Oakland, CA

Potala Organic Cafe– Potala is as good as it gets. Great concept, all you need to get is the full or medium plate. They tell you what you want (and need)! The vibe is casual and the servers are friendly but the real reason to come here is the absolutely outstanding organic vegan food. Hands down, my favorite spot in Oakland (only to be rivaled by Manzanita-reviewed below, which seems to be run by the same folks). Fyi it closed at 3pm the day we went.

Manzanita/Shangri-La– This spot is so great!!! It is either the same owners or was the same owner of Potala and these places are gems in the bay area! It has the same concept as Potala of all vegan, organic- where you can pay by medium or large plate and they basically have the meal of the day and no other options. I believe you can order side dishes a la carte. Manzanita also has some vegan baked goods as well. The zen like ambiance is very relaxed and great for a casual meal. I wish there were more places like this around the country.

WORKOUT- Big up to my friend Henry, tennis coordinator in the east bay. Through him, I found a solid community of tennis players that play over at Laney College in Oakland. When we have shows in Oakland, we always stay at a strip of hotels near the Bay Bridge off the 880 and the courts at Laney are an easy jog away. Not the best maintained courts but they are free and near the downtown Oakland area, so who can complain?!