In case you were wondering, we DO have the best food and drink anywhere, and now you can taste it all (or at least a lot of the bay area’s deliciousness) at the annual Eat Drink SF event – bigger and tastier than ever. Berkeley is home to the oh so creatives you know, and the Chalk and Chocolate festival is perhaps the coolest and most unique fest I’ve discovered. Tomatoes, here is a new location to go and socialize with your pals and kiddos as you play pinball, eat, drink and boogie! 1440 Multiversity is holding the best program led by Dave Evans, author of the hugely popular book Design Your Life – if you want to redesign your life, this is the event for you!

Eat Drink SF 

Eat Drink SF 2016 — Photo Credit: Marc Fiorito, Gamma Nine Photography

According to those who have been and tasted, Eat Drink SF, is San Francisco’s premier annual food, wine, and spirits festival celebrating the Bay Area’s world-class chefs and restaurants. If a really good meal brings you a deep level of nearly indescribable satisfaction or you fancy yourself a light-weight food critic, keep tabs on which Bay Area Chefs are in which kitchens, this event is for you, Tomatoes. This weekend the Festival Pavilion at Fort Mason Center will be transformed for the ultimate culinary extravaganza. According to some – this is Coachella for foodies!

Everyone gets to enjoy tastes from more than 35 restaurants throughout the weekend. Your ticket includes everything, food, unlimited pours of beer wine and cocktails and wine education, main stage demos and cool oversized lawn games. Photo ops abound and you will meet other foodies munching their way through the festival. Don’t worry about the scale and get your tickets here: www.eatdrinksf.com

Design Your Life

Stanford University, in our backyard, is home to some of the most innovative classes and people in the world. Dave Evans cofounded the Stanford Life Design Lab, in addition to being the cofounder of Electronic Arts and so much more. Based on the premise that great design is at the heart of our favorite products, Evans brings the same innovative design process used to create products into the arena of creating a life we can love.

He is holding a weekend long Designing your Life Retreat, October 26- 28 at the fabulous 1440 Multiversity. However, on September 1^st he will be leading a 90-minute hands-on encounter where you can engage with him and glimpse and trial the high-impact, interactive system based on his book and the Stanford class. You will get to harness “design thinking” to help you unlock a life full of meaning, joy and fulfillment. By examining and identifying subjects like your desired impact on the world and the challenge of work-life balance, you will come away with a clear goal on how to Design Your Life.  You will be both nurtured and challenged. Sounds like a win – win to me. www.1440.org

Aug. 25. Chocolate and Art

Tomorrow in the Gourmet Ghetto part of Berkeley, north Shattuck Ave., you can find your inner artist and make chalk art or simply enjoy it. Visit the many vendors on hand selling art of all kinds, everything from handmade skin care to hats to button and clay jewelry to fine turquoise creations. Don’t miss the art and jewelry by disabled artists.

Feeling in need of a mood boost? Increase your endorphins with chocolate tastes of over 25 items including oreo shakes, bittersweet choc. pudding, and chocolate-covered pancetta. Or relax with a hand massage with chocolate-scented cream. As if that wasn’t enough, local musicians and magicians will be entertaining kids of all ages. This is one of many festivals that encourage the residents of Berkeley, and its visitors, to make art a part of life.

Pinball

Time to play at Outer Orbit in the Bernal-Mission area – pinball for all. It’s so grand to have a night out and engage in something other than just a meal, at least I think so. This new pinball and restaurant venue has the vibe of an old school pinball salon paired with delicious nibbles and a very well curated beer and wine menu.

Hawaiian themed bites will evoke the Islands as you challenge your pals to all the games. Of course there is a tune machine, meaning a brand new vinyl jukebox stocked with both oldies and current tunes. Set to open soon, be the first on your block to hold an old timey bash at Outer Orbit or just explore with your significant other, kids or grandkids. Pinheads unite! https://outerorbitsf.com/