkeleyside would like to thank the following businesses for their generosity in providing gift certificates: Ajanta, Axis Optical, Berkeley Hat Company, Books Inc., Cioccolata Di Vino, Ecology Center, Elmwood Café, Fantastic Comics, Friends of the Berkeley Public Library, Gather Restaurant, Hotel Shattuck Plaza, Ideologie, Impact Theatre, iScream, Joshu-ya Brasserie, LMI.net, Moe’s Books, Mrs. Dalloway’s, Pegasus, Phil’s Sliders, PiQ, Powell’s Sweet Shoppe, Revival Café, Rudy’s Can’t Fail Café, Saul’s Deli, Shattuck Plaza Hotel, Shoes on Solano, Slash Jeans, Summer Kitchen Bake Shop, and Venus Restaurant.

A second raffle prize comes courtesy of  LaVals Pizza and Northside Travel: free pizza for a year, worth over $400. How could anyone resist?

Even if you’re not lucky enough to win one of our raffles – the winners will be announced on Berkeleyside on Wednesday August 24th, one prize for students, one for Cal staff and faculty – we encourage you to patronize these great Berkeley businesses and spend your money in the city to boost our local economy.

Caltopia is on Sunday August 21 and Monday August 22, 10am-4pm, at the UC Berkeley Recreational Sports Facility at 2301 Bancroft Way. Admission is free. Full details can be found on the Caltopia website.

By Tracey Taylor. | Permalink | 3 comments |
Post tags: Ajanta, Axis Optical, Berkeley Hat Company, Berkeleyside, Books Inc, Caltopia, Cioccolata Di Vino, Ecology Center, Elmwood Cafe, Fantastic Comics, Friends of the Library, Gather Restaurant, Hotel Shattuck Plaza, Ideologie, Impact Theatre, iScream, Joshuya Restaurant, LaVals Pizza, LMI.net, Moe's Books, Mrs. Dalloway's, Northside Travel, Pegasus, Phil's Sliders, PIQ, Powell's Sweet Shoppe, Revival Café, Rudy's Can't Fail Café, Saul's, Shattuck Plaza Hotel, Shoes on Solano, Slash, Summer Kitchen, UC Berkeley, Venus restaurant

And, if you can believe it, not a single sandwich in Berkeley was selected.

There were sandwiches from Oakland (Bakesale Betty’s chicken and coleslaw on a French roll got a nod), sandwiches from Pt. Reyes Station (Osteria Stellina’s grilled cheese was singled out), sandwiches from San Carlos (The Refuge’s pastrami is apparently good enough to … Continue reading »]]>

Bakesale Betty's fried chicken sandwich

San Francisco Magazine, that oversized, glossy love letter to food and fashion*, recently named what it considers the best sandwiches in the Bay Area.

And, if you can believe it, not a single sandwich in Berkeley was selected.

There were sandwiches from Oakland (Bakesale Betty’s chicken and coleslaw on a French roll got a nod), sandwiches from Pt. Reyes Station (Osteria Stellina’s grilled cheese was singled out), sandwiches from San Carlos (The Refuge’s pastrami is apparently good enough to die for), and plenty of sandwiches from San Francisco.

But not one from Berkeley.

How can this be? Berkeley is the home of Chez Panisse, the Cheeseboard, Acme Bread, and all things artisanal. Someone must be putting ingredients together to make delicious sandwiches.

Here’s another, harsher thought: What if the magazine is right?

Berkeleyside decided to take matters into its own hands and conduct a poll of delicious sandwiches within the city’s borders. Here is what we think are some pretty tasty lunch treats.

Star Grocery

Star Grocery is more than 60 years old and from the outside looks old-fashioned. It’s not all fluorescent lights and spit and polish but wooden shelves and faded linoleum. Yet its meat department makes some of the best sandwiches around. They are so enormous it’s hard to eat an entire one, but with its crunchy Acme French bread and meats cured on the premises you can’t go wrong. Many of the sandwiches are Italian-themed, with names like the Soprano, Goodfella, the Godfather, and Raging Bull. Call ahead, if possible, as they sometimes run out.

Café Panini

This Berkeley institution tucked inside the charming Trumpetvine Court on Allston Way has been serving up fresh and delicious sandwiches for a few decades. While my 14-year old likes the artichoke sandwich on French bread, I prefer the Roma Panini with pesto, Roma tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. It is lightly toasted and served open faced.  The lemonade is also great and they have this super dense chocolate cookie that is the perfect end to a meal.

Fred’s Market No. 2

Any student at Berkeley High can tell you about Fred’s Market on University Avenue. At lunchtime there is always a line and I wager that most of the people are ordering the chicken sandwich. It’s got grilled marinated chicken chunks, grilled onions, and a special Middle Eastern sauce. Provolone cheese is melted on top and the entire concoction is put on a soft French roll.  This is another sandwich that is so large it’s hard to eat the entire thing.

Café Fanny

This Alice Waters café named after her daughter has many delicious items. But I love the egg salad sandwich on toasted levain bread. It is topped with sun-dried tomatoes and anchovies. Why can’t I make this at home?

Saul’s Restaurant & Deli

If Saul’s is good enough for Michael Pollan and Michael Lewis, it is good enough for me. Both Berkeley writers are regular customers, a nod to the deli’s recent turn toward sustainable, organic meats. The Niman Ranch pastrami is served warm and bursting with flavor. The meat is not as thickly stacked as it once was, but the sandwich is still delicious.

What am I missing?

*In all fairness, San Francisco Magazine also does in-depth journalism. The magazine has been nominated for two National Magazine Awards this year, one for public service and one for general excellence.

By Frances Dinkelspiel. | Permalink | 34 comments |
Post tags: Cafe Fanny, Cafe Panini, Fred Market No. 2, sandwiches, Saul's, Star Market

In the travel section of yesterday’s L.A. Times, writer Nancy Hoyt Belcher describes the three-hour walking tour she took of Berkeley’s Gourmet Ghetto courtesy of one of Lisa Rogovin’s culinary excursions.

Belcher bit into Cowgirl Creamery Red Hawk from the Cheese Board, full- and half-sour pickles from Saul’s, bought Sumatra Blue Batak from Peet’s and supped a glass of Merlot from Vintage Berkeley. She also took in the Juice Bar Collective on Vine (pictured above), … Continue reading »]]>

In the travel section of yesterday’s L.A. Times, writer Nancy Hoyt Belcher describes the three-hour walking tour she took of Berkeley’s Gourmet Ghetto courtesy of one of Lisa Rogovin’s culinary excursions.

Belcher bit into Cowgirl Creamery Red Hawk from the Cheese Board, full- and half-sour pickles from Saul’s, bought Sumatra Blue Batak from Peet’s and supped a glass of Merlot from Vintage Berkeley. She also took in the Juice Bar Collective on Vine (pictured above), Love at First Bite bakery and the Epicurious Garden.

As she says: “Food, glorious food, is mostly what the Gourmet Ghetto is all about.”

Read the full story here.

By Tracey Taylor. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Cheese Board, Chez Panisse, Epicurious Garden, Juice Bar Collective, Love at First Bite, Saul's, Vintage Berkeley

In case you missed the discussion about the future of the Jewish deli, hosted by Saul’s, the other night, you can watch a video of the whole event. You can find the program split into digestible chapters on Fora.tv.

By lance. | Permalink | No comment | Post tags: Saul's

Piano man: Earl “Fatha” Hines estate donates archive and free music lessons for low-income children to UC Berkeley [LA Times]
Quiet takeover of Wheeler Hall continues [NYT]
Survival of the kindest — we knew that in Berkeley [ScienceBlog]
Sketching at Saul’s. Love that pickle [Jana's Journal]

[Photo of sculler in Aquatic Park by Douglas Frederic Smith from the Berkeleyside Flickr pool]

By lance. | Permalink | One comment … Continue reading »]]>

Piano man: Earl “Fatha” Hines estate donates archive and free music lessons for low-income children to UC Berkeley [LA Times]
Quiet takeover of Wheeler Hall continues [NYT]
Survival of the kindest — we knew that in Berkeley [ScienceBlog]
Sketching at Saul’s. Love that pickle [Jana's Journal]

[Photo of sculler in Aquatic Park by Douglas Frederic Smith from the Berkeleyside Flickr pool]

By lance. | Permalink | One comment |
Post tags: Earl "Fatha" Hines, Jana Bouc, Saul's, Wheeler Hall