The Oakland /Berkeley corridor was the birthplace of California cuisine and Oakland's Rockridge District remains one of the great food meccas of the US. Rockridge is home to dozens of restaurants, bars, bakeries and specialty food shops. In addition to established fine dining venues such Oliveto, Garibaldis and Wood Tavern you'll find fabulous more casual fare such as Cafe Lyon and Zachary's Chicago Pizza. For more information, click on the Culinary Tourism and Neighborhood Maps areas at Oaklandcvb.com.

Perched on the sunny corner where Piedmont Avenue and Pleasant Valley meet is a new Italian small plates restaurant, owned and operated by the same folks that run Dopo a few doors down. Come by at the beginning of Adesso's service, 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, for a full spread of nearly all of their delightful Italian-inspired tapas. Order one of their specialty cocktails and you can snack to your hearts delight - for free! If you order off the menu, the house-made salumi and pate options, all thirty of them, are alone worth the trip. Enjoy seasonal and local produce served in inventive ways, like a buratta salad built from seared fennel and artichoke hearts. Even though there is a posh and sophisticated air to Adesso, there is free foosball in the corner of the restaurant, a reminder of the light-hearted nature of the place.

Nothing says Spring like fresh strawberries and no one makes it quite as good as Bakesale Betty, located on Telegraph in the Temescal District. Pick up your berries at one of Oakland's many Farmers Markets.

Betty shares her recipe:
 
2 baskets strawberries
1/4 c. sugar
1 pint cream
1/2 c. sugar
1 tspn vanilla extract
6 Betty's Shortcakes

Directions

• Wash, hull and slice strawberries. Sprinkle with 1/4c. sugar and sit for 30 mins.
• Whip cream, remaining 1/2 c. sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form.
• Top shortcakes with a dollop of cream.
• Spoon strawberries over cream.
  

BBQ'd burgers aren't necessarily beef. Each month, Compassionate Cooks hosts demonstrations featuring a different theme and emphasizing locally grown, seasonal and organic plant-based products and produce. May 23, it's
"Burgers and Backyard Bites", with Roasted Red Pepper Wraps, Better Than Tuna Sandwiches and Mushroom Pecan Burgers on the menu. Held at the historic First Unitarian Church in Oakland, the classes are $55 and are taught by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. Her new book "The Vegan Table" is out in June. Tickets for the book launch party at Numi Teas on June 7 are $10.