Break the budget once in a while with this somewhat guilt-free splurge: The Starling Diner lunch special. $8.99 (or is it $8.50? or $8.95?) gets you a rather large three cheese grilled panini sandwich on a baguette, a small house salad with fresh tomatoes, and  a hefty serving of soup. And a word on the [...]

Meow’s Kathleen Schaaf buying vintage when downtown was empty–except for the secondhand stores

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
It’s hard to believe today, with the new buildings like stents in the city’s heart—and the vacant lots with white plastic Redevelopment Agency fences around them—but in the late 1970s, downtown was one big thrift in many old buildings. The [...]

Starling Diner’s Joan Samson keeps the city alive

PHOTO by SUSAN SABO
Even in between service, Starling Diner hums with energy. There’s music echoing across the dining room and laughter pouring out from behind the counter—it feels alive. And for owner Joan Samson, that’s exactly how she wants it.
Samson, after all, doesn’t view restaurants as just places [...]

You’ll Welcome the Quaint Charm of the Starling Diner

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
For most people, I’d imagine, heading to one’s “happy place” involves multiple, spliced images of the tropical variety: piña coladas served inside coconut shells, a hammock tied between two palm trees, tanning without fear of UV rays and/or visible stretch marks. My happy place [...]