overt.org

I’ve been in a swimming class at Berkeley all semester. It has been awesome overall: great exercise in a group with an enforced schedule in a beautiful solid-marble pool overlooking campus. It has a few drawbacks, though. Because the pool is outdoor, it has a huge amount of chlorine in it, which gives me the aroma of chlorine for about 2 days afterward, no matter how hard I scrub, and has also destroyed my hair:

My initial plan was to shave it all off. I mean, what’s the point of getting a fancy haircut if it’s just going to turn into muppet fuzz anyway? So, I ordered a set of clippers off Amazon with the full intent of finding out what shape my head really is. Things took an unexpected turn, however, when Leslie turned out to be a very competent stylist and managed to recreate a decent haircut on the floor of our living room. The master at work:

So, now not only do I still have some hair, but I just discovered that I’m marrying someone who can do a decent job of cutting my hair. Woo! Free haircuts for life. That is all.

2181 Shattuck Avenue Berkeley, CA

Jupiter is the last of my long-delayed reviews. I may have been here more times than any other restaurant in Berkeley. This is mostly because it’s such a great place to take guests, and we have a lot of guests. Jupiter is a brew-pub, run by the same people who run Triple Rock, just about a quarter mile down Shattuck from that venerable old pub. It’s closer to the heart of downtown. The interior is very welcoming, all dark wood, soft light, hammered copper wall coverings, hand-made, astronomy-themed tables. Outside is even better–a large patio with multiple levels, little heating-lamp things for when the weather turns “cold,” and giant painted versions of their beer posters that I love so much.

The draw here is dual: the beer and the food. To start with the latter: they have sandwiches at lunch and pizzas at dinner. The sandwiches are more interesting than you with think, with boring-sounding options like the tuna-melt or roasted chicken breast both ending up outstanding. The pizza is the same–cooked in a wood-fired brick oven, nice and crispy, never burned, with a large and universally tasty menu of toppings. My favorite is probably the Triton (all their food and beer has astronomically-themed names), which is covered with Italian sausage, sweet onions and basil. I’m hungry just thinking about it.

Because the pizzas are made one at a time, you’ll have to wait a bit for your order to come in. That’s okay, though, it will give you the time you need to drink a couple of thier massively-sized (20oz) ultras of some of my favorite beer, anywhere. Their hefeweisen is definitely my favorite, fruity and rich without being cloying. It’s not for everyone though; they aren’t kidding when they describe it’s taste as including “banana-like esters,” but don’t let it scare you away, it really tastes great!

Although I spend most of my time their drinking the hefe, all the beers are good. Other favorites include the insanely hoppy and alchoholic Quasar double IPA, and the simple, classic Red Spot red ale. Go ahead! Take a look at the whole list.

Jupiter has already earned a special place in our hearts. In fact, if you’re coming to party with us next may when we get hitched, you’ll be treated to some their great food and drink at our rehearsal dinner after party. So if you were on the fence about flying out to California, maybe this will tip the scales.

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Comments

D. — 2006-10-31 16:45:16

Hey, there–

I found your site when trying to Google info on the UC Botanical Gardens. I’m also starting wedding planning (mazel tov to you, btw) but am doing it long distance, am pathetically dependent on the Internet for info. How did you find the space? Will it be impossible for my grandma to get down to the redwoods? Is there enough room on that patio for really proper dancing? Any tips or thoughts would be muchly muchly appreciated. Thanks!!

leslie — 2006-10-31 21:48:52

Hey, D.

Girl here. Botanical garden: beautiful, but their events staff is clearly overworked and can be unresponsive. They also book up waaay in advance–and though they claim not to open reservations until a year before, you can informally reserve a time. The path down to the redwoods is dirt, but not too steep or narrow (I perused it with a grandmother in mind as well, and it looked like it would be barely okay). The conference room for the reception could probably dress up nice but is definitely on the small side. For proper dancing on the patio, maybe 10 couples if they stay fairly stationary and you don’t have anything else set up out there. But of course it depends on your notion of personal space. We took pictures of the garden and other places we looked; they’re here: http://gallery.overt.org/v/05152006/

For long distance planning, http://herecomestheguide.com/ is indispensible if you haven’t found it yet. We’re in Berkeley, and it’s still how we found everything. Best of luck!

I spent this past weekend with Doug, his dad and friends on a sailboat in the Gulf of Mexico. Example scene:

I’ve posted my pictures in the usual place. There are some pictures still missing from Doug’s camera, but you can get the story pretty well figured out from what’s up there now.

4293 Piedmont Ave Oakland, CA 94620 (510) 652-3676

Okay, so this is cheating a little bit; the restaurant is actually in Oakland. Whatever. It’s worth the write up anyway. The place is small, brightly lit, huge glass windows, filled with blonde wood, an enormous open kitchen, and not that many tables. People on yelp predicted a wait (they don’t take reservations) but we had none (it was about 6:45 when we showed up, on a Tuesday). Within about 20 minutes however, all the tables were full and people were sitting outside waiting in the little patio area.

We started with a sort of mashed-together-and-fried-into-patties appetizer made with sausage (house made), fingerling potatoes, and greens. It was really good–an unexpected mix of flavors, kind of heavy but in a small enough portion to be enjoyable to the last bite. For the main course we had prosciutto, rosemary, and red-onion pizza and chanterelle pasta. The pizza crust was perfect: light and crispy, non-scorched, and so tasty that even I finished my crusts (this is saying a lot). There was no red sauce on the pizza, just some olive oil and garlic sitting on the dough with big slices of prosciutto layed over the top. The mix of flavors was delicious. The pasta was my favorite (Leslie’s was the pizza). It was fresh pasta (also made in house), cooked just right so that it has a lot of body without being gummy, covered in a basil-based cream sauce with sauteed chanterelles. It was almost like the pasta had been tossed in the sauce; the coating was very light. The flavor was subtle but heavenly.

For dessert we had esspresso-soaked pound cake filled with mousse and topped with whipped cream. I wasn’t crazy about the espresso (big suprise) but the mousse knocked it out of the park. It was that perfect balance between chocolatey and sweet, and not too wet so it was almost crumbly. Mmmm. Overall, a great experience, great service, and stellar food. A bit on the pricey side for the size of the entrees ($10-$15), but a definite will-visit-again kind of place.

2102 Shattuck Avenue Berkeley, CA 94704 (510) 649-3810

Here’s another one I’ve been putting off. We’ve been to downtown now three times, the first of which was on my 25th birthday last year. We went again with Leslie’s parents, and then again with a group of friends on a whim.

Downtown was started by some chefs from Chez Panisse, and it shows in the food: it’s amazing. A couple of important differences for me are that the prices are a bit lower, and you can walk in nearly any day of the week and get a table without a reservation. The interior feels upscale… cloths on the table, careful lighting, usually a jazz band of some sort playing in the corner. It does make me feel a bit underdressed sometimes, but it is Berkeley after all; at least I have pants on.

I think of the food as being prepared by people with the skills and legacy (French, I guess) of Chez Panisse but without the strictures imposed by its ideology. That is, everything is delicious, soaked in butter, well-presented, etc, but the ingredients are not all local, the dishes change less frequently, and on the whole I would say the food feels more familiar. My most memorable entree was braised oxtail, which was so rich I think I could have survived for a week on each bite. The serve many things along these lines (duck confit, roasted chicken, heavy pastas), changing things up seasonally. The vegatables and sides are always inventive and sometimes end up the highpoint of the dish. Also, they do a good job with the beer than most upscale places, even serving one on draft from our favorite pub down the street, Triple Rock. Downtown also introduced us to Ayinger Ur-Weisse, which has become one of my favorite dark wheat beers. As usual I can’t comment on the wine list, but I’m sure it’s super-duper given the number of pages it has.

The bar gets great reviews on Yelp as well, with its variety of exotic liquor and oyster selection, but again I’m not qualified to comment.

I would say this is another great special occasion restaurant, where the occasion needn’t actually be all that special. A great place to go before a play or concert or something.