Given the drinks we are about to discuss, you might think we were still pregnant. But we're not. You may already be familiar with Peet's Coffee's seasonal quencher, the "Jasmine Lime Cooler." Seasonal because its secret ingredient is none other than Odwalla's Summertime Lime drink. But, you know, it's hard to get the jasmine tea brewed just right, and then the right proportion of limeade to tea... we've tried. The thing is, jasmine+lime=strange but not... [continue]

Back in high school, we had an English teacher who really drilled the Transcendentalists into our brains, especially that one Thoreau Emerson quote: "Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." What can we say? It still makes us think. Like about restaurants that have hardly changed in at least 20 years (the amount we can vouch for, since that's when we moved here from Southern California) if not 35 -- Juan's Place, in Berkeley. We... [continue]

What would Batman and Robin think? With its chic industrial/gothic design, the new “market hall” style Whole Foods that opened recently near Lake Merritt in Oakland certainly could be used for a set on the next Batman flick. (Note: we won’t be defending or condemning the corporation itself here. We instead refer you to Mark Morford’s sharp analysis of the friendly giant.) We wish we’d known about the opening day festivities, what with an... [continue]

San Franciscans have already had a year to enjoy the Green Zebra Guide coupon book. We here in the East Bay wouldn’t know about that, since we’ve never seen that book ourselves, although we’ve heard tell of its exploits. However, when we found out that a coupon book specifically for East Bay eco-minded businesses, organic food, restaurants, sustainable living services, and entertainment was on its way to our little forgotten corner of the bay, we... [continue]

When you live in a neighborhood overrun by donut purveyors and nail shops, with a fair number of fairly unappetizing Chinese restaurants sprinkled in between, the arrival of a new joint featuring a new regional cuisine is cause for at least a little salivation. In the Grand Lake district, we now have a Flavors of India restaurant, second outpost -- the first opened in Rockridge in 2006. It's not great Indian food. We'll be... [continue]

(Now, we know most of you reading this probably never go bra shopping, since most of you are, ummm... well, male. And those of you men who do, probably do it online, so you can skip this post and go on to the next one. Unless you like to buy lingerie for your ladyfriends...) Let us just say that we HATE the bra-and-underwear sections at most major department stores. The fluorescent lighting, the indifferent... [continue]

If you or someone you know is pregnant, you may already know that to glide or not to glide is one of the many baby-preparation decisions a mom-to-be will have to make. While often very comfortable, glider chairs are rarely appealing to non-pregnant folk. As if beamed from a slightly askew, Star Trek-designed parallel country-home universe, gliders generally look like granny's rocking chair: wood frame, upholstered cushions attached, and genetically-altered silently-swaying mechanism and platform... [continue]

Okay, so when we first saw this store open on our beloved 4th Street in Berkeley, we were horrified. Judging a book entirely by its cover, we wouldn't even go near the place. Napa Style. Seriously? Like, can't we just drive to Napa and buy stuff? We need it packaged, sorted, and Disneyfied for us? This had to be a tourist trap. We, even when we travel, never ever consider ourselves a tourist. Sniff.... [continue]

Oh Björk! You quixotic Icelandic vixen, you. You dancer on the tongue-tip of the art vanguard. You lucky multi-million-dollar musician. Unlike mere mortals who don't have the clout or funds to access such items, the modern music diva gets her very own reacTable with which to "wow audiences" while on tour this summer, according to Wired.com. SFist Leanne saw it in action herself, at Shoreline, back in May.... [continue]

Many many years ago, when we were young and just beginning our journey into the land of holistic healing modalities, our massage therapist exhorted us to dine at the Macrobiotic Center and Organic Café on 40th Street, between Adeline and Market. We liked the food so much, or at least the idea of the food as a pathway to greater health, that we got a job there as a cashier for the Sunday Brunch... [continue]

As you know, we are certainly not vegan ourselves. But, some days, maybe we want a nice plate of veggies, prepared by people who only eat veggies and therefore understand that more options exist than just steamed. People who might even try to be innovative with their vegetables-only lifestyle. Plus, since we're pregnant, we tend to be even more interested in eating veggies lately, not for ourselves, of course -- if it were up... [continue]

Along with our friend Dan Carbone, whom we already told you about, the NY/SF theater-as-mind-altering-device company Banana Bag & Bodice was honored on July 16th with three New York Independent Theater Awards nominations for its original play, The Rise & Fall of the Rising Fallen, last seen on this coast at the 2006 San Francisco Fringe Festival. Rising Fallen was cited by NYIT for Outstanding Ensemble and Outstanding Production of a Play, and playwright... [continue]

Photo of Dan Carbone and friend, by Mike Kuchar Why? Because the stuffed-animal slinging, falsetto-singing, universe-weaving, Dada-referencing, Bay Area playwright and theater artist (and good friend and muse of seminal filmmaker George Kuchar) is all that -- and he's just been nominated for a New York Innovative Theater Award (being announced at a party in NYC tonight) for his 2006 Off-Off Broadway production of Kingdom of Not. Savvy Fringe Festival regulars may recall that this... [continue]

We arrived at 9 p.m., parked at the West Oakland BART station and walked the block or so to the Fire Arts Festival. A gathering of local neighbors stood just outside the fence, watching. Giant hand-wrought metal sculptures — spiders, dragons, machines from the future/past — viewable from that distance, and from the BART trains passing by above, thumped and shook and spewed balls of fire high into the air. We passed the LONG... [continue]

We celebrated our birthday this week with a French-Food-Themed evening out, East Bay style that we thought you might like to try, too. Pixar's ">Ratatouille, followed by dinner at Liaison Bistro. ... [continue]

SFist Julie treats herself! And why's she need treating? Find out for yourself -- congratulations, SFist Julie!!! So, you San Francisco folks have it made. With places like Polished Lounge and Le Crème Spa, you can go get a "natural" manicure and pedicure in a big puffy chair with lots of lovely organic products, fresh fruits and herbs, whenever you wish, with very little schlep involved, and no scary acrylics fumes. Us East Bay folks... [continue]

SFist Julie continues today's burger theme! Another stop on our East Bay tour of the best burgers made from "naturally-raised" meat: Luka's Taproom & Lounge. Just look at the picture. Need we say more? Note the little cup of garlicky-mayonnaise. That's 'cause these fries are Belgian. Speaking of which, want some Belgian beer ON TAP to go with 'em? No problem. They've got a selection. (Hence the name, "Taproom.") After the jump: Salads, oysters, and... [continue]

Unless you see all four of Mike Daisey's "Great Men of Genius" monologues (and see them IN ORDER), you might miss the point. GMOG is NOT in fact one man acting as four different "geniuses" -- Bertolt Brecht, P.T. Barnum, Nicola Tesla, and L. Ron Hubbard -- in four 75-minute monologues. Rather, this is one five-hour monologue, broken up into four segments, wherein the true genius of the piece, Mike Daisey, interweaves vignettes from his life with the excerpted life stories of those famous men. And did we say he's funny? ... [continue]

East Bay Eater SFist Julie reports in from the other side of the MacArthur Maze! To tell you the truth, we were hesitant to share this restaurant review with you, because we were worried that you would swarm our favorite neighborhood breakfast place and extend our wait for corned beef hash, but now, with the collapse of the 80/580 interchange, we have nothing to worry about. So here goes... There are many good and great... [continue]

East Bay diner SFist Julie goes pirate! Okay, it's really NOT a soup kitchen, but if you have a boat docked in Oakland’s Embarcadero Cove Marina (down the highway from Jack London Square and across from Alameda's Coast Guard Island), have a pot belly and a brush mustache, and a propensity for telling jokes like: “What kind of fish likes to sing? A tune-y fish!” -- and bursting into laughter at your own brilliance,... [continue]