4/14    Coming to visit Berkeley again today. What's a good place to
        have lunch nowadays? Since we're now "older", we need someplace
        nicer (no blondies, bongo burger or $1 chinese food). Last two times
        we ate at Intermezzo and Zachary's. What else is out there now?
        \_ steve's korean bbq is timeless
           \_ Amen!
           \_ timeless in the sense of how long it'll take your bowels to
              recover from the insult?
                \_ what are you, class of '50?
                   \_ What does my year have to do with knowing that Steve's
                      Korean BBQ sucks?
        \_ Grigoire
        \_ I would suggest either Bongo Burger or Blondies.
           \_ If i'm ever too much of a pompous asshole to go to Bongo
              Burger with my friends, please kill me.
              \_ Or Oscar's.
        \_ La Note on Shattuck is really good... provencal French food.
           \_ Um, no.  La Note has nice atmosphere, but the food is mediocre
              at best and not worth the money.
        \_ Venus on Shattuck. Nann&Curry on Telegraph is a dive with really
           good Indian food for the cost. Take this with a grain of salt
           because I still like Bongo Burger and I'm "older" too.
        \_ I'm probably a lot "older" than you and still go to Bongo Burger
           sometimes.  If you're going to a student pit like Intermezzo and
           think that is good food then I can't help you.  You might as well
           go to blondies.  Have you been living in some vegan hell since you
           left?  How can you not know that BB is one of the better burgers
           available on this planet?
           \_ Allah bless the Persian Burger. And the best cheap breakfast
              in Berkeley. Three cheers for Top Dog too...
              \_ Yeah.  Although hotdogs are really disgusting as a concept,
                 I still eat topdog, too.
        \_ Tried Ryowa Ramen on University?  Beats Long-life Noodles
           hands down.
           \_ I really like Ryowa Ramen.
           \_ I think you gave me anus.
        \_ Barney's. sooooo good.
        \_ Nan Yang on College and Claremont. It's Burmese food.
        \_ If you've never eaten at the Blue Nile (on Telegraph, near Dwight),
           you should try it.
           \_ Or you could go to a decent ethiopian restaurant like asmara
              \_ asmara might be more authentic but it doesn't taste as good.
                 \_ Authentically what? You better guess again before
                    complimenting them on their authentic "Ethiopian" food.
                    The Eritreans and the Ethiopians just finished slaughtering
                    each other by the tens of thousands over a single border
                    town. --ulysses
                    town. The wording of their sign is to attract the
                    uninformed. BTW, I can barely tell the difference between
                    Ethiopian and Eritrean and I've worked for the latter for
                    2-1/2 years. --ulysses
                    \_ Eritrea had 1 jet plane! - danh
                    \_ I know they're Eritrean but that's like saying there's
                       a big difference between food in the east and west
                       regions of Iowa.
           \_ blue nile tastes like ass, costs far too much and gives you
              really shitty service.  Ohh, but you get to sit on the ground
              all authentic like!  There are tons of good ethiopian places
              in south berkeley and oakland.  Blue Nile is not one of them.
              \_ Ok, you'be bashed a perfectly decent restaurant without
                 providing an alternative.  Good job!
                 \_ It isn't perfectly decent at all, it is ass.  Plain and
                    simple.  Good places include The Ethiopian Restaurant
                    down on Telegraph and Russel (yeah it looks scary from
                    the outside, but it is good), Cafe Calluci (probably
                    spelled wrong) on Telegraph and Alcatraz and The Red Sea
                    at Claremont and umm, something.
                    \_ As above with Asmara, don't jump at telling The Red Sea
                       how great their Ethiopian is. They, too are Eritrean.
                       Hint: Asmara and the Red Sea are geographical features
                       of one country rather than the other (check a recent
                       world atlas). Above comment about similarity of the food
                       is, however, correct. I like the Iowa comparison.
                        -- ulysses
                    \_ Been to Blue Nile as well as most of the Ethiopian
                       restaurants in LA (Nyala, Rosalind's, Messob). I didn't
                       notice Blue Nile was any different (better or worse).
                       Aren't they all pretty much the same? --dim
                       \_ I dunno.  Blue Nile just doesn't taste as good.  And
                          it costs more.  And the service is worse.  But, you
                          don't have to go into Oakland and be scared by all
                          them black folks.
                          \_ isn't Berkeley scary to some?
           \_ When I went to Blue Nile a few years ago I saw a cockroach
              scuttle along the wall. That's probably why they keep the
              lighting so poor.
              \_ They recently advertised that they renovated. Perhaps to
                 hide the roaches better?
              \_ Hint: even 5 star joints have roaches.
        \_ Thai Expressions at the Beau Sky Hotel on Durant.  Cheap and good.
           Also clean and quiet.
        \_ Unicorn on Telegraph is good, cheap, stylish and has good service.
           It is in kind of shitty spot, so it is easy to miss. -ausman
           \_ Along the same lines, Zax Tavern on telegraph.  Very tasty,
              friendly staff (mmm... tasty staff.  Say hi to lynn...)  Not
              quite cheap, but the place is a good deal less pretentious
              than its patrons. --scotsman