East Bay

East Bay Grease: A Late Night BART Backup Plan
If you live in the East Bay, sometimes you can run into a bit of a problem when enjoying a late night in San Francisco. BART, the non-car solution to that big thing of water that’s in your way, stops operating at a certain point in the night. But good(-ish)

Ippuku: Offal on a stick and Chicken Tartare
Ippuku’s sake on tap There was a time when we as a people lived in fear of eating under-cooked pork. Casting my mind back to the early 80’s, when A-Ha’s “Take On Me” was annoyingly inescapable and dudes everywhere sported see-through mesh t-shirts, our mothers and fathers were unwitting violators

Shan Dong: Oakland’s Best Dumplings
Sure, San Francisco’s Chinatown is world-renowned, but why not hop the Bay to Oakland’s Chinatown? It’s less hectic, possibly more authentic, and almost no tourists. I especially recommend Shan Dong, which I will go on record as saying that they have the best dumplings in the East Bay. Not to
First Look at the New Parkway Theater in Oakland
In 2009, Oakland mourned the closing of The Parkway Theater, a beloved Oakland mainstay that helped revitalize a neighborhood. The Parkway was a film lovers dream- cult films, film festivals, pizza and beer served to at your seat. Struggles over leases and landlords forced the original owners to close. Enter

Maoz: Not Just For Vegetarians
Maoz is (sort of) a chain, but there’s only one in the Bay Area. I love the simple concept: they only sell pitas, falafel, and fries. And sure, I wouldn’t call it “authentic” Mediterranean food, but it is damn tasty. So why even mention Maoz? The best thing about it

Uncle Dougie’s is the Real New York Deal
One evening when I was out in Downtown Oakland, the hunger set in at about midnight. A friendly fellow bar patron directed me to a place called “Uncle Dougie’s New York-style Italian Heroes” on 17th Street. A short walk from The Layover Bar and we arrived at a late-night diner’s

Pan Theater: Cheap Improv Comedy
“Can I get a suggestion for an occupation? Dentist, thank you, I heard dentist.” and thus starts an improv show. However, Pan Theater doesn’t put on the typical improv show. Absent are the corny, Whose Line Is It Anyway? games. Pan Theater specializes in long -form improv; narrative stories that

Life Is Simple At Phil’s Sliders
Phil’s serves sliders. Little burger, little prices. They look small at first glance, but these little things are so effing tasty! At two bucks each, even a broke-ass can double up. Phil keeps his slider simple: one hefty grass-fed, beef medallion, fire-grilled to medium-rare perfection, a fresh piece of iceberg