Chez Panisse

That's me, earlier this week, celebrating my birthday by eating pizza with an egg on it in Berkeley, California.

I think I should explain.

For my birthday, my husband and I went to San Francisco, and I'm not going to lie:  we went there to eat. I know SF is an epicenter for arts, culture, nature, history, sports, etc etc etc, but I had my sights set on getting some fresh seafood, good ethnic food, and that fresh fresh fresh California cuisine that the area is known for. From my first bite of the famous sourdough bread, to a complete photojournalistic synopsis of our early morning visit to Tartine, to the amazing crab roll we had off Fisherman's Wharf, I was as happy as a pig in mud.

I didn't encounter any Rice-A-Roni, though.  Maybe next time?

Of course we couldn't eat the entire time.  We went to Alcatraz.  Muir Woods.  Golden Gate Bridge.  We giggled as we drove our rental car down the twisty-turny Lombard Street.  We moaned as we trudged up the infamously steep sidewalks. We cruised down the California coast on Highway 1, marveling at the fact that WE'RE AT THE OCEAN!  Quite the sight for these Midwestern folks.

But on the food front, there was one specific highlight on my food itinerary, one place that I needed to check off my bucket list, a pilgrimage if you will: we had to eat at Chez Panisse.

If you aren't acquainted with Chez Panisse, you can read all about it here, but basically Alice Waters started the Berkeley restaurant in the 1970's with a French menu that focused on very fresh, seasonal, locally produced foods. Alice and her restaurant have been credited as a major influence in the local foods movement in the United States. She's also been a major player in incorporating vegetable gardens into schools along with healthier school lunch menus.

I don't remember when I first learned about Chez Panisse or Alice Waters, but I had to go and finally see it for myself.  I couldn't get a dinner reservation (dinner reservations open 30 days in advance and I quickly discovered they are snapped up within hours), so we settled for lunch at their cafe above the restaurant.

Kent ordered the menu du jour while I had the "Cannard Farm rocket with cauliflower, beets, ginger, and coriander" and the "pizza with sorrel, anchovies, and egg."  I probably should've tried something meaty (which is more adventurous territory for me), but this traveler needed some greens.

Regardless, game on.

From the little window next to me, I could look out over the treetops and see the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance. It was all very lovely, the lighting was perfect, the service was cordial, and the food was excellent in a simple, rustic kind of way...but there was something missing.  It all seemed a little too stiff.  I pictured Alice Waters, and thus her restaurant, as a bit more floaty, more spontaneous, more friendly. I think I expected a few notes of quirky hippie amid the tasteful Arts & Crafts interior. Instead, the staff was very professional, to a point of stoicism. The French influence and Alice Water's well-known affection for Marcel Pagnol movies were too obvious - Edith Piaf played softly in the dining room (of course); the walls were hung with old French movie posters (of course); looking around at the other diners, I saw a lot of middle-aged women wearing scarves, and even one woman with some type of beret (of course).   It was all very...je ne sais quoi.

Oh, and the bill for our lovely little lunch came to $116.  Granted, we had half a bottle of sauv blanc, it included the mandatory 17% gratuity, and we were eating vegetables that were still in the dirt 24 hours before they landed on their plate, prepared by professional chefs in a high rent neighborhood - I understand all the logistics of why we had a three-digit invoice - but I still got a little sticker shock.

I'm glad for the experience of it, and don't regret a single cent of it, but in contrast, the next day we ate our lunch off the hood of our rental car in the middle of a vineyard in Sonoma.  Cheese, bread, and jam to refuel and refresh between wine tastings.  And to be perfectly honest, that simple little lunch in the fresh country air was just as good as the tres elegant lunch at Chez Panisse.  Simple.