NWR: For Mark Lipton

Thanks, Claude. I had missed that article in my daily perusal of the paper of record. I was sure, however, that you were going to comment instead on the news of the day which is also near to my interests. How can a visitor to Berkeley intent on absorbing the local flavor not mention Peet's, Chez Panisse, Arinell Pizza or Top Dog, all of which qualify in my estimation as Berkeley icons?

Mark Lipton
 
I lived in Berkeley/Kensington from 1974-88. Got my BA from Cal in '76. Yes, dumb article.

Mark, this guy was doing things on the cheap so I don't think Chez Panisse would've ever been mentioned. His comments on the Cheese Board and its pricing are out to lunch. Also, there's no better (IMO) cheese monger in the Bay Area. When Sandi and I make our too-infrequent trips to Berkeley, the Cheese Board is a must-stop for us.

I was never much of an Arinell's fan. A stop at Top Dog on Durant after a Dead show at the Greek was always welcome. Or a late meal at the Chez Panisse Cafe after a Sat. show. That meant leaving before the encore to get there before closing.
 
originally posted by Larry Stein:
I lived in Berkeley/Kensington from 1974-88. Got my BA from Cal in '76. Yes, dumb article.

Mark, this guy was doing things on the cheap so I don't think Chez Panisse would've ever been mentioned. His comments on the Cheese Board and its pricing are out to lunch. Also, there's no better (IMO) cheese monger in the Bay Area. When Sandi and I make our too-infrequent trips to Berkeley, the Cheese Board is a must-stop for us.

I was never much of an Arinell's fan. A stop at Top Dog on Durant after a Dead show at the Greek was always welcome. Or a late meal at the Chez Panisse Cafe after a Sat. show. That meant leaving before the encore to get there before closing.
Click to expand...

You were dining better after your Dead shows than we were, that's for sure, Larry (water was usually the after-show curative for us). Arinell's back in the '70s gave me my first taste of Neapolitan pizza, and for that I'll always be grateful. When Jean and I relocated to Berkeley after 5 years in NYC, she nearly starved trying to find a late meal after lab... until she discovered the Café at Chez Panisse, the only place on the N side to stay open after 10 pm in 1988. That was our road to ruin, as she there discovered Navarro's Pinot Noir and that began our long-term obsession with Pinot Noir-based wines.

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by Steve Edmunds:
that's just about the dumbest piece of writing I've seen in awhile.
Click to expand...

As someone who has never been there, I am wondering what is wrong? It sounds very pleasant from that writeup.
 
originally posted by Larry Stein:
It sure isn't. If he had talked about riding his bike to the top of Marin Ave, I might have given him some credit.
Click to expand...

If he had talked about riding his bike to the top of Marin, I'd have asked to have him committed, Larry. "25% grade" sounds so innocuous until you try riding it.

Mark Lipton
 
As a student, I lived in the apartment building that backs up to Cheeseboard. I realize now how fortuante I was to have it as my closest meal option.
 
originally posted by Steve Edmunds:
that's just about the dumbest piece of writing I've seen in awhile.
Click to expand...

As a former magazine editor who hired lots of them, let me say that 95% of travel writers are both dumb and lazy. I called stories like this one "I went here, I did that." Mindless.
 
originally posted by Steve Edmunds:
I think Larry answered part of the question. It's such an incredibly limited glimpse of Berkeley.
Click to expand...

It's a short column! Anything he wrote would have been a limited glimpse. It was his two days in the city.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top