Berkeley is less quirky today than it was a week ago. The gods and goddesses of quirk shed a tear. Three years in the leaving, Mike Parayno has now completed his move from Berkeley to the Philippines, maintaining Bay Area ties with the Birdland Jazzista Social Club at 4318 MLK Way, Oakland. According to Parayno, the building […]
Michael Parayno
Posted inNosh
New wine bar, sushi spot for Berkeley
To look forward to: a new wine bar, sushi restaurant, and smokehouse in Berkeley, and, this weekend, a tasting tour of local winemakers.
Posted inArts, Community
End of an era for Berkeley Rustic Birdhouses, Birdland jazz
Michael Parayno, seen here with some of his rustic birdhouses, is relocating to Manila. Most of his birdhouses are on sale. Photo: Emilie Raguso The story of a controversial community artist and jazz event organizer will come to an end later this month, at least locally, with the relocation of Birdman Mike from Berkeley to Manila, […]
Posted inNosh
Birdland Jazz finds a new home at Café Yesterday
Late last year Michael Parayno, the founder of arguably the hippest garage jazz club and barbecue joint in town, was having some serious run-ins with the city — as first reported on Berkeleyside. Parayno was operating a very popular supper club, then called the Multi Culti Grill and Birdland Jazz, out of his Sacramento Street […]
Posted inNosh
Birdland Jazz and Multi Culti Grill: Update
Many Berkeleyside readers have weighed in on the fate of the Multi Culti Grill and Birdland Jazz evenings hosted by Michael Parayno out of his garage at 1733 Sacramento Street, across from North Berkeley BART. Here’s an update: Last Thursday, December 8, Parayno received a Notice of Violation from the Code Enforcement Unit of the […]
Posted inNosh
Must-haves: A couch in the garage, a grill in the driveway
On December 10, we published a story by Sarah Henry on Multi Culti Grill Birdland Jazz, an informal BBQ supper club run by Michael Parayno, who is also known for his artisan birdhouses. The city is threatening to close down the Grill for code violations. Many readers left comments on the article expressing their support […]
Posted inNosh
What next for the Multi Culti Grill and Birdland Jazz club?
So Berkeley finally gets a not-so-secret supper club, a down-home version of guerrilla gourmet hipster hangouts in Oakland and San Francisco, but now its future is uncertain. At press time, the Multi Culti Grill and Birdland Jazz, the city’s only underground BBQ and jazz joint is retreating from its street-front presence in North Berkeley and […]