38279 Fri Jul 29 15:58:46 -0700 2005 19 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 179712 Just got the full report on the new North Berkeley food court. There will be six shops/restaurants: Alegio Chocolates Ciao Bella Gelato (not Naia) Socca by Gregoire (the Socca is a chikpea pancake baked in a wood fire oven from Provincial France.) Soop Kirala (fresh Sushi to go) Taste (Cesar take our counter) The complex will be called Epicurious Gardens. It will be indoors, which is good for the rainy season. They hope to open by the end of the year. Sounds like it's going to be great. I'll be there opening weekend. Fri Jul 29 15:58:46 -0700 2005 0 Morton the Mousse 1 179716 So much for Gregoire's claim about "something wonderful and unique almost nobody has heard of before." There was a restaurant called Socca in SF (where Aziza is now), and it's on the menu at Nizza la Bella and (under the Italain name, farinata) at Rose Pistola. Still--more socca is always good. Fri Jul 29 16:12:31 -0700 2005 179712 0 Robert Lauriston 2 179719 Socca was on the menu at Lalime's last week. However, it seemed it was part of a dish rather than a stand alone like at Nizza. How did the closed restaurant serve it? Now I need to do a socca crawl. Preferably in Provence. Any info about Alegio Chocolates? If this works out there will need to be police with machine guns guarding the BofA, Andronico's and Elephant parking lots. Disclaimer: An aquaintence of mine works at Lalime's. Fri Jul 29 16:25:19 -0700 2005 179716 0 rworange 3 179725 Socca served it as an appetizer, like Nizza. In France, so far as I've seen socca is a street snack. Fri Jul 29 16:50:42 -0700 2005 179719 0 Robert Lauriston 4 179738 The only time I've had socca in this country was at Nizza and it was uninteresting, limp, and pretty tasteless. A Nice, sur l'autre main...... yum Fri Jul 29 17:12:12 -0700 2005 179725 0 oakjoan 5 179767 socca sounds like what they call 'faina' in Argentina (corruption of farinata?) -- a chickpea pancake which they put on top of pizza and eat simultaneously. weird, but good -- anybody else had this? Fri Jul 29 18:37:11 -0700 2005 179738 0 varmicon 4 179803 I'm relieved to hear that. When I saw "Food Court" I had a vision of imported hawkers from Singapore selling real street food, so I'm heartened that the Gourmet Ghetto hasn't totally failed me. Cal students must be a lot more flush now than they were when I was there a few decades ago. Link: http://eatingchinese.org Fri Jul 29 20:30:43 -0700 2005 179725 0 Gary Soup 5 179805 In my observation, the people who frequent Gourmet Ghetto stores and restaurants are mostly not Cal students. Fri Jul 29 20:40:38 -0700 2005 179803 0 Robert Lauriston 6 179807 He's right. There really are lines that separate Berkeley. South of campus and east of Shattuck is solid undergrad territory. Shattuck below University, including downtown, is kind of a mix. Shattuck north of University? Seems like undergrads never venture up there, and while some grad students live around there, the shops and restaurants seem mostly full of Berkeley and Berkeley Hills locals. (A friend of mine told me the grad students who live up north tend to eat on Euclid or Telegraph - cheaper, more convenient to school.) Fri Jul 29 20:52:04 -0700 2005 179805 0 Hurricane510 5 179866 I don't think a hawker food court would be a bad addition to the area at all. I'm envious of the Vietnamese food courts down in San Jose... Sat Jul 30 07:33:21 -0700 2005 179803 0 bernalgirl 4 179947 In terms of the sociology, you need to remember that north and east of Shattuck and Cedar is "the suburb of Berkeley"--thousands of households with high average incomes and no stores or restaurants whatsoever. Not the best city planning, but it helps make for fabulous eating possibilities on the commercial streets that do serve them--North Shattuck and Solano. This food court sounds great, if probably pricy. Sat Jul 30 21:18:56 -0700 2005 179725 0 Nathan Landau 5 180126 My understanding is that prices will be quite reasonable. It's all take out and there's no tables to keep overhead down. It will be more expensive than cheap take out, but far more affordable than a sit down meal. There's always a lot of Cal students at Cheeseboard Pizza on the weekend. I also see Cal students at Gregoire for lunch and at Cha Ya. They shop at Andronico's and Safeway. Mon Aug 01 14:36:06 -0700 2005 179947 0 Morton the Mousse 1 179778 I have heard that "Taste" is going to be a wine bar/retail operation owned by the Khana Peena people. Seems a little odd, as Vintage Berkeley, the cute wine shop in the EBMUD building, is around the corner. Any insight? Fri Jul 29 19:15:28 -0700 2005 179712 0 berkeley girl 2 179802 Two wine bars in one block? Be still, my trembling liver. Fri Jul 29 20:28:22 -0700 2005 179778 0 Shep 1 179786 What's socca actually served with? Surely a chickpea pancake isn't that exciting all by itself. Ciao Bella is a great addition. Someone correct me if I'm wrong - aren't there only 2-3 Ciao Bella stores outside NYC? "Taste" makes more sense as a wine bar then as Cesar takeout (tapas are more "social food" than take-out) Alegio Chocolates - I don't know who they are either, but now that Scharffen Berger is being bought by Hershey's, we could use a new homegrown Berkeley favorite. ;-) Anyone know more details about "Soop"? Fri Jul 29 19:56:21 -0700 2005 179712 0 JBerk 2 179806 Socca is normally served with nothing but lots of freshly ground black pepper. It's a snack, not a meal. There are lots of ice cream parlors that sell Ciao Bella, and it's distributed all over the country, but there are only a few company-owned parlors in New York and the one in the Ferry Building. Fri Jul 29 20:51:15 -0700 2005 179786 0 Robert Lauriston 3 179838 There is a Ciao Bella about to open in Corte Madera too. Link: http://bunrab.com/yummychow/yummytitle.html Sat Jul 30 00:40:25 -0700 2005 179806 0 Edie 4 179908 They're opening them all over the country. "Ciao Bella is now taking this growing brand awareness (which is fueled by the new packaging, flavors and retail distribution) and adding their long history in foodservice to capitalize on the budding consumer appetite for more refined foods such as gelato and sorbet. These brand building efforts have led to the next stage in the company’s strategy, which they are embarking on at this time – plans to open Ciao Bella Cafes throughout the country." Link: http://www.ciaobellagelato.com/press_3.php Sat Jul 30 13:18:16 -0700 2005 179838 0 Robert Lauriston 1 179933 Where exactly is this N. Berkeley food Court? I will send my dd a Berkeley student there to check it out. Sat Jul 30 18:20:01 -0700 2005 179712 0 Marialyne 2 179965 1509 Shattuck, but it's months away from opening. Sun Jul 31 01:45:24 -0700 2005 179933 0 Robert Lauriston