Matthias Z.'s Profile

Kristy cuts my hair, my wife's and my son's. She very friendly, and takes her time- about an hour for shampoo, wash, cut, and styling. She does a really nice job consulting you on what your needs are and then does her stying. So far, the whole family is very happy with her.

I haven't yelped in a long time, but this place is worth writing about. I am a Japan fan and read about the denim cult before. Yesterday I finally had a change to visit Self Edge. If you are looking for the ultimate jeans you will find it here. The service was excellent. Karen and I chatted for a while with the owner about Japan, rare sneakers and denim.
I tried a couple of jeans and really like the limited edition (150 pairs) Triple Works ($250) they have right now. Since I want reduce my impulse buying I left the store without them. But I will be back.

I went for the first time today, a Saturday for lunch. The place was fairly empty at 1:00pm and we got seated right away. The lunch menu has great choices for bargain prices. It was hard to decide what to try so I will need to come back many times.
Finally I decided for the mushroom udon and Karen ordered the stuffed eggplant with some additional avocado/shitaki maki. The food was nicely presented and delicious. I had udon in Tokyo and Kyoto, but have to say this one is on par, even so it is not done with fish broth. Full flavored broth with a lot of different mushrooms and solid udon noodles. Karen enjoyed the stuffed eggplant, which was recommended by other Yelpers as well. The maki was very good as well and I definitely will be back to try different types of their sushi as well as the tempura.
Finally the waitress was very friendly, so I am happy to give 5 stars. I wish we had a place like that near my office in San Jose.

This so much more then a grocery. They have a small restaurant on the porch which has great Californian dishes (try the artichokes and the lamb with potatoe gratin). On the weekends they have BBQ. Also a great place to buy snacks to go for a picknick in Santa Ynez valley (a la Sideways).

Went to the Guerilla Cafe on Saturday for a lunch snack. Karen and I had walked by this place a couple of times and decided it is time to go. I like the atmosphere. Laid back, African music and a live drummer. Interesting urban art. The food is great. We had the sandwich special of the day with a lot of fresh and organic veggies and a huge bowl of oatmeal. Definitly will come back (even so the place competes with many other favorites in that area like the Cheeseboard Pizzeria, Gregoire and "Love at First Bite").
Later the day I went to Chez Panisse for dinner. This type of diversity is what I really like about Berkeley.

Chez Panisse deserves a fice star rating but do not expect your typical gourmet restaurant. If you go to Chez Panisse you can expect excellent high-end organic food which tastes like a like reference model for whatever is served. The preparation is often fairly simple and the focus is to highlight the typical flavor of the specific ingredients.
The first time I went to Chez Panisse restaurant about 4 years ago I was disappointed because I expected French gourmet style food and service. I went back a number of times to the Cafe and enjoyed it a lot and just returned from another visit to the restaurant. Do not expect complex food creations, multiple waiters per table, waiters picking up and folding your napkins when you are on the bathroom, cloth towels in the bathroom, etc. This is about the organic food experience... and thats it (if you want the former I suggest French Laundry, Ritz Carlton Dining Room or Masa's). I am not complaining (afterall I give it 5 stars and admire Alice Waters) I just want to ensure you come prepared and with the right expactations.
Todays menu was outstanding. We started with a local halibut tartare with cherry tomatoes,cucumbers, and avocado. The fish was so fresh I would categorize it as high-end sashimi grade. It melted in my mouth and did not taste fishy at all. The main course was duck breast with fresh plum sauce, fried eggplant and dry-cooked beans. I am a big fan of duck and this was exactly how duck should taste. Again focused on very basic but rich flavors.
The wine selection is small (again compared to typical fourmet temples), but well sorted and starts at reasonable price levels. If you consider going to Chez Panisse for the first time I suggest you try the Cafe and if you enjoy it come back and got to the restaurant.

This is the place to go for Northern Indian Vegetarian snacks. Initially an Indian friend of mine took me there and I was amazed by the different Indian dishes I had never heard of. I specifically like the Pani Poori ($3.99) which are hollow pastry balls (I cannot describe it better). Eating them is a whole ritual. First you push a whole into the ball. Then you stuff it with chopped potatos, onions or other vegetables and finally you put a couple of spoons of spicy watery sauce into it. Pretty much eat it like you would drink a shot. Yummy....
The Samosas are a good starter ($2.50). My favorite main courses are the House Thali (the only difference between 1 and 2 is the type of lentils you get , it is a steal for $6.95) and the Baigan Bartha (Spicy eggplant dish, $5.75).
One word of warning. Do not order the Dabeli, the description is misleading. It is spicy mashed potatos in a hamburger bun.
If you have room for dessert try the Gulab Jamin.

I have been going to Mango Cafe for years. However since the original Jamaican owners sold it and a Korean owner took over I frequented less often. The atmosphere was colder and the place was most of the time desserted (even so the food was still good). It just became to depressing to go there and see the miserable owners who did not have a clue how to run a Carribean restaurant.
Well finally after they sold it a couple of months ago I went back and I will now come more often again. The new owners renovated the place, got a liquor license and even have a small bar. The food has improved too. My favorite is still the Chicken Roti and as a starter the Jerk Chicken. If you are into spicy food make sure you ask for the bottle of hot mango salsa.

One of my favorite snack places in the city. Both sweet as well as savory crepes are excellent. I typically have a mushroom, tomato, cheese crepe. Also you need to try the apple cider. They serve it in a nice bowl and it goes great with the crepes. The salad at Ti Couz is decent as well, e.g. share it as a starter.
Avoid arriving at peak times (better go at 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon). There is a small and affordable garage on 16th Street just below Valencia.

Visiting Chicago on a business trip I went with a local friend to the Frog Bar. We made reservations at 6:00pm using Open Table, but due to heave traffic only arrived at 7:15pm. The staff was very accomodating and we got seated 10 minutes later, even so the place was very crowded.
A great selection of seafood and also nice wines. We started with oysters and escargot. I am a big escargot fan and these were excellent with a lot of garlic.
That evening they had a number of Australian lobster specials. I asked the waiter and he recommended I go with the smallest size, which I appreciated since it turned out to be pretty large already. My friend had grouper. Both dishes were excellent. Unfortunately we did not have room for dessert. If you have a healthy appetite and like the noisy, crowded but fun bistro ambiente, this is the place to go.