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One Thanksgiving feast on my list takes place inside a replica farmhouse beside an airport, complete with a military theme. Another restaurant has served roasted duck and whole lobster alongside traditional turkey. I love that kind of holiday plot twist. California restaurants clearly don’t treat Thanksgiving as a one-bird show....
Some of the best food finds in California hide behind plain signs, gravel lots, and humming deli cases that look like they have not changed in decades. Step inside one of these old-school butcher shops and you start to understand why so many families skip the big grocery chains. The...
California’s Gold Rush towns still have a few old saloons where you can grab a midday meal under the same roof miners once knew. Some of these buildings date back to the 1850s, and they still open their doors for lunch today. This list covers six of them, from...
California tri-tip has a funny habit of vanishing early. At some of the best barbecue counters in the state, the smokers start before sunrise and the doors close by mid-afternoon, so a late lunch can turn into a missed lunch. This list covers six spots from the Central Coast to...
Many of your favorite restaurants are offering freebies and deals on Wednesday, Nov. 11 — and In-N-Out Burger isn’t missing out on the opportunity. Veterans Day is Wednesday, a federal holiday when Americans honor those who’ve served in the U.S. armed forces both in the past and present In-N-Out is promoting on its website that those who’ve served or are in active duty can enjoy a free meal at their restaurants on Wednesday. A meal includes any burger, fries and drink on the menu. Other places in California offering Veterans Day deals include Chili’s, Chipotle, Dunkin’, Olive Garden, Starbucks and Shake Shack. What time does In-N-Out open and close? All In-N-Out locations are open from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 1:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, according to the fast-food chain. What’s the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day? Veterans Day is slightly different from Memorial Day, which is focused on honoring those who’ve died in service, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs . Veterans Day invites Americans to show gratitude to those who’ve served in war and peacetime. Paris Barraza is a reporter covering Los Angeles and Southern California for the USA
Only a couple of minutes after the lunch bell rings, crowds of Palo Alto High School students flood the crosswalk connecting their campus to Town & Country Village, a shopping and dining center in Palo Alto. Given its convenience, variety and efficiency, Town & Country Village is a popular place for many students to get food at lunch and in between classes. To find the most optimal lunch spot for Palo Alto High students, I evaluated the preferences of my peers across grade levels.
Thanksgiving shouldn’t be stressful – although it often is. From grocery shopping to chopping vegetables to basting the turkey, it’s a lot of work. If you’re short on time this holiday season or just want to relax, plenty of Peninsula restaurants offer take-home Thanksgiving meals and a la carte dishes.
Days before the spookiest night of the year, we braved a local haunt for delicious Italian food. On a windy October evening, we felt a sharp chill as we stepped into Bella Saratoga, a restaurant located in downtown Saratoga that is rumored to be haunted. Previously built by Samuel Cloud as a home for him and his family, the building is infamous for paranormal activity. Objects clattering unexpectedly, water and lights turning on and off, and entities have been seen on the second floor.
A growing number of restaurants in the Bay Area are specializing in Korean-style donkatsu, cutlets pounded until thin and massive, then fried to a crisp.
In-N-Out is almost every California resident’s favorite fast food chain, and for good reason. The chain’s consistency in serving up juicy burgers combined with stellar customer service ensures that any In-N-Out will be at least semi-packed with people at all hours of the day. One thing In-N-Out has...
When most of California is asleep, a whole other crowd is just clocking in or heading home. Nurses, bakers, airport crews, and delivery drivers all need fuel, and for generations a lot of them have found it in a pink box. The shops on this list keep the fryers going...
A pilot program launched by CalFresh offers matching dollars to low-income California families on purchases of fruits and vegetables.
A nationally recognized Oakland bakery from two fine-dining chefs is expanding to an upscale Tri-Valley mall.
A family bakery in California still sells a strawberry whipped cream cake first developed in the 1970s. The bakery itself opened in 1938. I can’t get over that. Some birthday traditions are older than the parents ordering the cake. That shop has plenty of good company on this list.
Pass the cranberry sauce as Thanksgiving dinner in Northern California is serving up something for every kind of table. The post Thanksgiving Dining in Northern California 2026 appeared first on Fabulous California .
Every November, a lot of Californians quietly accept that their turkey is negotiable but the pie is not. The trouble is that the best pies in the state often come from tiny towns, mountain hamlets, and roadside farm stands, and those places run out fast once Thanksgiving week arrives. This...
The Chronicle’s Food & Wine team blind-tasted 12 croissants from bakeries in the East Bay. Here’s who won the contest.
Inspectors sent to check on California prison kitchens found rotten tomatoes, moldy peppers, spiderwebs and bug-covered fly traps at Corcoran, and moldy ceilings at Corcoran and California State Prison, Sacramento, along with equipment failures and missing utensils serious enough to raise security concerns. The findings come from an audit by the state's Office of the Inspector General, which examined food programs and services inside California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation facilities.
It's that time of year when visions of giblets and gravy boats dance in our heads. If you're hosting Thanksgiving this year, or if you're acting as MVP by bringing the turkey to a potluck bash, you may be hot on the hunt for the perfect bird. For gourmands wanting organic, heritage-bred, and more flavorful turkey, these local Bay Area butchers and markets have you covered.
(“Value what you have instead of what you want!”) It was Christmas; the year was 1949 and I was an excited 14-year-old girl with a bus ticket from Washington state to California, and I had never been more than 40 miles from the Catholic convent where I lived. Twenty-four hours later, the driver hollered out, “Hollister, everyone out,” and so my adventure with tamales began.
