EAST BAY INSOMNIAC

À Côté

5478 College Ave, Oakland • 655-6469

SERVING:

• seasonal Mediterranean cuisine in small plates formation (see menu)
• wine and cocktails (see menu)
• desserts, cheese and ports (see menu)

OPEN UNTIL: midnight (Fri-Sat) • 11PM (Wed-Thurs) • 10PM Mon-Tue/Sun

PRICE RANGE: $$$

PARKING: street

REVIEWS & PHOTOS: yelp

CYBER CAFE

4390 Telegraph Ave, Oakland • 652-9935

FEATURES:

• Hi-speed Internet
  • $5/1 hour
  • $10/3.5 hours
  • $20/8 hours
• Coffee, Bubble Tea & Smoothies
• 3 clocks with local time in San Francisco, Seoul and Paris

OPEN UNTIL: 2AM

PARKING: Koryo lot

REVIEWS:

ACME BAR

2115 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley • 644 2226

Considered by many to be the best bar in Berkeley on account of the divey smoke-friendly vibe; hip, tattooed locals; good jukebox (punk, indie, metal); proximity to Lanesplitter pizza and distance from UC Berkeley students.

OPEN UNTIL: 2AM

PARKING: street

REVIEWS:

THE STARRY PLOUGH RESTAURANT & PUB

3101 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley • 841-2082

FOOD (see menu):

• sandwiches
• burgers
• pizza
• daily specials (Monday is corned beef and cabbage)

DRINKS (see list):

• bottled beer
• 20 beers on tap (including Guinness, Murphy’s, Bass, Stella, Fat Tire, Redhook, Newcastle and Bud)
• ciders, wine, juice

MUSIC (see listing):

• rock
• local & indie
• Celtic/Irish
• folk
• open mic/poetry slams

STARRY PLOUGH ON MYSPACE:

EVENT PHOTOS & RECORDINGS: Check here to see photos (copyright Chris Bellew) of artists including Pinback and The Black Heart Procession at the Starry Plough. Click here for his list of these and other local shows which can be downloaded FREE from the Internet Live Music Archive.

WEBSITE: The Starry Plough Pub

REVIEWS:

CAFFE MEDITERRANEUM

2475 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley • 549-1128

SERVING:

• coffee
• tea
• pastries

OPEN UNTIL: 12AM

PARKING: street

THE EBI REVIEW: Once upon a time, the East Bay’s oldest cafe was ‘bohemian’ and radical. Now it’s not. According to rumours, Ginsberg wrote part of “Howl” here. Testimony and history would indicate that Caffe Med was a pretty happening place. Robert Anton Wilson name-dropped it in Schrodinger’s Cat:

Two Berkeley acid-heads, known on Telegraph Avenue as The Cat and The Dog, dreamed up a more intense disinformation matrix in 1980. “What would happen, ” The Cat asked one day in the Cafe Mediterraneum, “if we bought a truck and painted on the side of it INTERNATIONAL COCAINE IMPORTERS INC., and drove it around the streets?” “In Berkeley,” The Dog said, “the cops would just laugh. They’d be sure it was another put-on by the Hog Farm or the Merry Pranksters or somebody. But in San Francisco they wouldn’t take a chance. The first cop would stop the truck and search it.” “Nah,” said an unsuccessful poet named Robert W. Anton. “They’re more hip than that in San Francisco. But in L.A…” The debate spread from the Med to Moe’s, from Moe’s to Sather Gate, leapt the Bay…” (–Robert Anton Wilson aka Robert W. Anton, 1979)

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