Berkeley in 36 hours (an eating schedule)

Stacy pointed me to this nytimes article about travelling in Berkeley. Let me just say... LAME. This writer doesn't know what he's talking about. I mean, Blake's??? C'mon now. We aren't juniors in undergrad anymore. With Stacy's input, here are some MUCH better suggestions.

Note: the photograph on the right has no relevance (it used to be my wallpaper after I saw it on BBC a long time ago. It's showing celebrations of an Indian holiday - Basanta Utsav I think?)

Day 1 (College Ave)
Breakfast: Rick and Ann's
- You can walk around the Claremont hotel area. There are some cute shops to look at while you wait.
- Theoretically you could go to the spa at the Claremont like the article suggests, but who really has that much money to throw away?
Lunch: Zachary's
- The wait for dinner is way too long, so lunch is a better option.
- You can walk down college towards Rockridge where there are a ton of boutiques like Pretty Penny.
Dinner: A Cote
- While you're in the Rockridge area anyway, you must dine here!
Alternate Dinner choice: Trattoria La Siciliana
- Cute family-owned Italian restaurant
Dessert: Ici
- They have some interesting ice cream flavors and there's ALWAYS a line.
- There are also a lot of great shops to peruse around the Elmwood area (like Jeremy's), as well as a movie theater.

Day 2 (Shattuck)
Breakfast: La Note
- Go before 10am!
Lunch: Brazil Cafe, + Cheeseboard + Gregoire
- Grab a tri-tip sandwich to go, then head over for a slice of pizza and potato puffs!
- This is a must in Berkeley. Squat on the island and listen to some nice jazz while enjoying your food!
- This area is a nice walk to the Berkeley Rose Garden.
- It's also close to the original Peet's on Vine.
- Guerilla Cafe is another great coffee shop close by.
Dinner: Chez Panisse
- The epitome of Californian cuisine.
Alternate Dinner choice: Rivoli on Solano
- Obviously not everyone can eat at Chez Panisse.
- Not in the same area, but not too far away. Also close to the Indian Rock.
Dessert: La Farine (one on Solano, and one on College)
- This French bakery closes at 7pm, so it's best to get the pastries ahead of time and save them for dessert

Day 3 (University/San Pablo)
Breakfast: Can't Fail Cafe
- Diner with an edge in Emeryville. I think it's owned by one of the members of Green Day.
- They have a great veggie burger (if you want burgers for breakfast)
Lunch: Thai Temple
- Thai food made by Buddhist monks only on Sundays! How more Berkeley can you get
Dinner: Vik's
- Authentic Indian food (very large Indian community in Berkeley)
Dessert: Sketch
- Head over there early because they have weird hours.
- The 4th Street area also has a lot of great boutiques and the exotic animal store.

Hmm... you can't see all of Berkeley in 3 days! So here's a bonus:

Day 4 (Campus life)
[No Breakfast because by then you'll be tired and will want to sleep in]
Lunch: Intermezzo
- Get a nice fresh salad to balance out all the glutton of the days before
- Can take a stroll around campus, down Telegraph (Momoca is a Japanese boutique and one of my faves)
- Hike up to Tilden
Dinner: Durant food court (aka Asian ghetto)
- Steve's, Meesha's, Gypsy's... it's all good and cheap
Post-Dinner snack: Top Dog, Fat Slice, La Burrita
Dessert: Quickly/Sweethearts/Papamingo
- Read: boba/frozen yogurt

Ta da! And that's how you really do it in Berkeley. Silly New Yorkers.