662082 Sun Oct 25 08:55:04 -0700 2009 3 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 5129253 Had a great time trying out various snacks in Berkeley yesterday. Thanks to all for their previous recommendations. The 4 of us started out at Gregoire, and shared an order of the potato puffs - super buttery, fried salty goodness. My husband, fearing that I didn't have enough food planned for later, ordered french fries - good, but the potato puffs stole the show. Walked through Epicurious Gardens but didn't get anything. Our friend wanted to take me to Masse's since she knows about my sweet tooth. Picked a really cute chocolate orange mousse decorated with a chocolate skull while she enjoyed a morning bun that reminded her of school days. We walked back to Cheeseboard where she picked up a few scones for the next day's breakfast and it was the busiest cheese counter I've ever seen. We waited in line for Cheeseboard pizza to open, and got a whole pie. I was roped in, since by this time my appetite was waning. I must say, even though I am not a "pizza person" this was one of the best slices ever. Thin crust, supremely cheese-y tasting, not overly sauced or with too many super chunky toppings. Now I know what all the fuss is about. We trekked down the street to Triple Rock, where my bro-in-law bought us a round of beers & we enjoyed the great weather from the rooftop beer garden. We realized we had to rush to Crixa Cakes before it closed, and I had that awful sinking feeling as I walked in - many of the cases were empty. Most of the items on the blackboard were marked "sold out". My fault - next time I will make Crixa my first stop in the morning. We tried the shortbread, merangue, and slice of flourless chocolate cake, but I didn't get to try anything Hungarian, Central European or Russian. I continued with the Halloween theme and tried the zombie brains - it was a lime mousse/jello in a tiny brain shaped mold, floating in sugar syrup which was supposed to be the "formaldehyde". Kitsch-y but I am a sucker for all things Halloween, and sweets. At this point I was already in a food coma, so we decided to go to the Cesar on Piedmont, figuring tapas would be our best option at this point (no room for Corso which I eyed longingly, but stomach said no). We had the crab & shrimp paella, which was good, but not great; jamon serrano with the 3 cheese sampler; salt cod & potato cazuela - my bro-in-law loved this dish; canelones de catalunya- likened to a taquito in a cannelone shell; and we "forced" ourselves to eat dessert - churros con chocolate. I actually didn't like the chocolate which had too much orange flavor. The churros were actually much better dipped in my husband's coffee. Does anyone know what kind of coffee they serve at Cesar? Husband really enjoyed it. I loved the atmosphere at Cesar's. Warm, welcoming, and our server was very attentive without being intrusive. We walked in at 6:30pm and were given a prime table, and the restaurant has enough space so even when crowded, you can still hear conversations. All in all, a great day for munchies, and I'm still full the next morning. Sun Oct 25 08:55:04 -0700 2009 23298 SanJoseHound 1 5133707 Thanks for reporting back. Glad it worked out. Hmmm ... I haven't been to Crixa in a whle. They do get int the spirit for Halloween. I'll have to stop by and check what is there. Mon Oct 26 23:45:30 -0700 2009 5129253 10264 rworange 2 5158261 Crixa's website makes my mouth water. I had a Russian friend look over their Russian baked goods/specialties and she says they look pretty authentic. I had a slice of their flourless chocolate cake "Pave Vergiate" the next day and it was great. Not super rich and not too sweet, delicate but still a strong hit of chocolate. I was disappointed we didn't get to go to Chocolatier Blue - so maybe next time I'll try to hit up both, in the AM. Thu Nov 05 10:03:32 -0800 2009 5133707 23298 SanJoseHound 3 5158450 There's also Chocolatier Blue Patisserie. Thu Nov 05 10:54:54 -0800 2009 5158261 11369 Robert Lauriston