01 Jul Celebrating the Reopening of Chez Panisse

I was so happy to hear that Chez Panisse has reopened this past June after a fire in March shut them down for a few months. Fortunately, I got to eat there just before the fire while in San Francisco last February for my birthday.  And, all the more special to celebrate my birthday there as Chez Panisse and I share a birth year.   Founded by Alice Waters, Chez Panisse opened its doors in 1971 and has been cranking out delicious menu items ever since. For the past 40+ years, Alice Waters and Chez Panisse have offered dishes prepared with organic and locally grown food. The fresh flavors are tasted in every dish and our lunch at Chez Panisse was everything I expected and more. Six Hog Island Sweetwater oysters on the half shell with mignonnette sauce ($16) Local halibut tartare toasts with shaved fennel, carrots, chives, and Meyer lemon vinaigrette ($12.50) Baked Andante Dairy goat cheese with garden lettuces ($10.50) Rocket salad with toasted hazelnuts and pecorino ($9.00) Riverdog Farm pork tenderloin salad with mustard blossoms, watercress, and salsa rustica ($10.00) Pizzetta with wild nettles and artichokes ($15.50) Hog Island Clams cooked in the wood oven with saffron, tomato, garlic crouton, and aioli ($13.00) Truffled boudin blanc sausages with celery root puree and sauteed artichokes ($25.00) Affogato: warm espresso over vanilla ice cream ($9.00) Hachiya persimmon pudding with bourbon cream ($9.50) Pink Lady apple and prune-Armangnac galette with creme fraiche ($10.00) A bowl of Flying Disc Ranch Barhi dates and Churchill-Brenneis Orchards Kishu tangerines ($8.50) Chez Panisse Restaurant and Café 1517 Shattuck Avenue Berkeley, CA 94709-1516