I remember one of my first few meals after relocating to the Bay Area was at Spengers. At the time, I just graduated, and hadn’t started working yet. I met up with a friend who lived in Berkeley and we ate at Spenger’s. When I got the bill- $30- I was in a bit of pain since I hadn’t started getting paid yet. I don’t remember much about the food though.
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more on the 128-year history of Spenger’s:
Spenger’s Fresh Fish Grotto, Berkeley’s oldest restaurant, in a building that’s a city historical landmark, was originally the home of Bavarian immigrant and fisherman Johann Spenger. He started selling clams and beer from the front of the building in the 1890s. The eatery at 1919 Fourth St. expanded through the years and over the Spenger’s generations, becoming a full-service restaurant in the 1930s. It’s always specialized in fresh seafood and was known for thick clam chowder served with baskets of crusty San Francisco sourdough bread on the side.
…
“We look forward to repositioning Spenger’s with an innovative concept that makes the most of the DNA from the pre-1950s,” said Michael Phillips, President of Jamestown.
Farmburger on 9th at Gilman has shut down, and will become a branch of Marin Pizza. I liked their burgers, but they somehow never figured out how to fry potatoes. Other people complained about the lines and the number of young children running around, but that never bothered me since I tended to go off-hours.
The same people who brought Farmburger to town are managing the Marin Pizza opening. Marin Pizza offers 12-inch whole pies, and even though people are complaining that we have plenty of pizza joints, not many of them sell individual pizzas. I’m looking forward to them.
Marin Pizza on Gilman is open. I had a very good Margherita pie for lunch–the thin crust was crisp in places and had just the right char, and the sauce was delicate. $12.95 for a 10-inch is a good price around here, and they have a lunch special, a 7 inch pie, salad and drink for $9.95.
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excerpts:
MATCHA LOVE A new Japanese sweet shop specializing in matcha is opening in downtown Berkeley early next year.
NEW SEOUL Taking over the space formerly occupied by Brazil Café Bistro will be a new fast-casual bibimbap restaurant called Mad Seoul.
PASSIONE PIT As Nosh reported last month, a new Italian café has taken the place of now-closed PiQ. Passione Caffe soft opened today in the space, serving coffee and tea, and Italian eats, including pastries, panini, focaccia, salads, pasta and pizza.
MUR, Evenings at Café Ohlone, on Saturday, Dec. 15. Guests at this the multi-course dinner event will not only try dishes like bay laurel nut truffles paired with watercress and dried wild strawberry, and venison and chanterelle stew, slow cooked with yerba buena and bay laurel, but hear stories and meanings behind the foods and drinks served from cultural revival leaders in the East Bay Ohlone community. The dinner takes place from 5-7 p.m. and is limited to 30 guests. Tickets are $95 (10 tickets will be sold at the door on the day of the event). Café Ohlone, in the back of University Press Bookstore, 2430 Bancroft Way, Berkeley
The Mexican restaurant at the bottom of Solano (where Eugene used to be) is gone. It didn’t last long. I had dinner there once and we agreed that Talavera’s mole was better.
The French “traiteur” La Bedaine has reopened. The owner/chef had a stroke last June, and he’s going to ease back into full production.
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Methinks it’s a cake only sculptor Clayton Bailey* could love, LOL!
* Local ceramic artist Clayton Bailey has long been famous for his extremely…er, eccentric sense of humor in his work: http://www.claytonbailey.com/maddoctors.htm
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Bangladesh and various harder to find Indian and Pakistani dishes at Munch India. They even got a murgh Hakka noodle. I’d love to eat there if I live closer. Anyone been?
‘the menu, which rotates every two weeks, will also include dishes from Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Tamil Nadu, Lucknow, Mumbai, and more’
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Saw a “change of ownership” sign on Lalime’s window yesterday.
Re Lalime - according to long-time owners, an investor has joined them, necessitating the legal notice. No changes are planned in menu or kitchen.
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Oh, good to know. I thought he might be retiring.
Which reminds me: they started (or restarted?) weekend brunches. I had a pretty good shakshuka on Sunday, and other menu items looked good as well. Prices are reasonable.
Quince Cafe, that little diner on San Pablo, is closed because a
truck crashed into it. They won’t be opening until at least August.
Their hashbrowns were really good, and I don’t know of another
place that has them these days.
excerpt from Berkeleyside from near middle of article:
ZOMSA HIMALAYAN ORGANIC KITCHEN This new family-owned El Cerrito restaurant features the flavors of north India, Nepal and Tibet. Look for dishes such as buffalo momos, traditional goat thakali thali platters and Tibetan aloo phing langsha , a hearty beef noodle and potato stew, all crafted with organic ingredients. Vegetarian options are also plentiful. Zomsa Himalayan Organic Kitchen , 10558 San Pablo Ave. (between Waldo and Moeser), El Cerrito
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The Asian night markets usually aren’t so close to me, so this may be worth checking out!
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excerpt:
I’d never seen pumpkin pie on a Chinese restaurant menu before, so I had to try it. What arrived was four piping hot fried golden pumpkin disks. They were fried until the edges had a delicate, shattery crust and inside, the dense “pies” had a chewy, bouncy layer of pumpkin mixed with glutinous rice flour, with red bean filling in the middle for some sweetness.
Easterly Hunan Cuisine
2142 Center St.
Berkeley
510-647-8008
What I am frustrated about this event is that it costs $10 to park, and another $10 per person to enter. Before a single bite of food goes in the stomach, it’s already $20 gone.
Night market is supposed to be cheap, convenient and delicious!
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