I am OK with paying a decent amount of money for Italian food, or any food, if it is high quality. But Giovanni’s just fails to deliver. Their meals cost at least 20 dollars, and the food falls far short for me. I ordered chicken saltimbocca, and there was a lack of any flavor in the dish. The chicken did not taste fresh or tender, but was just quite bland. I rarely add salt or pepper to my food, but in this case, I actually had to. I also tried some steak that my friend’s ordered and it was also fairly abysmal. The meat, again, had a dearth of flavor, and the texture didn’t meet my standard for steak.

The one thing they had going was their atmosphere. It is fairly dim, and the decorations are not too shabby. It’d be a nice place to take someone on a date, if they food was actually worth it. I’ll be taking my business to a restaurant like Venezia on University, or Venus down the street, if I ever want to eat a nice dinner.

This restaurant is appealing while driving along College Avenue, with it’s intriguing name and trendy looking restaurant. They offer a few unique sounding Asian noodle dishes. While the noodles are pleasing, they don’t have any amazing tastes that put it over the top. The prices are fairly reasonable, and the portions are just enough to make you full. They have some interesting noodles to check out, but it isn’t spectacular.

Whenever I mentioned to someone that I was going to Chez Panisse, they would always be shocked and somewhat impressed. The restaurant has such a good reputation for good and priciness (esp for college students), that people are practically awed that you are going to eat there. I decided to eat here one day while at Cal, and I went with my girlfriend for her birthday.

I could only get reservations for the Cafe since I reserved it a couple days before the desired day. I actually think the Cafe works out better because you get some choice in what you want to eat, the ambience seems nearly identical, and it is a little bit cheaper.

Suffice to say, the food was pretty darn tasty. Each bite was packed with flavor, and all the ingredients seemed to fit perfectly. For example, in my pepper salad, the dressing couldn’t have been a perfect complement to the ripe, crunchy red peppers. You can see my review of all the dishes at the bottom. All you need to know is that I loved it all, especially the dessert.

I’d recommend that people try this place at least once. They serve different food everyday, so if you got the money, then you can try all their dishes. For the less wealthy, it’s a great place to eat for a special occasion. You don’t have to dress up too much if you don’t want to. They have a very slack dress code compared to most fancy restaurants, yet the atmosphere is still very pleasant.

Kirala is not for the cheap eater. Japanese food costs more than average already, and Kirala is on the higher end of pricing. I had to wait 30 minutes, and I got there before the wait got even larger. The ambience is pretty nice, with a modern feel to it.

I was pretty sure that the sushi rolls were going to be small, since most classy Japanese places seem to. I ordered a California roll, rock and roll, and a tuna and avocado roll. I was quite right, since they were not too big. They did taste very good though. The seaweed surrounding the sushi actually added to the sushi taste and texture. The California roll seemed like it had real crab or something, because it tasted better than the typical. I really enjoyed all the rolls, although it was very filling. A damn shame it costs so much money just for a few small rolls.

They have excellent food and a nice atmosphere, but the long wait and high prices bring down the experience slightly. Good place for a nice date, or if you feel like indulging yourself in finer Japanese food (and you got the money to burn).

Golden Boy is a pizza joint in North Beach. It is not a very big place, and actually is a bar. The pizza is meant to go, or you can eat at the bar on one of the stools. They offer pepperoni, cheese, combination, pesto vegetarian, and clam and garlic pizza.

I ordered two slices of the combination. They aren’t the triangle shaped slices, but rather are rectangle shaped (aka Sicilian style). The combination came with pepperoni, sausage, tomato, onions, and a couple other veggies. I really loved the pizza. It’s pretty oily, so not for the light-hearted. The crust is very crispy and tastes awesome. The toppings are fresh tasting, and the meat is good quality. This pizza is definitely worth trying if you are in North Beach. If this place were near me, I could easily see myself becoming a regular.

Fat Slice has better pizza than Blondie’s. Just thought I’d throw that out there. I gave both three stars, but I liked Fat Slice’s pizza more. I performed a comparison of the two pizza places within the span of 20 minutes, and it was better in my opinion. The pizza was given to me immediately, and the service was much faster. The cashier wasn’t exactly friendly, but the whole entire atmosphere of the place isn’t exactly the best. You should definitely order pizza here go, because the other customers here do not appear the most friendly, the restaurant is kind of dirty and such.

The pizza slices are pretty large, which lives up to the title of fat slice. The crust is thick and chewy, the cheese is gooey, and the pizza is quite oily. This pizza is for people who just want a huge, greasy slice of pizza. In terms of quantity, it serves much more than Blondie’s. A good place to get pizza fast and it’ll satiate your hunger for the time being. Just don’t linger at the actual restaurant for too long.

I’ve decided to change my opinion on Blondie’s. Last time I went, the service was not speedy at all. The line took a long time, and it took like 5 minutes to get me a slice of pizza that was just sitting in front of me after I ordered. The cashier also was not friendly at all. I recently did a test where I ate at Blondie’s, and then Fat Slice in the same meal, to see which is better, and I decided that Fat Slice is the tastier pizza joint. Blondie’s pizza has a slightly crispy crust on the bottom, while still maintaining a bit of chewiness. The actual crust part was pretty bland in my opinion. I got the daily special, which entailed tomato, artichoke, mushroom, and pesto. The toppings were good and tasted fresh. An alright place to get pizza, but not the best.

Venus a nice place to eat at for a slightly fancier and higher quality meal, compared to many Berkeley restaurants. The all brick walls are a nice touch, and atmosphere is nice without being too fancy or anything. I am not sure if there is usually a line, but when I went in, there was a table right there for us.

They don’t have the most extensive menu, but each dish they offer sounds pretty darn tasty. I decided to go with the Superior Farms Lamb. The meat was very tender, and bursting with flavor. There was a good amount of fat marbled between the meat, which is probably why it was so succulent. I also tried the Roasted Hoffman Chicken, and that was pretty fabulous too, I’d say. The chicken was definitely not dry, especially not the dark meat. The peach BBQ glaze around the chicken complemented the chicken excellently.

Maybe eating at all the cheap restaurants in Berkeley have made me appreciate fine dining more, and I have lower standards now, but I thought the food here was high quality. It did not hurt that the service was pretty spot on. They constantly refilled my water, and someone was nearby whenever I needed something. The prices are much more than many Berkeley places, but if you willing to shell out a little bit more money, it is a pleasant change.

Nanayiro is a nice little Japanese restaurant in Downtown Berkeley. They have huge glass windows, and a very pleasant atmosphere. The service has been good whenever went, filling the water when needed and being prompt. The prices are pretty expensive, although I guess all sushi is usually expensive anyways. They give miso soup along with a small salad type thing before each meal. They offer your standard Japanese fare, such as bento boxes, sushi, teriyaki, udon, sukiyaki, and curry. There is a lot to choose from, so everyone that goes should be satisfied. The food I’ve had here tastes good, but it is nothing too spectacular and I’ve had better sushi before. That said, it is still a nice place to eat at and worth checking out if you want Japanese on Shattuck.

Jupiters is a huge restaurant that serves items such as pizza and beer. You can eat on the second floor, the first floor, or outside. It’s the type of place that would be good to take a bunch of friends and have a good time. That said, their pizzas are worth trying here. They are better than most pizza joints such as Pizza Hut and Dominos, although don’t quite make compare to places such as Cheeseboard and local pizza places. I really loved the crust of their pizzas, which was probably the food highlight. I ordered a salad to share, and it was very disappointing. There is not much to it besides lettuce. Not much dressing, not much of anything. Prices are pretty reasonable and the slices go down fast since they are pretty thin. Overall, a good place for a casual night out. They seem to offer a decent amount and variety of alcohol, for those who are interested.