chez panisse

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).greattortilla, 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

awesome experience.greatrestaurant 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 agreatfood 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".

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'tgreateither. 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

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 wasgreat
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

great food, but strange ending. last night, i was with a party of 6 upstairs in the cafe. our reservation was at 5:30pm, we were promptly seated and given agreattable in the back of the room. the place was already full of people and good energy. it was my first time and was very excited to finally eat at this landmark restaurant. i must say, from beginning to end, the food was spectacular and not a flavor out of place. really outstanding. we also had a couple bottles of wine bringing the bill to about $500. smiles all around. everything was so delicious...great friends,greatfood, always agreatcombination. the time we took to eat was about about 2 hrs. we paid our bill and then stayed at our table another 1 hr. we all hadn't seen each other in a while and were relaxed and enjoying the moment. no loud craziness, we're a polite but fun-loving bunch. the restaurant was still full, with folks waiting for tables. at approximately 8:30pm, the maître d' comes over and politely but awkwardly tells my wife that there are people waiting for tables and would we like to go have a drink at the bar...basically, "ok, you're done here, please leave now". hmmm...it wasn't like we had pulled out our slippers and were settling in for the evening. we spent $500, enjoyed thegreatfood and were taking our time. yes, it was time to leave, we knew that, but a very ham-handed situation and honestly, i've never had that happen before. we were winding up conversation and it would have been nice to leave on our own with a positive memory of our experience. we were all a little dumbfounded, and "did that really just happen?" basically, our bad...we got tossed because we were taking too much time and they needed our table. well, i loved the food. our waitress was very nice. but, i won't be going back again, nor will i recommend it to friends. i will now always tell people about being asked to leave.

the progenitor of much of the bay area's fine dining, and nearly all of thegreatlocal breads (founders of these all worked here at one point first).

always the freshest ingredients, served in simple yet often startling ways that always highlight the essence of the ingredients.

wines always lovely - with a focus on those imported by kermit lynch.

this is a bucket-list restaurant for all foodies.

mediocre. i found chez panisse did not live up to expectations. my wife and i were very excited to dine here on our honeymoon. in fact we traveled 1.5 hours to get there from sf on public transport.

nothing was bad about the restaurant, however, nothing was thatgreateither. the food was well executed, but not very inventive. i felt like i could have made my meal at home, which is not a good feeling when paying top dollar for a meal at a famous restaurant.

the waitstaff did a good job, but i've had much better service (and food) in calgary and edmonton, which aren't places normally known for their food.

so if you're staying in berkeley, it might be worth checking out chez panisse, but if you're in sf, there's much better food and service closer by.

foie gras and tasting.greatatmosphere, nice ambiance... i liked walking in to the outdoor/indoor part with the big tables. good service, excellent french food. delicious!

mecca--and a local favorite. this is one of thegreattreasures of modern american cooking, but for all that hasn't become ossified. upstairs or down (i prefer up, but for the wait) the food is consistently brilliant, simple but perfectly executed with passion and vision. others do it more fussily, but as my neighborhood place, it doesn't get any better.

always a pleasure. i always have agreattime eating here. the menus change so frequently that it's always an adventure. brought my 7 year old nephew - he even enjoyed somegreatseasonal, organic fair...and he's super picky. always agreatoption if you're in this area.

of course it'sgreatit's alices place. one of the best in sf bay for "real food"

as a foodie i wouldn't be worth my salt until making the pilgrimage to the place the helped revive america's interest in honest, well made food. we dined upstairs and the simply prepared food let thegreatingredients shine through. the restaurant fully lived up to its reputation.

a landmark. i had a fantastic meal at chez panisse. alice waters is the godmother of california cuisine, and this is the holy land.

for an equallygreatmeal at a lower price try the upstairs cafe at this fine establishment.

great dining. ask for a tour of the kitchen. it is beautiful. i'm reading a platter of figs and other recipes, david tanis' new cookbook (he's their executive chef). the book givesgreatinsight to thegreatcare they take in preparing meals at chez panisse.