February 28, 2010

South Lake Tahoe: Blue Angel Cafe; restaurant review

Lake Tahoe

Blue Angel Cafe  

1132 Ski Run Blvd., South Lake Tahoe, (530) 544-6544. L-D daily; $$.

Charming, warming, and welcoming, the one-room pub-style Blue Angel Cafe is equipped with a cozy fireplace and serves up delicious, eclectic world fare. Though the menu changes regularly, popular items have included sweet potato fries with chipotle aioli, a superb Moroccan lamb shank with sweet potato mash and mango chutney sauce, steak salad, and housemade blackberry pie. Vegan and vegetarian options are always available. A local Blue Angel Pale Ale is the perfect accompaniment. And, should you have a chance to chat with him, chef Jens Dressler--who brines his own chicken and blends his own curry powder--is a delight.


More things to do at Lake Tahoe.

More ideas for exploring Northern California.

February 24, 2010

Oakland: Burma SuperStar; restaurant review

880 South

Burma SuperStar  

4721 Telegraph Ave./47th St., in Temescal, (510) 652-2900. L-D daily; $$. No reservations.

Though the outside is so nondescript it lacks a sign, the interior of Burma SuperStar is in shades of industrial grey and black and the hard surfaces make for a noisy backdrop to dining. Best menu choices include paratha bread with chicken curry dipping sauce, Samusa soup, fermented tea leaf salad, rainbow salad with 22 ingredients, a variety of curries (try ginger-pumpkin curry), spicy noodles, garlic noodles with duck, coconut rice, and a coconutty black rice pudding dessert. 


More things to do in Oakland.

Way more things to do in Oakland.

More ideas for exploring Northern California.

image ©2010 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

February 22, 2010

Zephyr Cove, Nevada: Zephyr Cove Snowmobile Center; things to do

760 Hwy. 50, Zephyr Cove, NV, (866) 761-6240. 2-hr. trip, $119-$129/single, $159-$169/double; clothing rental $5-$15; packages available. Must be age 5+. Reservations advised.

Zephyr Cove Snowmobile Center is the largest snowmobile tour center in the United States. It has a fleet of more than 100 single and double Ski-Doo snowmobiles. Rates include open-face helmet, transportation to the mountain, snowmobile, and guide. A lake view tour and full moon tour are scheduled regularly and include a stop for “the best hot chocolate above 7,500 feet.”


More things to do at Lake Tahoe.

More ideas for exploring Northern California.

February 18, 2010

Berkeley: Sunny Side Café; restaurant review

80 North

Sunny Side Café  

2136 Oxford St./Center St., downtown, (510) 845-9900. B-L daily; $. No reservations.

Breakfast is served all day at Sunny Side Cafe and is the meal to aim for here. Extensive options include three-egg omelets, two-egg scrambles, and several Benedicts. Study the menu as you wait in line to order. Decisions you’ll need to make include type of toast and whether you want homefries, garlic-roasted tomatoes, or vegetarian black beans on the side. Noteworthy items include housemade pork sausage patties, the Alameda French toast sandwich, and the changing weekend tasting menu for two that includes the pancake special, French toast, eggs Benedict, scrambled eggs, and a Mimosa or large fresh-squeezed orange juice. Panini breakfast sandwiches are a popular to-go item. For lunch, salads, burgers, and sandwiches--the NotYour Ordinary Sesame Chicken Salad is particularly good--are also offered. The compact, sunny, chick-yellow interior here is two-stories-tall. A counter and several booths downstairs feature views of the sidewalk traffic and campus across the street; more tables are in an upstairs loft. Since this spot IS in Berkeley, it's not surprising that the kitchen uses mostly organic ingredients and recycles or composts packaging materials and food scraps.


More things to do in Berkeley.

Way more things to do in Berkeley. 

More ideas for exploring Northern California. 

February 12, 2010

Healdsburg: A Divine Affair (CLOSED); restaurant review

101 North

A Divine Affair  

CLOSED  330 Healdsburg Ave., (707) 433-1035. D Thur-Sun; $$.

This divine little spot is tucked into a narrow brick-walled space in a century-old building. A long bench runs along the wall at A Divine Affair, and a particularly romantic table is tucked into a front window seat fluffed with comfy pillows. The menu features fresh local cuisine and is celebrated for its Ukranian-style borscht, French onion soup, panini, and handcrafted cheeses. Squash risotto with wild mushrooms, kale, and prawns plus a side of candied baby carrots was a particularly delish winter dish.


image ©2009 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

February 9, 2010

Berkeley: Trumer Brauerei; things to do

80 North

Trumer Brauerei  

1404 4th St., Berkeley, (510) 526-1160

The San Francisco Beer Week closing party will be held on Valentine's Day at Trumer Brauerei. It includes sampling brews from 30 local breweries, a BBQ dinner, music, Trumer Tours every 15 minutes, and free shuttles from the downtown Berkeley BART.

When: Sunday, February 14, 2009; 4:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
Tickets: $50 pre-party; free Designated Driver tickets; proceeds support The California Small Brewers Association




February 7, 2010

Berkeley: Lawrence Hall of Science; things to do

80 North




The Hall's current special exhibit--RACE: Are We So Different?--combines interactive components and experiential scenarios along with photographs and artifacts to fully engage visitors in the subject and how it relates to them, personally. Runs through May 2, 2010.  

February 2, 2010

Ride the Reno Fun Train; things to do

Fun Rick waves from Reno Fun TrainMiscellaneous Adventures

Ride the Reno Fun Train


It's time to make reservations for this annual rolling party, the Reno Fun Train. The train will operate on February 19 and 26, and on March 5, 12, and 19, departing on Friday and returning on Sunday.
(800) 783-0783


More ideas for exploring Northern California.

"Fun Rick" image copyright 2010 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

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