Mike M.'s Profile

Now one of my favorite parks to mountain bike in the Bay Area.  The sheer magnitude and size of this park is amazing.  Parking is a bit limited but the Skeggs Point Caltrans lot on Skyline Blvd. is a popular starting point.  From there, we entered the park through the Tafoni trailhead 100 yards north of the parking lot.  Our route included El Corte de Madera Creek trail (awesome downhill) on the north side, connecting to Resolution (technical singletrack), then Fir and Tafoni trails (rolling fireroads).  It will take me a few more trips before I explore the entire park.  I think this park would be great for hikers and trail runners but they seemed scarce when we were out there.  I would recommend hitting up the park with a friend or someone who's been there before.  It's easy to get lost or stuck on a difficult trail considering the size of the park.  Fortunately, there are lots of bikers specially during the weekends to run into in case you get into trouble.  Really, my only complaint is how secluded the park is -- driving from the South Bay took about 45 minutes.  But I guess part of the allure of the park is its seclusion since once you're in the park, you really feel removed from civilization.  I'll definitely be back here again.

This is the perfect spot to satisfy your fix for Greek food.  I had the classic lamb gyro and it was really tasty.  They put the sauce on the side so it's up to you how much you want to use on your gyro.  You can really tell the quality and freshness of their ingredients are top notch.  Hands down, this is my numero uno spot for casual Greek food in the area.  Their menu is extensive including other normal deli sandwiches.  Can't wait to come back here and try other stuff on their menu -- specially their platters, which looked really good.  Prices are reasonable, there's ton of seating indoor and out, and plenty of parking in the lot outside.  Kudos to Zorba's!

We came recently for a b-day party and had a great meal in the teppayanki room.  Tried a little bit of everything but the steak was definitely my favorite.  The chicken wasn't bad either while the shrimp was so-so.  They also had salmon but I didn't get to try it.  The fried rice was good, the vegetables tasty, although I didn't care for the sprouts.  The service was good, prices were reasonable, and of course, the entertaining chefs are the best part.  I guess it gets old if you come here often but it had been a few years since I've had teppan yaki.  This restaurant is huge, with several rooms.  They also serve sushi so we'll have to try it next time.  There's also a large parking lot outside and they're close to the 880 freeway which was convenient.

Came here for lunch the other day and was pleasantly surprised.  I ordered the gyro lunch special with a side of fries and a soda.  The gyro wasn't bad, except the meat was pre-cut and wasn't freshly cut like you get from more authentic greek places.  That said, it was still pretty tasty.  I'd like to come back here again and try other items from the large menu.  There's plenty of breakfast options and from reading some of the reviews here, is a good option.  I'd also like to try the salad bar next time, which looks to have an extensive selection of items.  Pricing is reasonable, the atmosphere casual, service is good, and plenty of seating inside.

A decent spot to get your sushi fix.  The quality is good, the portions are about average, the service is good, but the best part is the pricing and value.  Their selection of rolls range from $3 for a California roll to $8-$10 for the more extravagant rolls (i.e. Spider, Rainbow, etc.).  Nigiri pricing ranges from $2-$4.  My friend comes here a lot when he's looking to satisfy a sushi craving and not make a big dent on the wallet.  There's plenty of seating inside, but the limited street parking outside can be difficult.  I've had better sushi elsewhere, but for the price, it's hard to beat this place.

Can you say yummy!  The fish and chips exceptional, definitely some of the best I've had.  The gyro I had was tasty and flavorful; the portions are generous, to the extent that it made eating the gyro difficult, a very small complaint.  I'll also need to try the spicy sauce next time.  The service was good, prices reasonable, and grabbing take-out is easy.  I've only been here a couple of times but I'll definitely be back some more.

After passing by this place several times, finally decided to try it out and I'm glad I did.  The decor and atmosphere is nice, on par with other restaurant-type breweries out there.  There are quite a few flat screens around the room which should come in handy for football sundays.  There's also a decent sized eating area in the outside patio behind the building.  Now on to the food; I've had lukewarm experiences dining at other brewery restaurants so I didn't have high expectations coming in.  But I found the food to be pretty good.  We started with the calamari seasoned in garlic, a nice starter.  Then we moved unto the pesto chicken pizza which was tasty.  We also had the bbq ribs were tender and the right kind of tangy.  The portions were generous and we had plenty left over to take home.  A good dining experience overall; will likely be back again.

Had to try this place out since it's only a couple of blocks from where I work. Unfortunately, it's easy to miss considering it's located in a business park and the restaurant signs are not that big.  But once you walk inside, you realize how big this place is.  The layout is reminiscent of a classic deli.  My first time there, I had the daily sandwich combo special -- roast beef sandwich with chips on a side and a small fountain drink.  Not bad for about $6.  The sandwich was tasty and you can tell they use quality ingredients.  My coworker got a salad meal that looked pretty good too, specially the candied walnuts.  Now that I've read the other reviews here, I can't wait to try the burger special and the chicken chipotle sandwich.  Looks like I've found another place to add to my rotation.

Sunol park is a hidden gem in the lower East bay.  I did some reading on here beforehand and I didn't come across many reviews of the park from a biking perspective so I had muted expectations coming in.  But my riding buddies were persuasive so we finally gave the park a try this weekend.  Boy was I impressed.  The park truly is a reflection of its name.  I've ridden in many parks around the Bay Area and Sunol is one of the few that exemplify what a wilderness preserve should be.  Driving into the park, the first thing I encounter is a deer walking across the main entrance on Geary Road.  The elevation changes are amazing, the views from the peaks are spectacular, and the riding can be brutal but fun.

We parked in one of the main dirt lots off Geary Road, proceeded to cross a short bridge across a creek and started an immediate climb up Hayfield Road for about a mile or so.  We then took High Valley Road for another mile until we crossed Welch Creek Road to ride the Maguire Peaks Loop, about a 5-6 mile loop.  On our way back, we were pretty beat so we rode back to the main lot through paved roads, heading west on Welch Creek Road, turning unto Calaveras Road for a brief stint, and finally riding back into the park through Geary Road.  This loop totalled a little over 12 miles.

The majority of the multi-use trails are fireroads, great for climbing work and exhilirating downhills.  The singletrack trails are limited to hikers so proceed at your own risk.  There's plenty of flat riding in the main area of the park for beginners.  I'd recommend the route above more for skilled riders due to the long sustained climbs.  

The park is a bit off the 680 freeway so be prepared for an extended drive in (10-15 minutes).  Parking is $5 when there is an attendant although we came early enough (before 8am) so the entrance kiosk was vacated.  We had such a good time my friends and I are already making plans to come back soon.

Finally had a chance to play here this weekend.  Was really impressed by the whole experience.  I was a little apprehensive beforehand based upon some of the reviews I've read here and from just talking with locals who had played here before.  In hindsight, I'd have to say it's all fairly accurate.  The fairways are consistently narrow.  The greens are lightning fast and it really tests your putting distance management considering how slanted the greens were.  Overall, I'd say the greens likely added 4-5 strokes to my score.  The course conditions are above average; no complaints here.  That said, what I like most about Summitpointe is the course layout and in particular, all the elevation changes.  It's really a beautiful course in retrospect.  I would not recommend this course for beginners since over half of my shots were on uneven lies.  I think having played in similar courses nearby (Callippe, Lake Chabot, etc.) really helped me out a lot.  

The green fees are reasonable ($66 incl. cart for Sun morning tee time).  And the marshalls do a good job of keeping pace of play moving; we finished our round in a litle over 4 hours.  My one complaint about the driving range is that you're not allowed to use your driver (a small complaint).

In comparison to Spring Valley, which is just 10 minutes down the road, Summitpointe is a substantially more difficult course to play.  However, I consider myself lucky to have both courses so closeby.