{ Chez Panisse } { Sketch } { Home }
The gray Volvo slowed down against the curb and I opened the door. Miriam and I hugged and we started our drive down to Berkeley. I squealed with delight, breathing in the San Francisco air. The last time I was here was almost five years ago. This time, I vowed to do it right and see the things I had previously missed. After all, every New Yorker must give California a chance.
We were famished but we still had another hour before our 2:30pm reservations at Chez Panisse. Miriam suggested we go next door to César for a drink and a strawberry appetizer to calm our growling stomachs. It worked and the bar ended up being a nice spot to park ourselves while waiting. After some Hefeweizens, we walked back to the restaurant. We were seated in the brighter side of the café upstairs, with the sunlight beaming above our heads. It felt like a real lunch atmosphere. Unfortunately, we were also seated next to a woman who felt compelled felt compelled to talk not only to her companion but to every other table around her.
Miriam and I were determined to enjoy our lunch. Chez Panisse’s menu changes according to the produce available during the season. Alice Waters, the executive chef and owner, opened the restaurant in 1971. She is credited with introducing and shaping a culinary style that has been considered a distinctively Califonia cuisine. Her efforts both in and out of the kitchen has left a deep imprint on the culinary scene. Arising from her conviction that when ingredients are organically grown food is at its best, she has prominently supported farmers who practice ecologically-sound ways of food producion. To that end she heads several foundations that promote ecological conservation for future generations.
I started with the anchovy and potato salad with chervil. Thin slivers of garlic were scattered throughout the salad. At times, my mouth didn’t know what to appreciate first. The anchovy and potato combination was a nice balance. Miriam had a mix of garden lettuces with goat cheese. For a lover of that type of cheese, the baked Sonoma was heavenly for her. For an entrée, I chose the grilled pork with ratatouille and watercress. I can never say no to anything from the Laughingstock farm.
As soon as the meat melted in my mouth, the only thing I could say was that it was one happy piglet. It had that sweetness I've previously experienced in good bacon. You know that the flavor is not because of any seasoning or marinade but instead an expression of the meat's natural juices. Miriam went for the chicken—happy chicken, too—with the sweet corn polenta and Romano beans.
Among the choices for desserts included a pistachio cake in apricot cream and a nectarine and blackberry tart with vanilla ice cream. They were all tempting but we’d heard every story the woman right next to us could ever think of so we decided to pay our bill and find another spot to have desserts.
At Sketch Ice Cream, my eyes rolled in ecstasy. Miriam had the watermelon granita with Strauss yogurt while I picked the lavender and peach ice cream. Granitas are so simple but they become something else when topped with fresh yogurt from the Strauss Family Creamery. My lavender ice cream was like, for a lack of a better description, eating lotion. It was so fragrant and smooth; probably one of the best ice creams I’ve ever had in my life. The peach was not at all tarty but at the same time, not too sweet. Can I say perfect? The owners, Ruthie Planas and Eric Shelton, were both pastry chefs in Aqua before they decided to open Sketch. In true Berkeley style, every ingredient that goes into their cakes, ice creams, cookies and cones are all organically grown.
Back in San Francisco, we made a quick stop at the Marin Side Vista Point to catch a glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was 4pm but the fog was already rolling in, enveloping the bridge and all its glory. We took a few photographs with our hair blowing all over the place.
At the restaurant Home on Market Street, we ate French fries, green salads and seared Ahi tuna for dinner with perfectly prepared mojitos. In between some very engaging people-watching, we actually found time to eat everything on our table.
Chez Panisse
1517 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, California
510/548-5049
Sketch Ice Cream
1809A Fourth Street
Berkeley, California
510/665-5650
Home
2100 Market Street
San Francisco, CA
415/503-0333 |
