Today on the blog, I’m talking about Cozymeal, a new Bay Area startup that got me super excited when I talked with one of the founders, Samad Nasserian, about the company. Why did it get me that excited? Let me count the reasons why: 1. Intimate meals you won’t find elsewhere. Cozymeal puts on dinners
Read more

This rapidly expanding Bay Area chain of sandwich shops got its start in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco, and its devoted following has multiplied phenomenally in the seven years of its existence, enough to  support 13 stores in all. I was glad to bypass the legendary lines at the original location and accepted a
Read more

At Christmas, my husband bought us passports from the Santa Cruz Mountain Wine Growers Association (SCMWGA). These passports, filled with over 50 participating wineries, entitle the bearers to one free tasting at each spot during normal operating hours or the SCMWGA special Passport Days, which happen four times a year and are the best opportunity
Read more

Because it blends in so well with its surroundings, Chop Bar is easy to miss in Oakland’s Warehouse district, just a few short blocks from Jack London Square.  Its sage green exterior and distinctive awnings paint it as something special, though, and my brunch experience definitely confirmed that. I love that sourcing ingredients locally and
Read more

So I have a problem. And that problem is my high expectations for the finer dining in my beloved college town of Santa Cruz. As mentioned in my review of Star Bene, there are places in Santa Cruz that I only dreamt of on my student budget back at the turn of the millennium. Places
Read more