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.Food & Drink
Jun 17, 2025
Exploring alterna-burger options for Bay Area Burger Week
Bay Area shopping malls are experiencing a renaissance, with a couple of notable exceptions—I’m looking at you, San Francisco Centre. As we’ve returned en masse to gathering in public, the malls that are thriving have been invigorated...
Jun 10, 2025
The Royale opens in Pleasant Hill
Several years ago an editor asked me to come up with an article about a current dining trend. As a food writer I eat out a lot, but my mind went blank. I waited a couple of...
Jun 3, 2025
La Loulou welcomes all to an apéritif dinner
In the pre-streaming era, I watched the entire series of Sex and The City patiently, in real time. I couldn’t help but wonder, from one week to the next, what adventures and mishaps would befall the four...
May 27, 2025
Daytrip Counter reopens on Telegraph Ave
Chef Finn Stern didn’t ask me to leave Daytrip Counter, but the thought must have crossed his mind. On the fourth day of service at the restaurant, Stern stopped by our table to ask how the meal...
May 20, 2025
Alora Social creates cheerful atmosphere in San Ramon
Bollinger Canyon Road is lined with miles of white rose bushes. This month they’re in bloom. There’s something funereal about them, as if they indicate the way to a mausoleum entrance rather than mark the perimeter of...
May 13, 2025
Alameda chef John Thiel returns with Pizzeria Pappo
Chef John Thiel makes two kinds of pies at Pizzeria Pappo. Alamedans enjoyed Thiel’s cooking for nearly two decades at his previous restaurant, Pappo, which closed in early 2022. When we spoke on the phone, Thiel told...
May 6, 2025
Bar Shiru and Gold Palm amplify Oakland’s Uptown
Daniel Gahr and Shirin Raza are co-owners of Bar Shiru and, since last fall, Gold Palm, which opened in Palmetto’s former space. Raza is the general manager of both establishments, and Gahr is the creative director. Before...
