Cal I.'s Profile

Jupiter is a bar a couple of blocks from my office. My coworkers and I (and seemingly everyone else with a workplace in the vicinity) have judged it a favorite lunch and light-dinner gathering place.

From the name you might imagine a sci-fi- or Roman god-themed pub, but, no, Jupiter is a solidly German bierhaus modeled after the oldest bar in Berlin. (The Jupiter website says so.) The only acknowledgements of the bar's Jovian (god and planet) namesake are in the menu--Roman mythology-named pizzas and sandwiches and, more importantly, the house brew Jupiter Red Spot Ale. (Their website logo also sports a red ellipse reminiscent of the Great Red Spot storm on planet Jupiter, but I don't recall seeing that version of the logo anywhere on the physical premises--they're somewhat lacking in the brand consistency department.)

I like Jupiter for three things:  the open-air beer garden; the lineup of house brews; and, the brief, but good, lunch and dinner menus. A fourth thing: the entrance to the Downtown Berkeley BART station is right out front--perfectly situated for the drinker on the go.

Spacewise, there're two floors of seating along with the bar inside Jupiter's dark wood interior. But, the best seats are in the beer garden courtyard. When the weather is pleasant, a beer (with lunch) under a sunny sky or a beer (with dinner) under the stars ist sehr nett. Actually, even when it's pouring down rain, a good dark beer (or two) ain't so bad--inside or outside. In any event, the courtyard fills up on nice days, so get there ahead of the sun-worshipping lunch and early-dinner crowds.

Beerwise, Jupiter sports 10 or 12 house brews ranging from pilsner to stout and another 20 or so regional brews. I've tried, and liked, most of the Jupiter beers, but towards the dark end of the scale, for me, nothing beats Guinness (which Jupiter has on tap). In terms of Guinness, I suppose I'm in a rut. But, it's a Guinness-filled rut, so how can I complain?

Foodwise, there are a few appetizers, salads, and small plates to share (dinner only), but primarily it's pizzas and sandwiches. The food isn't necessarily frou-frou, but trends towards goat cheese instead of American cheese. For example, my current favorite pizza is the Xanthia--it has thin-sliced potatoes, garlic, mozzarella and ricotta cheese, and bacon. Bacon. It's like they're reading my mind over there. The sandwiches are good, but like most sandwiches, I could eat two or two-and-a-half of them. Or, I could have another beer. Either way, my wallet ends up disagreeing with me.

Unfortunately, Yelp doesn't allow reviewers to assign half-stars, because, based on my twisted food-dollar scale, I'd score Jupiter at a three-and-a-half. Since it's early fall and the beer garden weather's still nice I guess I can round up.

*Standard Disclaimer: I'm cheap so I have to practice a certain amount of (fiscal) restraint when I'm drinking and dining at Jupiter. Following my gastronomic impulses would have me ordering twice as much food and drink and consuming a week's worth of lunch money. Consequently, a meal at Jupiter always leaves me wanting more.

Vocabulary Note: Non-standard foreign words/phrases used in this review--bierhaus (beer house), ist sehr nett (is very nice), frou-frou (schmancy).

Triple Rock has pretty good food and makes their own pretty good beer. If only I could afford to go there more often. (Results of going there more often: being broke and weighing 350 pounds.)

Two coworkers and I had lunch at the restaurant not too long ago, and we sat at the "Top of the Rock," Triple Rock's rooftop dining area. The Top of the Rock has a light-colored awning to reduce glare, but on the day we went the awning was no match for the heat. Our only recourse? Beer. Cold beer. (Cold ale, actually.)

Beer isn't the only reason to go to Triple Rock (does anyone call it "The Rock?" No? Okay, never mind), but it's a good reason. Other reasons would be soups, salads, sandwiches (especially burgers)--you know, food.

Overall, Triple Rock's menu has a fair number of items within a small range of categories. In the few years that I've lunched there I've tried items from the chili, fries, nachos, baked potato, salads, burgers, and sandwiches sections. For the most part, none have disappointed. My one food quibble would be that the fries aren't crisp (which is how I normally like them), but that hasn't prevented me from finishing off an order... even when I wasn't hungry. (This is more a function of my appetite than the fries.)

The Triple Rock-brewed ales are good across-the-board, and I've tried and enjoyed most of the regular offerings (including the unfortunately-Ren-Faire-sounding Dragon's Milk). My one complaint? The Stonehenge Stout (Ren Faire, again) is too sweet for my tastes.

There are booths, tables, and bar seating to accommodate a large variety of group sizes, and there are a few flat screen TVs mounted up high for sporting event viewing. The aforementioned Top of the Rock is pleasant when it's sunny and not too hot, but getting your bill when seated upstairs seems to take longer.

A few final Triple Rock observations:
- servers are generally tatooed and generally friendly (correlation?)
- forget trying to find a seat when World Cup or any large football (read: soccer) event is on
- tasty burgers and sandwiches come with cole slaw--substituting fries or side salad are extra

*Standard Disclaimer: I'm cheap so Triple Rock falls into my Special Occasion (definition: shortly after payday) category. I like the food and I like the ale, but when the two are paired together--and they always are--my tab usually ends up in the $12-18 range. Sadly that's two- to three-times my budget for a workaday lunch.

Oscar's Hot Dogs serves burgers--good, greasy hamburgers. I'm not sure why it's called Oscar's Hot Dogs here (all the signage I've seen just reads "Oscar's"), but that's how Yelp lists it. So, there you go.

Oscar's has two things I like in a burger joint: tasty, heart attack-inducing food, and a no-nonsense attitude. Three things--they also sell lotto tickets. It's like a win-win-win situation.

I'd walked past Oscar's several times in the last two or three years without stepping inside (despite the aroma of food frying and the promise of instant lotto riches). When I mentioned to one of my coworkers that I'd never been there, he replied, "You're kidding. Okay, we're going RIGHT NOW." We went. We ordered. I ate. I've been going back ever since.

I've tried three food items at Oscar's: cheeseburger; steak sandwich; french fries. The cheeseburger is your standard flame-broiled/grilled affair--sesame seed bun, shredded lettuce, 1/4-pound hamburger patty, tomato slice, American cheese. The burger is cooked medium. If you can order it any different I don't know; I haven't had the guts to ask the grillman. The steak sandwich is good, but I've only ordered it once--the 75 cents or dollar extra that it costs may put it out of my price range.

What makes me crave Oscar's, more than the sandwiches, are the french fries. The fries are crisp, golden, and you get a ton of them in an order. Just the thought of them makes my mouth water and my arteries constrict. They're that good.

If you'd like to try Oscar's for yourself, here's a short primer on how it works.
1. Look at the menu on the wall; decide what you want.
2. Walk up to the grill and place your food order; don't ask questions, just order.
3. Step to the cash register to the right; tell the cashier what you ordered; make your drink/lotto order at this time.
4. Pay, then get out of the way.
5. Wait for the cashier to bring your order to the counter; pick your order up.
6. Eat; enjoy; run five miles later to burn off the calories.

Follow these simple steps and you'll avoid the good-humored derision of the staff and Oscar's regulars. Enjoy!  

*Standard Disclaimer: I'm cheap, so even though Oscar's isn't fine dining by any stretch of the imagination, any lunch where I spend more than five bucks constitutes a special occasion. Despite this, my Oscar's tab is always a dollar more than it would be in a comparable-but-not-lotto-equipped burger joint. (Sorry, Oscar's tip jar, if I hit it big we'll share in the riches.)

I've not been to them all, but as discovered from the many I've tried, not all Roberto's are created equal. And, by Roberto's, I mean Roberto's--not Aliberto's, Adalberto's, Humberto's, Jilberto's, or even Royberto's.

When I was going to school in San Diego in the late '80s (yes, there are people using the Internet today who were alive prior to 1990), Roberto's, in its many locations, was my favorite drive-through taqueria. As the years and decades have rolled by, my twice- or thrice-yearly San Diego trips have revealed the menus and recipes at some of my old haunts have changed, and none for the better. For my money, the location on Broadway in Chula Vista has remained the most frozen in time, and therefore the best.

My knowledge of the Roberto's menu is extremely limited; if I've ever ordered anything besides rolled tacos with guacamole or a carne asada burrito I don't remember it. And why is that? Because the rolled tacos with guacamole and carne asada burrito are so darn perfect that I don't need to order anything else.

Good rolled tacos are pretty straightforward: they should be crispy and shouldn't become soggy or fall apart when topped with guacamole. Thick, chunky guacamole is key--rolled tacos are pretty pointless without it. A good carne asada burrito is equally simple: tortilla, carne asada, guacamole. No beans, no rice, no cheese, no frills, no fluff.

The Roberto's in Chula Vista has rolled tacos with guacamole and carne asada burritos down pat. (Their only failing on the rolled tacos is that they use cheddar cheese instead of the more tangy casero, but between guacamole and cheese, the guacamole is more critical.) Whenever I visit San Diego, day or night, Roberto's is the first place I stop on arrival and the last place I go on departure.

*Standard Disclaimer: I'm cheap, so I'm predisposed to favoring Roberto's low-end menu. However, if the food wasn't so delicious and filling, I'd take my nickels and dimes somewhere else.

Mandarin Garden is pretty good. The food is fine, and the price is definitely right.

I've been to the restaurant many times over the past several years--always for lunch--and have come to appreciate its funky decor (think '70s Chinese restaurant palace), odd background music choices, and pleasant service.

I usually order one of the lunch plates (most recently Chicken Curry, a bit of which I spilled on my shirt) for, I think $5.75. They start you off with a small hot-and-sour soup, and usually follow-up pretty quickly with your entree. The food is tasty and there's enough to last me through to dinner without having to scarf down a bag of chips at 3:45 p.m.

At lunch, my coworkers and I have never had a problem being seated whether there were 2, 4, 6, or 8 of us. The place does seem to be frequented by UC Berkeley staff (it's on the same block as University Hall), so if you're trying to avoid people from other UC departments, you might need to go further down the street.

All in all, Mandarin Garden's a good place for Chinese food for lunch--especially when you're running on your end-of-the-month budget (when you shouldn't be eating out, anyway).

*Standard Disclaimer: I'm cheap, but I like things that are shiny and new. To that end, I would have never walked through the front doors of Mandarin Garden on my own (I was brought there by a coworker). Initially, I would have generously described the restaurant as "well-established," but now its outdated decor feels comfortably familiar. Mandarin Garden is officially on our office list of "all coworker approved" restaurants.

I like Jazz Caffe--but not for what you might think. It's not for the food, and it's not for the coffee. It's not even for the jazz (the café is situated in The Jazzschool).

I just like the place.

Don't get me wrong, the food and drink at Jazz Caffe are great (albeit a tad pricey for an old hobo like me). It's the environment--ample seating at veneered café tables with bentwood chairs on a wood-paneled floor--that I enjoy the most. And, it's kind of hidden away, as we've said, off the street, down a flight of stairs, in The Jazzschool.

The staff is always pleasant, even if you're just paying table rent with a cup of coffee or a San Pellegrino. I prefer to visit in the afternoon, when even the late-lunch diners have cleared out, so I can relax with half of the tables to myself.

I've only eaten at Jazz Caffe a few times, but each meal was good. The soups I've tried have been flavorful, but not salty. The salads were fresh-tasting and not overly dressed. The paninis I've had were fine, but I don't recall ever eating a really standout panini anywhere else either. My only quibble with the food is that I could easily eat a double-size serving--the café's portion control seems to be set for European rather than American.

The next time I actually order food at Jazz Caffe I'll try to be more precise with my impressions. In the meantime, I'll be nursing my Aranciata at a table off to the side.

*Standard Disclaimer: I'm cheap so ordinarily I'd burst a blood vessel over paying two bucks American for a can of fizzy Italian orange drink. But Jazz Caffe is so pleasant in the afternoon--is such a respite from the rest of the work day--that I pay my sixteen bits (plus a tip, of course) with a minimum of grumbling.

I had no idea this place existed until a co-worker chose it as their birthday-lunch spot. I got an email telling us there'd be a lunch this week, and a follow-up email to tell us where, and off we went.

The decor at Zabu Zabu is pretty clean and somewhat eclectic. My impression after being seated was: upscale sports bar meets Japanese shabu shabu house in former French restaurant (Le Theatre). It sort of had a layered feel that reminded me of Blade Runner without being gritty or particularly chic. I think visually Zabu Zabu is less impressive by the light of day, and accordingly, foodwise Zabu Zabu is less impressive during lunch.

The lunch menu listed a small range of entrees including sushi, donburi, teriyaki, tempura, udon, and ramen. Our party consisted of ten and we ordered quite a few different items; unfortunately I didn't catch what was ordered at the far end of the table and only have opinions on the unagi donburi, wakame roll, orange [something I forgot] roll, and pork katsu ramen.

The sushi rolls came in ten pieces with miso soup. From what I could tell, these were the standouts at our end of the table. Those that had the sushi rolls liked them, and they would almost be enough for lunch (I'd probably eat one-and-a-half orders, myself). If I try Zabu Zabu for lunch again, sushi rolls will be the way to go.

The unagi donburi may or may not have been forgotten by the chef. Whatever the case, it arrived significantly later than everyone else's entree and was, in my coworker's opinion, burnt. My clean-plate-club coworker left a third of the dish on the table and wouldn't order the unadon here again (if they would ever return here again).

My pork katsu (tonkatsu) ramen was not bad... and that's the best I can say about it. Actually, there were plenty of slices of tonkatsu in the soup, and they were moist and had good flavor. Even soup can't save an overcooked piece of deep-fried pork cutlet, so in retrospect, the pork katsu lunch would have been a better bet. The rest of the ramen was underwhelming: the broth wasn't very hot; the noodles were limp; and there were big slices of vegetables (zucchini, carrot) that were obvious shabu shabu ingredients. To top it all off, my pork katsu ramen was in a miso ramen soup, a fact that I didn't see on the menu. It may have been my oversight, but had I known it wasn't going to be shoyu ramen broth, I would have ordered something else.

The service was fine though our server was somewhat indifferent, and the bill was average for a sit down place near downtown Berkeley.

I'll probably lunch again with a smaller group of coworkers, but lunch may just not be Zabu Zabu's forte.

*Standard Disclaimer: I'm cheap so the group-subsidized birthday lunch isn't always my thing. Since I'm usually the only one ordering a drink it throws the bill accounting all out of whack. In the end, I over- or underpay so either I or everyone else gets burned. Only the birthday girl or boy gets away scot free--where's the fun in that?

Went for lunch with two co-workers. The tables were clean and the food was good!

I like just about anything made of corn and ordered one of the specials: soft polenta. I'd never had it before so I should have been surprised by the thick, chowder-like dish--I guess being boring has its advantages (nothing surprises you). In any case, soft polenta is now on my favorites list. The slice of French bread that came with the polenta was nothing to write home about, but that's what it came with and I ate it.

One of my co-lunchgoers had the risotto; the other ordered ravioli. I don't recall what sauce was ordered for the ravioli, but my co-worker enjoyed it. The risotto was quite a bit more interesting--it was cooked into a patty. Beyond the novelty of a patty-shaped, baked (fried?) risotto, the verdict was that it tasted good.

The place is still new so the management (owners?) are very keen to make sure their diners have a good experience. Let's hope the level of food prep and service is maintained as this location settles in and matures.

*Standard Disclaimer: I'm cheap so I could have spent less for lunch, but I understand that other people are used to throwing around tens and twenties for the privilege of having food prepared and brought to them. I try to keep that in mind when reviewing. It's tough, though.