Napa, Davis... Gotta complete the trifecta of dining reviews: CHEESEBOARD in Berkeley! :)

Eat here.

No seriously you guys. One time i ate here and all they had was green tomato and onion pizza and it was still the best pizza ever. My all time favorite was the cauliflower and pistachio!!! Sounds awkward, but sooooooooo good. I went a couple weeks ago on my way to Marin (Slight detour, so worth it) and they had this awesome montalban cheese and arugula with lemon. Also amazing. The best part is they always give you an extra half slice free! or 2 extra half slices if you get a whole pizza. Not that Alex and I ever ate a whole pizza there. That would just be ridiculous. ;)

http://cheeseboardcollective.coop/

Here's the website! They post their flavor day for each day weekly, similar to yoloberry, but all their ingredients are local and organic. They also have salads and beer! and pretty sweet live music. The line is always huge but worth it. Only 20 for the whole pizza.

Food Porn!

The cauliflower and pistachio. Heaven!

 

Eating half a pizza is totally healthy when it's covered in green stuff, right? ;)

Paesano's Happy Hour

Special guests Moira and Nick were gracious enough to double date with us for this installment, so we could sample many a selection! They were seasoned pros but this was my first visit. Some things I noticed:

BOMB calimari. Not the best ever, but for the price I approved. They polenta fries rocked too.

Bruschetta-- It tasted like hot dogs. Literally, like hot dogs. Vegetarians should eat it if they miss meat but like animals. That similar. I like hot dogs though so of course I ate it haha :)

Fruity drinks were yummy and a good deal, but right before happy hour ended we ordered a round and I needed a second to decide, then when the waitress returned with everyone's drinks and I ordered mine, she told me it was over! Every place i've been too warns you when you are ordering, she even said oh take your time, i can come back. Very misleading since the normal price was twice the cost. Plus they didn't have coke and didn't tell me until they returned with my drink and called it a Jack and Pepsi?! Weird. I would stick to the food and fruity selections, not well drinks.

Other than that though, it's always nice to try something that's not sushi for a change! haha. Here's some awesome food porn from the evening:

Calamari! 

hot dogs. No really. ;)

Polenta fries with balsamic ketchup and blue cheese dipping sauce

Firewood Cafe- A Napa Favorite

Haven't posted in a while cuz I've been swamped with work, so expect a lot of catch up posts in the next couple days. Without further ado...

Firewood Cafe! Loveeeee this place! It's fairly new to Napa, only a few years, but it's quickly become a family favorite in my household. Perfect for light Italian cuisine on a budget. For you Davis folks, it has a similar vibe to Rostini. 

Highlights on the menu: PROSCIUTTO ARUGULA PIZZA. So bomb. I prefer my prosciutto pizzas with fig and balsamic reduction, but this is by far the best arugula one I've had. They firewood pizza oven gets the thin crispy crust just right, and the prosciutto is always fresh and delicious. 

Looooooook at the cuteness! 

They have great pastas too, but the sauces are so rich I usually accompany my pizzas with a salad instead. They have a great deal going where you can pick your toppings and dressings to personalize it! Similar to Pluto's but on a smaller scale.

Then of course, the grand finale... This place has the BEST tiramisu I have ever had in the United States. Even when Alex and I went to Reno to one of the "Top 10 rated" italian places in the country their tiramisu wasn't better. Order it. You won't regret it. 

Pro tip, ask for a complimentary dish of assorted olives when you order :)

Yummy salad! :)

<3 Jenny