InBerkeley

So the gauntlet has been thrown. I don’t want In Berkeley to descend into a north versus south battle. I love all the Berkeleys, whatever point of the compass. But north Berkeley claims the lion’s share of food attention, and my end of town needs its recognition. If I dared stray a little bit further into north Oakland, I could really go on and on. But I’ll leave that for another time. 

So here are my choices: 

1. Shen Hua. There’s an eerie equivalence between College Avenue and north Berkeley’s Solano Avenue. Since you can arrive at Solano through a small tunnel, my family often sees it as entering the Twilight Zone. Shen Hua’s Solano doppelganger is Kirin. I wonder if they share an owner, they are so similar. Good, sometimes exceptional north Chinese food. I particularly recommend the Steamed Hunan Fish. 
    
2. Wood Tavern. OK, it’s 50 feet into Oakland. Sue me. I’d love Wood Tavern more if I could get near the place. It’s always packed to the rafters for dinner, and it even gets crowded for mid-week lunch. Relatively simple food, lovingly prepared. The pork chop is a particular favorite of mine, and I also highly recommend the sauteed halibut. 
    
3. Flavors of India. Across the street from Wood Tavern. In my years in London, I learned a lot about Indian food. Flavors of India meets a high standard for north Indian food. Flavors are vivid, not drowned as is so often the case. Vik’s Chaat House is mentioned in one of the comments to Dave’s post and it is definitely more the authentic tang of India.  But Flavors of India is a great local Indian restaurant. 
    
4. Mitama. Almost next door to Flavors of India, Mitama is one of the better Japanese restaurants in the East Bay. Very good sushi and sashimi. Some friends rate their rolls very highly, but I’m not a fan of elaborate rolls.
    
5. Trattoria La Siciliana.  There are certainly better Italian restaurants, but La Siciliana does a good job of serving an elevated version of Italian standards. I include, however, because of the amazing experience my family had there several years ago on Father’s Day. When I asked for the check at the end of the meal, the owner came by and said there was no need to pay. One regular patron pays for a family’s meal every Father’s Day because he used to eat there with his father for years. I was never able to meet or identify our benefactor. 
    
6. The Paragon. Again, the Paragon is technically in Oakland, although it has a Berkeley address. And I know that some people don’t really like the slightly corporate vibe of the Claremont. But there are two main reasons to go to the Paragon. First, it has the best view of any restaurant or bar in the East Bay, as far as I’ve been able to ascertain. Second, it has the best hamburgers in Berkeley. 
    
7.  Ici. It’s just an ice cream place, but the lines stretching up the block suggest Ici is something far more. Oakland North reported that one patron had driven five hours from Laguna Beach (fast driver) to have some Ici ice cream. Perhaps. I think it’s very good, but I wouldn’t wait for 30 minutes for an Ici ice cream cone. You can settle for something almost as good by walking south on College Avenue to Tara’s Organic Ice Cream. Tara’s has eccentric flavors that sometimes work very well. 

Lance Knobel Food