chez panisse

i had to have dessert when i found out my favorite kind of dessert was available: a rhubarb and strawberry cobbler with muscat beaumes de venise cream. when i think of dessert, this is what i imagine: fresh, tart fruit with simple ice cream (no blue gummi dinosaurs, please), and a flaky cobbler or shortbread. let’s just say this was amazing.

if there's anything i love as much as good food, it's traveling! fortunately the bf's job as a commercial airline pilot allows us to jet set on a whim wherever our hearts desire (or at least wherever there are open seats!). we packed our bags and spent a week in california: 4 days in san francisco, and 3 days in napa. we ate, we drank, and we ate and drank some more. today i'm recapping our time in san francisco. come back tomorrow for a recap of our visit to wine country! upon our arrival we headed straight to the mission for a self-guided taco crawl. after being given three recommendations from our san fran friends kacey and mike, the bf and i decided to get a taco at all three. i mean, we had to do some research people! the first stop was la palma mexicatessen , which is more of a deli that also cooks food to order. the tortillas were pretty thick, almost like a pita. the tacos needed it because they were stuffed to the brim with fillings. we tried one pastor and one carnitas. the pastor was the winner (pictured on the right below). tacos at la palma our next stop was at el farolito where we each ordered a pastor taco. we decided if we were going to pick the best taco, they should be the same type. this was both of our favorite (and the cheapest). great tortilla, well-seasoned pastor, cilantro and onion, and homemade salsas with a kick. i probably could have eaten another, but it was on to the next one... tacos at el farolito our third and final stop is probably the most famous taco joint in the mission, la taqueria. yes, they have an unoriginal name, but they certainly make up for it with their food. we waited in a long line all for one pastor taco (we were pretty stuffed). i loved how you could watch them making the food right in front of you. it was an art form. i shared a video on my instagram page if you're interested! this taco came in second place for us. the meat was tender and smokey, but lacked the flavor that el farolito offered. the price was certainl

with all the praise and reverence that is bestowed upon chez panisse, it's easy to become jaded about it before even stepping foot in the restaurant.

awesome experience. great restaurant and wine pairing. atmosphere is good too. i highly recommend this restaurant to locals and tourists.

nope. not that good.. i was so excited to to to chez panisse. the birthplace of california cuisine? alice waters? organic? surely this would be a great food experience.

it was, instead, decidedly meh.

to make sure we didnt just go on an off night, we gave it a second try. again, meh.

i've had so many better meals at so many other places. and i've had similar dining experiences for much less money.

at least i can cross this off my list of "must-do's".

i first heard about chez panisse when christina raved about the food from her last visit to san francisco last year at this berkeley restaurant, founded by alice waters . both her and her bf received alice water cook books for christmas after their dinner at chez panisse. from my quick lil research on chez panisse, i found that it was one of the top fifty restaurants in the world from 2002 to 2008, peaking at 12 in 2003 as listed by restaurant magazine. michelin guide echoed the sentiment by awarding its one star rating in its guide for san francisco bay area dining from 2006 through 2009. ryan and i definitely wanted to try the cuisine and were determined to fit a dinner reservation at chez panisse which we made a month ahead in our one day trip to san francisco last weekend. there are two levels - the top level is the cafe and the restaurant located downstairs. the restaurant serves a four course prix fixe menu but if you prefer ala carte, the cafe might be a better choice. we wanted

ambience:: 3.5/5 very quaint and intimate setting. it has a very cozy and homey feel to the place. retaurant is made of wood from flooring to walls to counters. so they had this sweet aroma of home.

food & menu:: 3/5 my husband bragged about this place so much that even a week before the trip, he has called for a reservation. menu changes daily, food very diverse. menu for the day has about 3-4 options you could choose from (starters-main-dessert). i opted to have mushroom pizza to start with clams for main & sorbet for dessert; while my husband had the fish carpaccio & quail for main. quite honestly, food isn't bad, but it wasn't great either. i had a certain expectation knowing my husband's pecularities with food, i somehow got disappointed though.

staff & service:: 4/5 i have to give it to the staff for their attentiveness to every dining customer in the place. they were also able to go the extra mile when my husband requested for a signed cookbook from alice waters (which was fantastic!). from the moment you come in to the time you leave, you are greeted and treated warmly.

value for money:: 3.5/5

if you are looking out for a fine dine and a romantic date with your loved one come to this place.

amazing french cuisine with an over whelming spread of wine and beers.

they have set menu system in terms of the food they serve.

tried the napa valley wine and the freshly made pasta with ricotta and marinara. must try. amrita hemdev

the best meal of my life, amazingly tasteful! it was the only restaurant on my bucket list and i'm fulfilled. the lamb was the best i'd ever tasted. everything was perfect.

in some ways, you could say i’ve dined at chez panisse without stepping one foot into this famed berkeley culinary institution. that’s because california cuisine defined in the 1970s by founder and owner alice waters and chef jeremiah tower as local, fresh and simple is now the epitome of dining in the san francisco bay area where menus are flushed with seasonal ingredients, touting the farms and sources they come from.

this is probably one of those very rare occasions when i couldn't fault anything with a restaurant. it was all as perfect as humanly possible. while alice waters' main restaurant is downstairs, you will have to make a similar level of effort for reservations if you want to dine at the cafe upstairs.

the dining room's interior is absolutely spectacular. the fans and windows overlooking lush trees almost transported me to somewhere in the tropics. there was a calm stability to the experience. nothing was rushed but nothing was slow either.

and now to the food. the menu - which changes regularly - is a vegetarian's delight. and it is cooked and presented to perfection. we went with a big appetite and we weren't disappointed.

the thing that stood out the most to me was that alice waters was actually there on that afternoon. she was bussing tables, serving wine and clearing plates. her dedication alone speaks volumes of the place that chez panisse has come to represent.

loved our meal, dinner. my daughter went to chez panisse
for her happy birthday, we had a
beautiful dinner and wonderful
wines for me. the service was great
the food fabulous, i have been coming
here since the 1980's nothing was
disappointing, this restuarant is
one of my top 10 in the world, and
i'm a globe trotter. i'm a sucker for
ambience too! i will be back we so enjoyed!
linda

...also simple was the king salmon tartare, gently laid on soft butter lettuce with strategically positioned and peeled cucumber and avocado slices. there was nothing overly fussy or fancy about these salads, but they were just, just so good. fresh, flavorful, balanced.

who else can claim its very own tomato cabinet, or a prosciutto shed? and where else can you get the minute details of where your veggies were grown, by whom, and how the season is looking this year?

amazingly delicious!