October 25, 2007
Chez Panisse
Always wanted to have a meal at this Berkeley local institution, and honeymoon-time seemed like the perfect occasion. Thanks to Sam for making the reservation exactly one month ahead of time, and even then we were only able to get in for the late seating. The long, narrow dining room was densely packed with tables, but diners were respectable enough to keep the noise down, so it felt more convivial than crowded. The kitchen in the rear is open and you can see the chefs scrambling around, but the warm lighting and the brick-and-wood materials gives it all a homey, comfortable atmosphere.
Dedication to fresh seasonal ingredients means that there is only one set menu each day, with slight modifications to suit vegetarians. Everything was bursting with pure flavor, from the opening vegetable platter to the grilled quail to the final desserts. Nothing fancy, almost deliberately so, but doing the simple well is sometimes the hardest thing to do. And the style fits our palates better anyway. A splash of a good Oregon Pinot Noir fit in perfectly. Comfortable, non-pretentious haute-cuisine. No wonder CP is hailed as a revolutionary concept as the progenitor of the California style.
Chez Panisse
517 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, California
(510) 548-5525