Features reporter

John Metcalfe

John Metcalfe is a Bay Area News Group features reporter for The Mercury News and East Bay Times, covering nature, food, the arts, and notable things to do in the Bay Area for the Eat Drink Play section. He lives in Oakland with no pets unless you count a thoroughly embedded family of backyard raccoons. Follow him on Twitter at @citycalfe or on Facebook.

Location: San Francisco Bay Area

Expertise: Bay Area food and drink, hiking and outdoor recreation, arts and music, and anything else that falls under the umbrella of "fun."

The innovative brewery is making beers with blackberry aromatics, Creamsicle qualities and the fearsomely hoppy "Eye of Tasman."

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Restaurants, Food and Drink |
Drake’s Brewing alums open Brix Factory Brewing in West Oakland

February 29, 2024 at 7:11 a.m.

The innovative brewery is making beers with blackberry aromatics, Creamsicle qualities and the fearsomely hoppy "Eye of Tasman."

Dublin, the Golden State's fastest-growing city of the last decade, is a contemporary cultural melting pot with a whole lot of surprises -- some historical, some pop culture-related and several very delicious.

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Things To Do |
A Dublin day trip: Korean egg sandwiches, bowling and … military secrets

February 26, 2024 at 10:33 a.m.

Dublin, the Golden State's fastest-growing city of the last decade, is a contemporary cultural melting pot with a whole lot of surprises -- some historical, some pop culture-related and several...

The thieving red foxes and their pups, who inhabit a public golf course, are the fascinating subject of South Bay wildlife photographer Parham Pourahmad.

Things To Do |
Hanging out with the fantastic golf-course foxes of San Jose

February 27, 2024 at 5:05 a.m.

The thieving red foxes and their pups, who inhabit a public golf course, are the fascinating subject of South Bay wildlife photographer Parham Pourahmad.

“I often joke about the whole paleontological thing that it’s like the ultimate cold case file. You’re coming across an animal that’s been dead for 10,000 years, and you’re trying to get a little picture of what its life was like."

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Business |
Meet the fossil hunter protecting history at billion-dollar Bay Area construction projects

February 23, 2024 at 4:47 p.m.

“I often joke about the whole paleontological thing that it’s like the ultimate cold case file. You’re coming across an animal that’s been dead for 10,000 years, and you’re trying...

After their mom was killed by a vehicle, Willow and Maple moved into their temporary home at the zoo's head-start program for baby pumas. Now you can watch them in action via live stream.

Pets and Animals |
Watch rescued mountain lion babies frolic on the Oakland Zoo’s ‘CubCam’

February 23, 2024 at 9:26 a.m.

After their mom was killed by a vehicle, Willow and Maple moved into their temporary home at the zoo's head-start program for baby pumas. Now you can watch them in...

Downtown Berkeley has a new late-night place to eat and drink, chill and whack pool balls for $15 an hour.

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Restaurants, Food and Drink |
Berkeley gets a new upscale billiards club and restaurant, The BreakRoom

February 22, 2024 at 4:10 a.m.

Downtown Berkeley has a new late-night place to eat and drink, chill and whack pool balls for $15 an hour.

Ethic Cider in Sebastopol has a new cider barn and tasting room where you can learn about earth-friendly regenerative agriculture.

Restaurants, Food and Drink |
Visit a Sonoma County cidery’s new tasting barn to learn about modern farming

February 20, 2024 at 4:35 p.m.

Ethic Cider in Sebastopol has a new cider barn and tasting room where you can learn about earth-friendly regenerative agriculture.

These seven new hot spots in Walnut Creek, San Jose, Daly City and beyond cater to your every mimosa-sipping, brunch-savoring need with creative, innovative dishes. Think Southern-meets-Thai fried chicken and waffles, slow-smoked Burnt Ends Hash, linguica Benedict and pineapple-kissed brunch cocktails.

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Restaurants, Food and Drink |
7 scrumptious new Bay Area brunch spots from Walnut Creek to Los Gatos

February 21, 2024 at 4:33 a.m.

These seven new hot spots in Walnut Creek, San Jose, Daly City and beyond cater to your every mimosa-sipping, brunch-savoring need with creative, innovative dishes. Think Southern-meets-Thai fried chicken and...