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Berkeley Mourns Loss of Cafe Intermezzo and Raleigh's

The building is being torn after a fire closed a crucial part of Telegraph Avenue and destroyed two beloved businesses. What will you miss most about Cafe Intermezzo and Raleigh's?

The gargantuan salads at brought a long line of hungry customers each day, satisfying apetites with healthy, fresh food and delicious, home-baked bread.

The large wooden tables and cozy interior of welcomed students and Berkeley residents alike to eat, drink and socialize. 

Now, what remains of these two Berkeley staples is a gutted and blackened building. Soon, .

It is unknown whether either business will be re-established, according to Roland Peterson, executive director of the Telegraph Business Improvement District. But the city may aid the process by voting to waive permit fees for both Raleigh's and Cafe Intermezzo.

Meanwhile, the outpouring of regret and disappointment is clear on review and social networking sites like Yelp and Twitter. 

"Get them back open ASAP," said LarsSkjerping on Twitter.

"I will greatly miss this Berkeley food landmark, known to my circle of friends as the 'salad spot in Berkeley'. Please come back from the ashes," said Alex H. on Cafe Intermezzo's Yelp page. 

"One of the first places I ever ate in Berkeley in 1988.  The place I went my last night there in 1992.  I have been back many, many times since.  It's destruction hurts a lot," said Paul S. about Raleigh's on its Yelp page. 

"So, now that Cafe Intermezzo on Telegraph Ave. has burned down, where oh where can I get a salad with the density of a dying star?" asked AhabLives on Twitter.

"Tonight, I will sip my beer quietly in solidarity with all that Raleigh's stands for in the hope that I can one day return and have the same amazing experience they provided me during my senior year of college," said Dmitriy S. about Raleigh's on its Yelp page.

"I'm seriously gutted to learn of its news. Mourning the death of anything is a process and does take a toll. My most regular go-to place for my young college years is gone and will live on in thousands of folks' hearts," said jana s. on Cafe Intermezzo's Yelp page.

Ironically, Berkeley Patch ran a poll the same day the fire broke out — — and Cafe Intermezzo proved the favorite. 

What will you miss most about Cafe Intermezzo and Raleigh's? Do you have a memory to share from either establishment? Let us know in the comments.

Do you have pictures to share? Click "add photos&video" below.

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Just a short thought to get the word out quickly about anything in your neighborhood.
Share something with your neighbors. Write a new post... What's up? Make an announcement, speak your mind, or sell something
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nick mastick April 28, 2013 at 09:34 pm
Of all the concerns in our society, I put this just about dead last.
Steven Murphy April 17, 2013 at 02:25 am
Hmm. So I think you're telling me I need to add the countdown timers to the long list of BerkeleyRead More idiosyncrasies I need to ignore? I guess can do that. Thanks. --Murph
Alexander Sinclair Merenkov April 15, 2013 at 04:34 pm
This is very interesting. I bicycle and walk a lot around Berkeley. I think i know exactly whatRead More signal is being referred to the walk sign across Bancroft at MLK specifically will reset itself. many of the walk signals rely on induction loops which are loops placed in the ground that can detect Bicycles and Cars when the Bicycles or cars pass over them disrupting the current. You can often see these loops as they look like hexagonal saw cuts in the ground. Anyways the intersection detects traffic with these devices & if it doesn't detect anything then it assumes nothing is there and gives right of way to the major throughway in this case being MLK. So the reason the counter to cross Bancroft resets itself is totally logical because the intersection suspects no one is there and since that side of Bancroft is more or less residential there would be no point in setting that intersection to a timer where it gives priority to one light then the other & switches based on that & not on wether it detects any bicycles or cars passing over the induction loops. Also this is Berkeley and we are rather quirky and always have been so nobody exactly fallows the rules or knows about them its funny how simple crossing the street really is but its anything but simple in reality. Many people choose to jay walk if its safe to do so, this is typical on Shattuck at alston especially and makes sense for efficiency but isn't very safe or lawful. If the hand is flashing/Counting down dont cross!
Janet Scrivener April 6, 2013 at 11:15 pm
Actually, I just saw and spoke to him about an hour ago - the wire sculpture man. He'd moved downRead More Solano a few blocks, opposite Safeway. I asked him if the police had moved him off Colusa. He said he didn't want to talk about it. He wasn't in a very good mood. I told him that people had asked about him on a web local news site. He said, "People want to know how I'm doing? I need a car. I need somewhere to put my stuff in. To get off the streets. I don't want to sit around starving in public." I thought to myself, "Who do I think I am? A Girl Scout leader? Pollyana?" I realized my upbeat, cheery tone was really not what was needed just then. I said I couldn't help him with a car. "People want to know how I'm doing?" he said again. "Tell them that." I said, "I will." I turned to walk away, knowing only too well that the real needs that exist, yes, right here in our lovely, excellent neighborhood, are great and once you start giving you'll find it's difficult to get out of. He did say, "Thank you," as I left. He doesn't look like he's starving. But he's right about being out in public more than he would like to be. As a reasonable human being, I have to ask myself, what sort of person finds himself in that position? Ex con? Mental illness? Mind-blown Vet? Drugs? Alcohol? Incapacitated by an accident? An unforgivable act? Some combination of the above? Jesus did say, "The poor you shall have always with you." What would you do?
P. Park April 4, 2013 at 03:29 am
I agree Shattuck, especially right in front of the fire station is the scariest street around.
Mary April 3, 2013 at 06:45 pm
I am not disabled, but I am terrified of crossing streets nowadays because there are too manyRead More careless and aggressive drivers who act is if red lights, speed limits, and crosswalks either don't exist or don't apply to them. Shattuck in particular has become a nightmare to cross. Sometimes I have counted over 30 cars going by before one stops for the crosswalk. What we need is far more law enforcement - the tickets written would more than pay for the cost of hiring extra officers.