I recently had a long weekend getaway to Norcal. The reason, or rather excuse for us to make our trip, was to visit UC Berkeley. My sister will be applying for colleges this fall and I was applying for Optometry school, so we wanted to check out the school. I used to think I wouldn't like Norcal, but the more I visit, the more I see myself living there, for a while at least. The weather was really nice while we were up there. This was probably the warmest summer I've experienced in Norcal. Anywho, here are the places I encountered during this weekend. First stop, the Gourmet Ghetto in Berkeley...
Cheeseboard
This place is a lunch hot spot in Berkeley. They only make one type of pizza and one type of salad per day and its completely vegetarian. The only option you have is how many slices you want. They always give you a tiny half slice with whatever order you get. They have a variety of bottled drinks and simple sweets also. On the day we went, the pizza had roasted corn, bell peppers, garlic, and cilantro. The salad consisted of organic mixed greens and a sesame dressing (I think). We sat at a table outside and enjoyed our pizza and the beautiful weather.
Walking back to the car from Cheeseboard, we saw a sign for a cupcakery and decided to go up the steps to the hidden shop called...
Love At First Bite
Their cupcakes and baked goods at had a really simple and homemade look and feel. I love the fact that they make mini cupcakes. We got a dozen of them with various flavors, red velvet, lemon, strawberry, and chocolate. We also go a regular sized chocolate pistachio. These cupcakes were not a top favorite of mine but they were tasty. They aren't as sweet and decadent as other cupcakes out there. They had a very light flavor and sweetness.
After our first two stops, we left the Gourmet Ghetto and headed to UC Berkeley's campus to explore and check out the school. We stopped by the local Urban Outfitters and American Apparel. From there we headed to an ice cream palor in Oakland called...
Fentons
I was most excited to go here, the original Fentons Creamery. I've always heard lots of great things about this place. I also found out that it was in a scene in Up. Sadly, I've never seen Up, but it is definitely on my to-do list. I could not wait to try their handcrafted ice creams and sauces. There were six of us and we decided to be adventurous and get the banana special substituting the regular chocolate for Swiss milk chocolate and pineapple sauce for cold caramel. Those 3 lbs. of ice cream and toppings were amazing!
Now off to San Fran for the next day, where my sister and I spent the day walking around, shopping, and of course, snacking! We started the day off by meeting up some friends in North Beach for brunch at...
Caffe DeLucchi
It was a nice cafe with outdoor seating. Since the weather was so nice, we sat outside. My sister and I shared the eggs Florentine and the granola and yogurt parfait. Our friends had the eggs Benedict and the crab cakes Benedict. All of it was quite delicious. I still prefer Mama's but this place is a close second.
(Sorry I don't have any pictures from this place)
Our last night in Union City, my aunt took just my sister and I out to dinner to catch up with us. We went to a restaurant in Milpitas called...
Banana Leaf
This place was cracking! There were just three of us and the wait was about 40 mintues. I had never had Maylasian food before this, and the best way I can describe it is that is a hybrid cross of Thai and Indian food. Every dish had lots of flavor. It was a good dinner and good time with my aunt.
(Sorry no pictures from here either!)
We spent the last day of our trip in San Jose. We went to the Great Mall, where I saw the funniest store, 5.7.9.! Immediately, when my sister and I saw it, I turned to her and said, "1. 3. 5." The reference is the movie, Mean Girls. I wish I had gone into the store to see if they really only sold sizes 5, 7, and 9. That would be have hilarious! Later that night a friend took me to a speakeasyesque bar called...
singlebarrel (nope, that's not a typo)
This place has a roaring 20's feel to it. After the bouncer checks your idea, you take a stairway downstairs to a dimly lit bar. All the bartenders are dressed in vests and ties. My friend happen to know everyone that worked there. The staff was super friendly and so where the people at the bar. The first drink I got was an English Cosmo. The bartender recommended it. All I know about it is that is had gin and crushed cucumers in it and it was really good and really refreshing. It was a little on the sweet side for me that night. I wasn't in the mood for sweet for some reason. The other drink I got that night was an Old Fashion, and I definitely liked this one. It's probably one of my favorite drinks. It pretty much bourbon with a little bit of sugar and bitters garnished with a lemon peel. A cool thing they did was put a big ball of ice instead of large ice cubes. I forgot the first drink my friend got but I remember it didn't quite match my taste in drinks. I do remember his second drink was a Pisco Sour, which was nice. The raw egg whites in the drink scare me a bit though. It was a fun night, I can't wait for my friend to come to visit, so we can get craft cocktails in Socal!
(Again, sorry no pictures from this place!)
My trip could not have been any better! I got to go to all these yummy places, see my aunt and cousins, meet up with friends, spend time with my sister away from home, get away from the stresses of my everyday life, and clear my mind. I can't wait to make another trip back up to Norcal soon!
