Berkeley Good Eats & Big C Adventure

Recap of last week from Steve Choi:

Last week was a fun-filled time for Homegroup 4. On Thursday night, we got together with a bunch of new friends and went on what has definitely got to be one of my favorite outings: The Berkeley Good Eats Tour! Berkeley is home to a lot of delightful restaurants which new students probably don't know about. From not-so-well-kept local secrets like Gregoire, to nationally recognized establishments like Chez Panisse, there's a ton of good stuff out there if you know where to look! We hit up some of the best spots in North Berkeley's Gourmet Ghetto.

We started the night with some pizza from The Cheeseboard. Of course, there was no room in the pizza shop nor on the sidewalk for a group of 20 or so culinary tourists... Thank goodness for the median! Next we sampled some of Gregoire's signature Potato Puffs. It was my first time having it and I definitely liked it. From watching them prepare it, it seemed like a simple yet tasty dish that anyone can make! Next time you come over to my place, ask me to make you some Choilicious Potato Puffs and you can decide for yourself. The guys also ordered fried appetizers at Barneys. As the last stop on our tour, we stopped by Nation's for some delicious pie. I think Natalie's group ordered 5 slices... Dan and I shared a slice of what looked like an enormous "dan-ta" (Chinese custard). Food always tastes better in the presence of good company, and our group had a great time getting to know one another better.

Friday night was another signature Berkeley experience. At Bible study, Pastor Ed talked about how we can know that the Bible is reliable and accurately transcribed across the centuries. Afterward, we joined up with Mike and Joanna's homegroup to hike up to the Big C. It was many of our freshmen's first time being there, and believe it or not, it was the first time for some Berkeley alumni and long-time Koinonia staff as well, namely Mike, Joanna, Dan and Hannah! The view from the top was beautiful and I'm thankful that we got to go on such a perfectly warm and clear night. Afterward we hung out together at Dana House, where we played foosball, celebrated Mike's birthday, and listened to Dan recount some of Dana House's best stories, including the time when Dan chased a burglar across Berkeley armed with nothing but his bare hands!

Here are more pictures from the events.

Stay tuned, there's more fun to come this week!