Valentine’s Day Surprise Guide
Edible East Bay’s Valentine Surprise Guide
We see Valentine’s Day as a time to celebrate love in all its forms, and we believe a celebration can be anything we want it to be, from a simple sweet treat enjoyed on a park bench to a drink with a best friend...
For our Valentine Surprise Guide, we searched among offerings from our advertising partners for simple things that tickle our fancy.
Orchard Nursery | 4010 Mt Diablo Blvd, Lafayette | Super-charming garden stakes plus gifts galore and lots of gorgeous flowering plants.
Monterey Fish Market | 1582 Hopkins St, Berkeley | What is love but a dozen oysters, a whole lobster, Dungeness crab...
Monterey Market | 1550 Hopkins St, Berkeley | OK, Ojai Pixie tangerines (and their tiny Kishu cousins) are not Valentine red, but their seasonal arrival at Monterey Market is cause for celebration. Read our story from Winter 2007 about how these petite tangerines first came to Monterey Market.
Starter Bakery | 5804 College Ave, Oakland | Petite Chocolate Cream Pie, Raspberry Rose Kouign Amann, Red Fruit & Dark Chocolate Panettone, and Linzer Cookies with dark chocolate and house-made raspberry jam, topped with raspberry fondant. (Photo by Kristen Loken)
Public Market Emeryville | Public Barket, Puppy Love Edition, Saturday, February 15, 1–4pm, shopping and Valentine’s-themed activities with furry friends.
Sweet Adeline Bakeshop | 3350 Adeline St, Oakland | Chocolate pound-cake hearts, Valentine's Day cupcakes, and vanilla shortbread hearts dipped in chocolate.
East Bay Nursery | 2332 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley | Stunning orchids!
Piedmont Grocery | 4038 Piedmont Ave, Oakland | Make the market’s easy Valentine’s Ice Cream Cake. Recipe on blog, The Kitchen Table.
Retzlaff Winery | 1356 South Livermore Ave, Livermore | Feb 15 is Sweetheart Saturday with music by Loren Olk and food by Big C BBQ and Passion Pastry.
As Kneaded Bakery | 585 Victoria Ct, San Leandro | Valentine’s Day cookie boxes available through Sunday at the storefront and also at the farmers’ markets.
Market Hall Produce | 5655 College Ave, Oakland | Heart-shaped pummelos
Flowerland | 1330 Solano Ave, Albany | Potted heart-shaped succulent bowls, a beautifully delicious chocolate selection, orchids, Valentine's Day cards, and much more!
The Local Butcher Shop | 1600 Shattuck Ave, Ste 120 (entrance on Cedar St), Berkeley | Amazing chocolate chip cookies made with leaf lard. You can also get the best dog treats in town and a custom cut for your fancy make-at-home dinner.
Mariposa Bakery | 5427 Telegraph Ave, Unit D3, Oakland | Gluten-free tiramisu, creamy and rich with a dash of coffee inside and cocoa hearts on top.
McDonnell Nursery | 196 Moraga Way, Orinda | Since wild birds are some of our favorite sweethearts, these birdhouses caught our eye.
Ollie’s American Cheese + Provisions | 396 11th St, Oakland | Artisan cheeses and gorgeous cheese and charcuterie boards.
Nabolom Bakery & Pizzeria | 2708 Russell St, Berkeley | Shortbread heart cookies, giant heart-shaped versions of their regular cookie selection, small citrus cheesecakes, and various small cakes and tarts.
Fern’s Garden | 1831 Solano Ave, Berkeley | Fair Trade artisans’ quilling cards: Historians have been able to date quilling—the art of rolling, coiling, and shaping small strips of paper to create a cohesive 3-D design—back to ancient Egypt, where crafters coiled the paper around a bird's feather (quill).
flying noir | Pick up one of chocolate artist Karen Urbanek’s special Valentine’s boxes at the Tarocco café counter, which is located at 2570 Ninth St, Berkeley.
And when nothing but dinner out will do, check our dining guide and you may get lucky at finding an open table. Last we checked, there were still a few spots or spaces to squeeze in at the bar at some of our favorites:
Zino at Hotel Shattuck | 2086 Allston Way, Berkeley
Moxie Steakhouse | 1640 Park St, Alameda
Gather | 2200 Oxford St, Berkeley
Bull Valley Roadhouse | 14 Canyon Lake Dr, Port Costa
Or take home a full meal from these:
Rockridge Market Hall | 5655 College Ave, Oakland | Valentine’s Menu: Coq au vin, sautéed greens, potato gratin with a Burgundy from Paul Marcus Wines.
Niles Pie | 32990 Alvarado-Niles Rd, Ste 960, Union City | All kinds of sweets, plus soups and savories to round it all out.
Photos courtesy of the businesses.
