Chez Panisse Cafe
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Chez Panisse is more than just a good restaurant, and more than just a famous restaurant- it's an institution. And, luckily, it indeed lives up to its reputation in every way; the food is superb, the service professional, and the atmosphere still as beautiful and inviting as ever. Overall, this was a supremely-satisfying dining experience, and one we will remember for a long time to come. Chez Panisse not only started the standard for the fresh food dining revolution, it maintains it.
Try the delicious Sourdough bread, Halibut Tartare, Duck Confit, House-made Sausages, Fruit Cobbler.
Chez Panisse Cafe is very popular and reservations fill up quickly. The phones open up at 9am exactly one month from the dining date. Or, if you don't mind eating late, several time slots usually open up a night or two before you go and are available on Open Table.
Try the delicious Sourdough bread, Halibut Tartare, Duck Confit, House-made Sausages, Fruit Cobbler.
Chez Panisse Cafe is very popular and reservations fill up quickly. The phones open up at 9am exactly one month from the dining date. Or, if you don't mind eating late, several time slots usually open up a night or two before you go and are available on Open Table.
Atmosphere
The building in which Chez Panisse is housed is separated on the inside by two levels. The lower level is the Restaurant, which serves a pre-fixe menu in an elegant dining room. The upper level is the Cafe which offers a la carte dining for lunch and dinner in a slightly more casual atmosphere. Just a note, immediately upon entering you are faced with a host stand, but if you are dining in the Cafe, you should go directly upstairs.
Once upstairs, the Cafe bursts into life, with a small bar directly in the center, a long open kitchen to the left, and two small dining areas, one in either direction. The tables are close together, as in any European Bistro, and covered with white cloths and crisp butcher paper. The small rooms and wood floors make the space feel more like a house than a restaurant, and the quaint craftsman-style wall sconces and table lamps make it even more so. In the background, soft jazz plays over the speakers, but it is little more than atmospheric, which is nice. Chez Panisse is always crowded, but the overall feeling is one of warmth and comfort, a triumph in 1980, and still inviting today.
Once upstairs, the Cafe bursts into life, with a small bar directly in the center, a long open kitchen to the left, and two small dining areas, one in either direction. The tables are close together, as in any European Bistro, and covered with white cloths and crisp butcher paper. The small rooms and wood floors make the space feel more like a house than a restaurant, and the quaint craftsman-style wall sconces and table lamps make it even more so. In the background, soft jazz plays over the speakers, but it is little more than atmospheric, which is nice. Chez Panisse is always crowded, but the overall feeling is one of warmth and comfort, a triumph in 1980, and still inviting today.
Service
Although we noticed a few flaws in the service, like servers picking up glasses by the rim and a few long waits for things, mostly it was professional, calm, and courteous. One captain handled most of the tables in our area, though up to four assistants buzzed around setting tables and crumbing after courses. All the staff were extremely polite and well-mannered. Our Captain especially was charming and informative. Be forewarned, Chez Panisse charges an automatic 17% gratuity, so be careful not to double-tip. If you are perplexed by this, we assume because it is a very famous restaurant that gets mostly foreign diners, who don't tip. Either way, it's fine by us, the service was well worth it.
Food
Whenever we visit a legendary restaurant, like Chez Panisse, we are never sure what to expect. In most cases, especially after so many years, we find that the restaurant has slid, resting solely on its reputation, and offering mostly mediocre fare. How surprising to discover that Chez Panisse is an exception to that rule.
To begin, let us just touch on the fact that the entire farm-to-market concept began at Chez Panisse, created by Alice Waters in 1971. The menu changes every day and is based only on what is available and fresh that day. The meats and seafood all come from sustainable sources, meaning the production is closely monitored and is not a drain on the environment. In the San Francisco Bay area almost all the restaurants now, even diners, follow these principles, so much so that they seem normal. But, stop to think that one person started it all, and it is quite humbling to be sitting there eating dinner, even if it is in the Cafe.
That said, the menu for each day can be quite small, limited even, and looking at the choices for the evening we almost decided not to go. Good thing we went anyway...
To begin, fresh sourdough and French bread are brought to the table. Now, few things are worth dying for, but in my opinion great sourdough bread is one of them. I don't care if the carbs make me fat or the white flour cuts my life expectancy by ten years, this bread is sheer bliss, and I ate way too much of it.
For a first course, a small plate of salty fresh anchovies ($3.50) were tantalizing. Following that, a petite plate of Halibut tartare over a cucumber salad ($12) was absolutely divine. The halibut was so fresh it almost hopped off the plate, and who knew cucumbers could taste so good? A simple dressing of cilantro, lime, and olive oil reminded me to make salads more often.
For entrees, a perfectly crisp and falling-off-the-bone duck confit ($23), roasted in the wood oven and laid over a delicate salad of watercress and pearl onions, came with a fava bean crostini that was to die for. Similarly, house-made pork and fennel sausages ($23) were small and light but with wonderful flavor, and served over a meal-y polenta with chunks of delicious, fresh sweet corn, and the most perfect green beans one could ever imagine.
For dessert, a blueberry and stone fruit cobbler ($10) was disappointingly more like a peach shortcake, but still outstanding. Once again, the fruit was the ripest, most delicious I can remember, served with a soft, slightly warm and sweet scone-like cake, and a scoop of perfect vanilla ice cream. By the end, we were negotiating over the last bite.
What struck me most about this food was it's perfect simplicity, it's honest down-to-Earth goodness. Nothing was over-sauced or salted, and the true flavor of every single ingredient came shining through, something most restaurants only aspire to. After eating here I am once again in love with garden-fresh produce and can't even fathom how I will ever be able to buy a vegetable in the supermarket again and be satisfied.
To begin, let us just touch on the fact that the entire farm-to-market concept began at Chez Panisse, created by Alice Waters in 1971. The menu changes every day and is based only on what is available and fresh that day. The meats and seafood all come from sustainable sources, meaning the production is closely monitored and is not a drain on the environment. In the San Francisco Bay area almost all the restaurants now, even diners, follow these principles, so much so that they seem normal. But, stop to think that one person started it all, and it is quite humbling to be sitting there eating dinner, even if it is in the Cafe.
That said, the menu for each day can be quite small, limited even, and looking at the choices for the evening we almost decided not to go. Good thing we went anyway...
To begin, fresh sourdough and French bread are brought to the table. Now, few things are worth dying for, but in my opinion great sourdough bread is one of them. I don't care if the carbs make me fat or the white flour cuts my life expectancy by ten years, this bread is sheer bliss, and I ate way too much of it.
For a first course, a small plate of salty fresh anchovies ($3.50) were tantalizing. Following that, a petite plate of Halibut tartare over a cucumber salad ($12) was absolutely divine. The halibut was so fresh it almost hopped off the plate, and who knew cucumbers could taste so good? A simple dressing of cilantro, lime, and olive oil reminded me to make salads more often.
For entrees, a perfectly crisp and falling-off-the-bone duck confit ($23), roasted in the wood oven and laid over a delicate salad of watercress and pearl onions, came with a fava bean crostini that was to die for. Similarly, house-made pork and fennel sausages ($23) were small and light but with wonderful flavor, and served over a meal-y polenta with chunks of delicious, fresh sweet corn, and the most perfect green beans one could ever imagine.
For dessert, a blueberry and stone fruit cobbler ($10) was disappointingly more like a peach shortcake, but still outstanding. Once again, the fruit was the ripest, most delicious I can remember, served with a soft, slightly warm and sweet scone-like cake, and a scoop of perfect vanilla ice cream. By the end, we were negotiating over the last bite.
What struck me most about this food was it's perfect simplicity, it's honest down-to-Earth goodness. Nothing was over-sauced or salted, and the true flavor of every single ingredient came shining through, something most restaurants only aspire to. After eating here I am once again in love with garden-fresh produce and can't even fathom how I will ever be able to buy a vegetable in the supermarket again and be satisfied.
Cleanliness
Although Chez Panisse is almost 40 years old she showed very little signs of age, except maybe in the bathrooms, which were a little worse for wear.
Pros
Fantastic food, reasonable prices, professional service.
Cons
Some slight glitches in service, Fruit cobbler was more like a shortcake, which could be devastating if you love cobbler!
