Features reporter
John Metcalfe
John Metcalfe is a Bay Area News Group features reporter for The Mercury News and East Bay Times, covering nature, food, the arts, and notable things to do in the Bay Area for the Eat Drink Play section. He lives in Oakland with no pets unless you count a thoroughly embedded family of backyard raccoons. Follow him on Twitter at @citycalfe or on Facebook.
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Expertise: Bay Area food and drink, hiking and outdoor recreation, arts and music, and anything else that falls under the umbrella of "fun."
All Stories
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5 great restaurants where you can grab a bite before or after the Cal game
From Southern fried chicken to inventive Mexican to Chicago dogs, here's where to dine on UC Berkeley's football days.
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4 great new Bay Area beer gardens to explore in 2024
From Headlands Brewing to a second Das Bierhauz, new beer gardens and brewery patios are popping up all over.
A beloved utensil gets its own darned festival in Pleasanton
Pleasanton's Forkful food festival offers tastes from city's top eateries in bite-sized grandeur.
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Do we really understand coffee? California’s new Coffee Research Center says ‘No’
The groundbreaking facility at UC Davis is on a mission to answer all deepest mysterious questions about java.
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Oi! British beer is coming to Fremont with Freewheel Brewing
The brewery plans to open this fall, pouring English faded ales and creamy oatmeal stouts.
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The diet of a tiny Pacific island inspires this new East Bay restaurant
The health-food eatery Kitava is opening in Albany. Will it make you live longer?
Iconic circus heading back to Bay Area for first time in years
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus heading to Oakland and San Jose -- here's what you need to know.
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Oakland gets a new cocktail bar by way of Ethiopia and Eritrea
51 & Tel is a swanky lounge in the Temescal District that happens to be part of an international restaurant.
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Jo’s Modern Thai in Oakland is opening an Asian brunch spot, The Peach
Helmed by a Michelin-recognized chef, the all-day brunch spot will serve American classics with an Asian flair.
‘Mamma Mia!’ Here’s an ABBA movie you can sing along to
'Mamma Mia!' the classic musical comedy built on ABBA hits, comes to Livermore in a sing-along version.