43728 Sun Feb 19 21:32:07 -0800 2006 14 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 214264 Will be hanging around Herrick for the next few weeks -- any good eats nearby for lunch? Sun Feb 19 21:32:07 -0800 2006 0 Sarah 1 214288 Catch the 43 (or walk if you enjoy a long walk) North up Shattuck to the Gourmet Ghetto - that's where all the best eating in Berkeley is. Gregoire, Cheese Board, Cesar, Cafe at Chez Panisse, Cafe Gratitude, Cha Ya and Phoenix Pastaficio are all a few blocks from one another between Virginia and Vine. It's an ecclectic mix of eateries from cheap to expensive, from vegan to meat and potatoes, from good solid chow to revelatory dining experience. Epicurious Garden, a gourmet food court next door to Cesar, is scheduled to open March 3rd and will have several good lunch options as well. Not too much worth mentioning in Downtown proper (it's the deadest part of Berkeley) but if you do want to eat nearby you may check out Venus, Pie in the Sky pizza and Le Theatre to eat and Jupiter and Becketts to drink. And there is a fantastic Farmers' Market with good lunch vendors every Saturday from 10-3 on Center street between Milvia and MLK, just West of Shattuck. gregoirerestaurant.com cheeseboard.coop barcesar.com epicuriosgarden.com venusrestaurant.com letheatrerestaurant.com Mon Feb 20 01:56:06 -0800 2006 214264 0 Morton the Mousse 1 214316 I have never eaten there, but what about Tuk Tuk- a Thai restaurant at Shattuck and Haste. Perhaps someone else here has has experience? I don't think La Note is too far either at 2377 Shattuck... I've had family members in Herrick and walked down to Barnes and Noble to pick up magazines. There's a Jamba Juice right there if you want to bring something back to the hospital with you (and an Extreme Pizza- although I won't vouch for that, either!) Mon Feb 20 12:55:49 -0800 2006 214264 0 Oakland Barb 1 214368 I personally love la note which is on shattuck between durant and channing. Make sure to go there for breakfast/lunch. Tuk Tuk is good since they are open til 1am. You can also head a bit north for some other good options. Jupiter - pizza/brewery - On Shattuck between center and allston Cancun - mexican (great salsa bar) - on Allston between Shattuck and Oxford Arinells - pizza - On Shattuck, 1 block north of Center Gelateria Naia - gelato - shattuck, 1 block north of Center (Shattuck splits in two up here so Arinells and Naia are on opposite sides of the center block of buildings) And as mentioned by another poster, keep heading north for great food in the gourmet ghetto. Mon Feb 20 19:10:22 -0800 2006 214264 0 jiong 1 214426 Drove by there today and kept my eyes open. Whew, that really is a Chowhound black hole. The only food within a block is Tuk-Tuk which was mentioned and two other places that I've asked about before and didn't get much response. Not mentioned are Frausto's and a Japanese restaurant and market, Musashi, on Dwight, 1/2 block away from Shattuck heading toward Telegraph. http://www.shopinberkeley.org/m/musashi/index.php How far is too far for you? Do you have transportation? There are a few places that deliver in the area. Anyone have any more insight on Frausto's. This is seriously on my list because they advertise rotissarie chicken. Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/31574#139288 Tue Feb 21 02:40:36 -0800 2006 214264 0 rworange 2 214434 First, a disclaimer--I haven't eaten at Frausto's for about a year. I used to live a couple blocks from Frausto's, so I'd get takeout from there sometimes. The chickens are little and the white meat is sometimes dry to the point that it crumbles a little, but the dark meat is usually still juicy. However, the skin is crisp and tasty. Bear in mind that because these are little birds, the skin to meat ration is pretty high. I'm pretty sure they're not brined. The chickens are (or were) available by the whole bird or by the half as a meal. The meal includes refried beans under some melted cheese(I'm a fan), rice (nothing special), tortillas, salsa, and plastic bag salad with thousand island (blech, especially when the heat from the chicken makes the lettuce disintegrate). So, I found it best to make bean/chicken meat/salsa tacos and eat the skin separately. I remember the chips that come with your order being better than at most places, and sometimes warm. I never got around to trying the sopa jalisquilla, but it sounded good. Hope this helps. Tue Feb 21 03:08:51 -0800 2006 214426 0 sic fan 3 214439 Thanks for the tips about Frausto's. I doubt it's the type of place that would change much in a year. I get the feeling that for some reason, roast chicken as far as a guadalajaran cooking is concerned is a little dry, but has delicous skin. Did you notice if they had drowned sandwiches? Basically a torta in hot sauce. Tue Feb 21 03:35:44 -0800 2006 214434 0 rworange 4 214482 I don't think they have tortas ahogados at Fraustos, though I am not sure, and I've never had their chicken *but* (and this is a big one for me) their albondigas soup is pretty darn good and it is a daily menu item not a special. So, if you know my feeling about albondigas, you probably understand why it is the only thing I've ever ordered there (and I used to lunch there fairly regularly when I worked in Berkeley) Tue Feb 21 14:27:14 -0800 2006 214439 0 susancinsf 5 214573 I have had tortas ahogadas at Frausto's. I haven't had to many others to compare them to, but I enjoyed them for what they were. The red sauce that you dip them in is pretty standard. I have not, however, had the albondigas soup. Tue Feb 21 20:31:26 -0800 2006 214482 0 sic fan 2 214438 I have eaten in Fraustos and was not thrilled. Heavy bean-y, lard-y uninspired "mexican". However. And this is a big however. This was several years ago. I ordered something particularly lard-y bean-y. I only went once. I wasn't trying to puzzle out the exquisite bits from the menu. Probably worth another visit. I like Tuk Tuk a lot. If you order the special fried rice, which is served in a hollowed-out half pineapple, and the young coconut juice, which is served in a young coconut, you will say to yourself, "Woo hoo! I'm eating lunch from the top of Carmen Miranda's head!" Well, maybe you won't. But I did. Tue Feb 21 03:24:23 -0800 2006 214426 0 Jef 2 214558 Musashi is known for their sushi rolls. The restaurant is reliable and fairly inexpensive. Kirala it is not. Tue Feb 21 19:46:31 -0800 2006 214426 0 lomi 2 214560 Musashi is known for their sushi rolls. The restaurant is reliable and fairly inexpensive. Kirala it is not. Tue Feb 21 19:46:50 -0800 2006 214426 0 lomi 3 214656 I've gotten party platters from Musashi and their bento lunches from Berkeley Bowl (which also makes its own, not as good), I thought the quality was very high. Wed Feb 22 12:05:01 -0800 2006 214560 0 Robert Lauriston 1 214431 Royowa Ramen is a great place for lunch, but you'll have to hump it all the way down to University (south side of the street between Shattuck and Milvia). Anzu, on Shattuck eastside between Dwight and Hearst, is a cute, tiny, cheap Japanese place with a killer katsudon. There's Cancun taqueria on Allston east of Shattuck. Pretty OK burritos. Pizza eating chowhounds can't agree on the Arinell / Pie in the Sky pizza issue. Since you're in town for a while, you can try both. Heading the other direction, the lunch specials at Kirala run about 10 bucks and are excellent. No huge lines at lunchtime either. Kirala is on the east side of Shattuck at Ward. One block past Kirala is Sconehenge. Basic breakfast/burger/sandwich joint. You could pick up the fixins for a pretty great sandwich at Berkeley Bowl, though their lunch counter isn't terribly good. And on Shattuck almost to Ashby there's Taqueria La Familia, my favorite of the limited supply of burrito shops in Berkeley. Tue Feb 21 03:01:16 -0800 2006 214264 0 Jef 1 214513 La Note is really good. You can eat well or badly at Tuk Tuk depending on what you order. My favorites are the papaya salad and the BBQ pork. Beckett makes a decent burger. Jupiter's got OK pizza and sandwiches. Good place for a beer. Pie in the Sky on Center around the corner from Shattuck is better than Arinell. I think that's the consensus among the posters who've taken the trouble to compare. I like Gelateria Milano better than Naia, particularly the sorbetti. Mango, lemon, and grapefruit are my favorites. And the yogurt gelato. They've got some kind of package discount deal with Pie in the Sky. Tue Feb 21 17:17:07 -0800 2006 214264 0 Robert Lauriston