DeannaL

Betty’s brilliant with the baked goods! – and not bad with the fried chicken sandwich either! The scones, cookies and alike items generous in portion and very yummy. The apple pie is good – but not sure it warrants the $20 price tag. The chicken sandwich is generous too. Perfect battery-fried goodness. The slaw on the sandwich is a little different (oil-tossed with jalapenos). It seems sophisticated and tastes pretty good. But I still prefer good ol’ mayo on a sandwich like that.

Quality baking is an inarguable point. But I think the most special thing about this sign-less corner store is the friendly staff and oozing charm. All the signs and things are made with white paper and cursive-y Mark-a-lot and the alfresco seating area is made up of ironing boards and low stools. And they always giving away free whole cookies while people are in line, samples upon the prompt of a simple question… And I heard a story of how they invited a neighbor to stay at the store when he had some work done on his house. So great service and good karma too!

Great burger-and-fry place! Their french fries are fried in peanut oil which is a HUGE selling point for me. Love ‘em!… I’m not a vegetarian but their “original” Yoga burger is very tasty. I say that because my co-workers and I think we’ve had their house-made patties ("original")… But we think we’ve also had patties that seem not-homemade when they’ve been really busy (possibly sold out of the original). Boo – who needs that?! However, our hunch has yet to be confirmed. The meat burgers and onion rings are yummy too. Go HG!

I like this place – really! Their rolls are great and the fish is fresh. It’s not cheap but reasonable for sushi – I think. And I want to give it 4 stars but… I think their food and portion sizes have been inconsistent. And I ESPECIALLY have an issue with with the Google roll (spicy tuna, tempura shrimp, unagi, crab, tombiko, and AVOCADO) Once my favorite, now it has just become frustration rolled in rice. If you go, you try it. Does what you get match the picture? It used to – but not anymore. And I’ve gone more than once when the avocado was left off and someone insisted it didn’t even come with it. (It’s listed oin the description, seen in the photo.) Or worse like tonight… they gave me an eighth-inch slice that was only about 1.5 inches long – for the WHOLE 6-piece roll! C’MON! C’mon. I really want to love you again – or at the very least be able to get the Google roll in the picture. You’re better than this Arikato. I know you are.

Best Chinese food in the Bay Area – in my humble opinion. Here’s what to order – you’ll need some reinforcements or be prepared for a week’s worth of Great leftovers… Peking duck (leanest duck you’ll ever have, I think they knife away the fat on every piece they serve), sauteed crab (all the crab and none of the work, and don’t worry the egg gets cooked when mixed with the hot crab), double-skin (I’m not a fan of mustard but this is good with a little), fish dumplings (with chives, very smooth), mu-shu (veggie or pork, very flavorful and not greasy; warning: they “won’t let you” order it with the duck, I think they feel it’s redundant because both have a plum sauce condiment, they mean well). The walnut prawns are very good too. And there is a tofu dish. Not sure if it’s braised or maybe it’s called “tough-skin”, but it’s one of my favorites too. You can’t go wrong with any combination of these dishes (assuming we have the same taste and standards).

Disclaimer: This is only based on one lunch visit. I ordered the side salad and the truffled squash blossom flatbread. Side salad was substantial – half of it was frisee (great, if you’re into that – but it wasn’t too bitter). The flatbread was great! Enjoyed it a lot. Flavorful and relatively light for an entree. Shared some desserts with my party. The mango panna cotta was a big disappointment. The panna cotta was like yogurt – in taste and texture (not firm). (If you have ever had TJ’s organic vanilla bean yogurt, stay home and have one or 7 of those.) The cobbler was ok – not particularly memorable to me. The cheese plate didn’t make it down to me. But I don’t think I’m qualified to review cheese anyway.

The best. The closest you’ll come to gelato this side of the Mediterrean! Make sure you don’t confuse this place with the older gelateria the next block over – they can’t compare. They serve icy ice cream, not creamy, smooth Italian gelato. My favorite combination: panna cotta and cioccolato. (And I’m a sucker for minimalist, modern design too.)

Great fro-yo and nice place to get a sweet low-fat treat during the day or late night. They don’t always have the flavors you want – thus the sub-perfect score. Of the chocolates, I think Ghiradelli Chocolate is the best. And chocolate with a nutty (i.e. Butter Pecan) or mint flavor (i.e. Bavarian Mint) with almonds (1 topping) is tops in my book. I know… It’s a bit of an adult combination. But hey, I’ve been an alum for over 10 years! I am an adult now. :-)

Great savory and sweet treats! I’m a big fan of the croque monsieur (open-face sandwich) topped with veggies and the white cheese. The quiche is very good too. The texture of the croissants is amazing! – perfectly flaky. The fragipane (almond paste) and the dark chocolate in the respective croissants – XLNT! I can’t even cover it all. GO, you won’t be disappointed!

Best breakfast in Berkeley. I have my old stand-by the “Cote Est” that I always order – which is really the best of both breakfast worlds – savory AND sweet. It’s two scrambled eggs, choice of one pancake (lemon gingerbread – of course!), choice of bacon or home fries (or get the other on the side for both). All to say that I am so into my usual that I haven’t tried the ratatouille, brioche, pain perdu (french toast), croque monsieur (open-face sandwich – could it be like Tartine’s?)… I’m not a coffee person. But just from how warm and cozy all the people who order the big coffee bowls look, I should try that too some time.

Downsides – it’s good so you almost always have to wait to be seated. The other major boo I have to add is that the side of toast is $2.95. $2.95! That is RIDICULOUS. One can buy 2-3 loaves of bread for $3! There is NO way 2 slices of sourdough should add up to $2.95. What are they thinking?! It is nothing fancy – maybe for a brioche but not toast. Other than that, I have found the prices reasonable for a quality breakfast.