I finally ventured across the Bay Bridge to spend a day in downtown Berkeley. I've only been to east bay a handful number of times and have been wanting to explore the area more. Alas, it was a beautiful day and I was excited to walk around the UC Berkeley campus and pretend to blend in with the students.
My friend and I went on a little hike up the hills where we got a fantastic view of Oakland, SF, and the bay. My friend had mentioned Artichoke Basille's Pizza before so we had to make a pitstop. We got a slice of margarita pizza to-go and went across to a grassy area to share it. Pizza is never that alluring to me but every time I eat it, I wonder why I don't have it more. This was no exception. Not fancy at all but so simple and well-made, all of the slices at this pizza shop are huge and the crust is thin and perfectly crispy. NY style pizza wins.
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| artichoke basille's pizza: slice of margarita |
Next we went inside Sockshop, the store of my dreams, where they sold socks of every print imaginable. Friends know that I LOVE SOCKS, so I wanted to buy it all. Now that I know where to get cute, fun socks locally, I will definitely be back to get a pair of hamburger and bacon & egg socks.
For dinner we went to an upscale Mexican restaurant. The inside of the restaurant is huge and absolutely stunning. Other than the initial dining room and bar, there is also a covered patio and bar, as well as an open-air beer garden beyond that. We got lucky and were seated promptly with no wait. We ordered a bunch of dishes to share and I experienced soe Mexican food firsts such as chile relleno! My favorites of the night were the beef & pork albondigas en adobo, corn on the cob with chipotle aioli, and pork enchiladas.
So full but I couldn't turn down a scoop of ube ice cream on a waffle cone from John's Ice Cream. It's not the best ice cream but with interesting flavors like avocado and ube and only $1 a scoop, it's pretty darn enticing.
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| ensalada picada: little gems, beets, avocado, hearts of palm, goat feta, cilantro-yogurt vinaigrette |
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beef & pork albondigas en adobo;
chile relleno: queso fresco, salsa ranchera, epazote |
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grilled brentwood corn on the cob with chipotle aioli, questo fresco;
heritage pork, mole coloradito, crema |
