Chez Panisse

Posted on December 24, 2011 by bayareafoodie


Who knew that it was harder to get a reservation at Chez Panisse than the French Laundry? I had no idea that it was still so popular. We attempted to reserve a table for my birthday about 3 weeks prior but they were fully booked. The reservationist said I had to call exactly at 9am one month in advance, to the calendar date so that’s what we did. To Mike’s disdain my usual 1 week birthday would now last 2.

Chez Panisse is a Berkeley institution where famed chef Alice Waters creates her fabulous farm to table feasts. In the 70’s Waters pioneered the concept of preparing meals using fresh seasonal ingredients that are produced sustainably and locally. The restaurant is located in an Arts and Crafts style house on Shattuck Avenue that is small and intimate. Each night they serve a new 3-4 course menu so you won’t know what you are being served until the week you have a reservation (you can check the website). If you are a picky eater and don’t like quail, duck or rabbit eating here may be a gamble for you. Mike and I are down to try anything so this was not an issue for us, but we ended up with a pretty safe menu.

Menu

Nov 19, 2011

An apéritif
Grapefruit champagne cocktail
Course 1
Bellwether Farms sheep’s milk ricotta with fall vegetables and coriander vinaigrette
Course 2
Roasted halibut with savoy cabbage and lobster butter
Course 3
Spit-roasted Piedmontese beef rib eye with Beaujolais sauce, potato cake, chanterelles, and Cannard Farm salad
Course 4
Black Mission fig tartlet with Chartreuse ice cream

Dishes were rustic and simply presented but service was a little stiff. I’m a meat and potatoes girl so course #3 was my favorite. They made beef melt in my mouth and a basic potato cake taste scrumptious. Mike and I both loved our meal. Chez Panisse lost its Michelin star in 2011 to many people’s dismay. If they are not deserving then I tend to question the guides’ ratings because it was more than a meal, it was an experience.

Note: if you are looking for a less formal (and less expensive) meal check out the upstairs cafe.

Rating:

Website: http://www.chezpanisse.com/

Chez Panisse on Urbanspoon

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Filed under: East Bay, Northern CA, PLACES TO EAT/DRINK | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Scharffen Berger Chocolate Factory Tour

Posted on January 28, 2009 by bayareafoodie

chocolatefactory

Mike and I headed off to Berkeley to take the Scharffen Berger Chocolate factory tour. Scharffen Berger is a boutique chocolatier specializing in dark chocolate. Don’t expect a wild Willy Wonka adventure but a low key highly informative romp through the chocolate making process from bean to bar. This isn’t something for the small kiddies as 90% is spent sitting listening to a verbal presentation while looking at old laminated pieces of paper (super low-tech but interesting). The last 10% is allocated for the tour of the facility. Unfortunately we went on a day in which no chocolate was being made so none of the equipment was in use but still cool to see.

mike

NO HAIR IN THE CHOCOLATE! Mike with his hairnets

Throughout the FREE, 1-hour tour we got to sample 5 different chocolates! My favorite was the milk chocolate something Scharffen Berger just began to produce due to public demand. Even though we didn’t see a river of chocolate or any umpa lumpas we still had a great time.

UPDATE:  Sad news…I just saw online that the live tours have been discontinued and it was announced that Hersey’s is closing the factory sometime this year. We must of been one of the last groups through. Scharffen Berger was bought by Hersey’s in 2005. They say they plan to move operations out of California to save money. You can still take the virtual tour.
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Zachary’s Chicago Pizza

Posted on January 22, 2009 by bayareafoodie

chitownpie
Zachary’s has won over 100 best pizza awards. That’s what brought Mike and I in for lunch. There claim to fame is a Chicago style deep dish pizza. I love pizza. I could honestly eat it every day without issue. When we arrived at the cutely decorated small pizza joint on a Sunday afternoon it was pretty packed, but we were still seated immediately. We ordered the special and 35 minutes later our meal arrived (the wait was LONG but normal for a deep pizza). Now, I had eaten a real deep dish pizza in Chicago so I had some expectations. Here are my reactions…
chitownpizza1. The pizza wasn’t very deep. I mean I ate 2 slices and wasn’t full. That wouldn’t happen in Chi- town.
2. The sauce was really saucy. I recall it being more chunky and zesty in flavor. I know we ordered a pie with sausage,onions & peppers but all I could taste was tomato sauce.
My overall feeling was that the pizza was a interesting change to the normal thin crust variety but I wouldn’t go out of my way to have it again. If you’re in the area give it a try.

Website: http://www.zacharys.com/

Zachary's Chicago Pizza on Urbanspoon

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