I have never had the pleasure of eating at this iconic restaurant but I vow to get there someday soon! Chez Panisse opened in Berkley in 1971 by Alice Waters and some of her like-minded friends. Chez Panisse was founded on the thoughts that the best-tasting food is organically grown and harvested ecologically. Instead of ordering through food-service distributors they went right to local farmers and suppliers to get the freshest food possible.
Alice Water’s story is one that is both inspiring and refreshing – I hope that we will continue to see more restaurants who can follow in the Chez Panisse footprints and ideals. Here is an example of the ever-changing menu.
photo by superhappyfoodie
CHEZ PANISSE CAFÉ DINNER MENU
Friday, June 12, 2009
Green bean, red potato, and Sun Gold tomato salad with tapenade, $9.50
Cannard Farm avocado and beet salad with citrus vinaigrette, $10.00
Blue Heron Farm Little Gems lettuce with anchovy, garlic, and egg, $9.00
Local halibut tartare toasts with cucumbers, crème fraîche, and chervil, $12.00
Pizzetta with scallions and sheep’s milk ricotta, $14.50
*Pizzetta with chard and sausage, $15.00
Baked Andante Dairy goat cheese with garden lettuces, $10.00
Garden lettuce salad, $8.00
Spring vegetable minestrone with pastina and pesto, $8.00
House-made spaghetti with morel mushroom ragù and peas, $21.00
Wild king salmon in saffron broth with corn, zucchini, and cilantro, $28.00
Fried Devil’s Gulch Ranch rabbit with polenta, sweet and sour peppers,
pine nuts, and raisins, $25.00
Grass-fed Dexter beef loin roast with snap peas, turnips, and potato-sorrel gratin, $29.00
Monterey Bay squid roasted in the wood oven with white beans,
rapini, breadcrumbs, and aïoli, $19.00
Side orders: A plate of olives, anchovies, or Tuscan olive oil, $3.50 each
DESSERT
Artisan cheese: Tome de Couserans, Herbillette, and Panache d’Aramits, $16.00
Kashiwase Farms nectarine and blueberry cobbler with pluot ice cream, $9.75
Vanilla bean cream puffs with Catalan Farm strawberries, raspberries, and framboise eau de vie, $9.00
Sunny Slope Orchard Spring Crest peach sherbet with marionberries and langues de chat, $8.25
Bittersweet chocolate ice cream with chocolate-almond nougatine and caramel, $9.00
A bowl of Lagier Ranches Bing cherries, $8.50
A Nutritionist Eats 