Last-Minute Green Zebra

Seattle has the Chinook book; the Bay Area has Green Zebra.  Green versions of the usual coupon books for meals, activities and services, they contain offers mainly from locally-owned businesses.  And those expire on December 31 - so I'm giving the Zebra a last browse.

2008 was a year for cooking at home rather than eating out, with some notable exceptions (a fabulous meal at Venus in Berkeley, for instance).  But as it winds to a close, and the economic downturn threatens businesses of all sizes, I feel increasingly compelled to put the dollars I can spare into local ventures that support the health of my community.  Not a huge raw food fan, I nonetheless plan to try Burlingame's Que Seraw SeRaw.  Who knows?  It may be my next food epiphany.  

A few other local bistros and markets made the cut, too; but the biggest enticement is the CoolEatz coupon.  It offers "a bowl of seasonal soup made from local organic ingredients" at any of Jesse Ziff Cool's restaurants.  I have only been to the Cool Cafe at Stanford's art museum so far.    Trying tapas at the jZcool Eatery or splurging on an upscale dinner at Flea St. Cafe both sound like magnificent ways to get ready for 2009.