Obligatory disclaimer: This was an invited visit to Dublin’s Paris Baguette and thus, all food and drink was free to me. Early in November, I was invited out to Paris Baguette’s newest franchisee in the Bay Area: the Dublin store opened just over a month ago at the Almond Plaza shopping center. Before this visit,
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Last year, the Indie Coffee Passport came to the East Bay, and I had tons of fun using it for months to try out new-to-me coffee shops in the area. A few are now on my regular rotation of work cafes, including Marana Cafe, Alchemy Collective Cafe, and eko Coffee Bar. As of early August,
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You may have noticed my recent post on Telegraph Beer Garden? I went there to gather info for my new Localwise article: 4 Beer Gardens in the East Bay with Extra Bang for Your Buck! You can head over and read that article now, but I also have full reviews here on the other beer
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You may have noticed the contributions I’ve made to Localwise’s blog? Well, they are contributing to the Bay Area community by doing more than hosting the best local job board in the area — they already have that down. Now, they’re introducing the Work Local Awards, meant to honor the best employers in the area.
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Pinky’s Pizza Parlor is a neighborhood joint worth leaving your neighborhood for. Two of our good friends are regulars, drawn in by the amazing bar specials Pinky’s runs, and we’ve joined them a number of times. On a Sunday, go for the $2 bloody marys. On a Thursday, get any draft beer for the same
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I’ve been eyeing this little corner spot since it opened in the home of a former bakery about 2 months ago. I love banh mi, so I was excited to have somewhere serving it that I could easily walk to from home. Inside are just a counter, kitchen, two tables, and a painting, so it’s
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La Bedaine is a tiny French bakery on the outside, but on the inside, it specializes in French cuisine that you can take home to cut a few steps out of dinner. That means vacuum-packed meals such as duck confit and coq au vin. For simple meanderers, such as myself, La Bedaine’s cheery yellow display
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Last week, Marc Callado, who launched Shift Local in 2012 with his fiancée Mari, swung by my About Me page to let me know about an amazing opportunity for lovers of coffee on this side of the Bay.  When I say this is a bargain, folks, I say it as someone who knows just how
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The next stop on my Burger Joints of Hayward tour is Cecil’s Famous Burgers, found due to its Yelp rivalry with Val’s Burgers, the most iconic Hayward burger joint I can think of. Being as I’m not that enthused with Val’s (still planning a return visit for a review), I was rather intrigued by this
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Sapporo is the sushi restaurant’s answer to the overly familiar neighborhood pub. If you need to be greeted warmly by a hostess and have your every need catered to in a reasonable time frame, I’m not sure it’s the place for you. There’s nothing wrong with those expectations, but Sapporo won’t meet them. Instead, the
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