I paid a visit to Roast & Toast, a café in Berkeley known for booza, or stretchy ice cream. While I enjoyed the airy, elastic texture of the mastic flavor, the most memorable treat was the Palestinian-style knafeh, a dessert of stretchy cheese with a crisp top layer of semolina. The syrupy sweetness brought to mind a pancake, while the faintly cultured cheese turned it savory. I’ll be back for the Turkish-style version, which uses shredded phyllo for the top.
Roast & Toast. 1746 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. 341-946-9824
I had lunch at Poesia Café in downtown, which is the second location of the Castro District spot. The menu consists of baked goods and focaccia sandwiches. I chose the Bologna, a mortadella sandwich swiped with pistachio-infused ricotta and sundried tomatoes. It was solid overall, but the sweetness of the tomatoes was overpowering. I most liked the maritozzo, a dessert bun filled with a layer of sweetened cream and garnished with crumbled pistachios.
Day Moon. 3928 Irving St., San Francisco.