Step onto tranquil, tree-lined Fourth Street and it’s easy to forget
that busy San Pablo Avenue rumbles just out of earshot. With several
dozen upscale — but far from snooty — shops and eateries on
offer, an afternoon spent here is the perfect Berkeley blend of
material meditation.
Your first stop should be the Gardener (1836 Fourth St.,
Berkeley, 510-548-4545, TheGardener.com), a unique indoor-outdoor
home design store so alluring that you can easily pass an hour
exploring the beautiful plants and gardening tools, handcrafted bowls
and dinnerware, distinctive jewelry, aah-worthy furniture, and global
gifts on offer. No green thumb is needed to make this a regular stop on
your Fourth Street route.
A more affordable (if not downright addictive) alternative is
Crate & Barrel Outlet (1785 Fourth St., Berkeley,
510-528-5500, CrateandBarrel.com), where you’re
guaranteed to find something you had no idea you couldn’t live without
on every visit. Whether it’s a pair of blown-glass wine stems, a cheery
striped rag rug, or a table with a tiny nick, you’ll score it for a
steal.
Hungry? For fresh, casual fare you’ll want to linger over, try
Tacubaya (1788 Fourth St., Berkeley, 510-525-5160), a vibrant
taqueria where top-notch organic ingredients are transformed daily into
a sumptuous array of homemade tacos, tamales, mole, camote (the
sweetest sweet-potato purée on Earth) and more. Simply craving
coffee? Skip Peet’s and go for the Blue Bottle coffee.
For a lighter bite that’s both more subtle and more exotic, O
Chamé (1830 Fourth St., Berkeley, 510-841-8783) is a must.
Japanese at its core, with a Euro-Californian flair, it offers a
constantly changing menu filled with fresh fish, inventive noodle
soups, and, for lunch, exquisite bento boxes. It may not come cheap,
but snag a cozy table outdoors on a sunny afternoon and you’ll never
miss the extra bucks.
Though a handful of worthy clothing boutiques dot the neighborhood,
the one must-stop for fashionistas is Erica Tanov (1827 Fourth
St., Berkeley, 510-849 3331, EricaTanov.com). The local designer
imparts a lux bohemian touch to her collection of airy, on-trend
dresses, blouses, crocheted sweaters, and lingerie. And the fabrics she
whips into shape are to die for — sumptuous doesn’t even begin to
describe the way they feel against your skin.
