It's Pride weekend and two friends from Seattle are in town. One of them had never been to Chez Panisse, so she made reservations for lunch. I gotta say it was disappointing. That was a surprise.
I've probably been to this restaurant about five times total, counting today. I first went with my then girl-friend back in the mid to late seventies. Then (voice quavering) you could cruise by on Monday and make a reservation for later in the week. The prices seemed high $18 - $25 for the dinners, but then we were both working at these jobs that didn't pay a whole lot and going out was a real occasion. Eating there was a revelation. I grew up never tasting an avocado or fresh mushrooms for that matter. I lived for a while with a woman who turned herself into a cook (nearly chef) by working her way through the Time-Life cookbook series. I had an idea about food being something more that the (sometimes very good) food I'd grown up with and Chez Panisse made those ideas real. The meals I remember best are a Rhône tasting menu and cassoulet. The tasting menu was amazing and the cassoulet almost killed us both (beans). I rarely had had food so good and so complete.
Today the food was just ok; the service was downright bad. I felt as though I was in a theme park for gastronomie. Talking about it later to a fellow food fan, I realized that CP has been a springboard or inspiration for probably hundreds (if not thousands) of restaurants. Now it's far from the only game in town. I've had better meals (and cheaper) in a bunch of other places in the Bay Area. I actually think I make a better berry crumble and ice cream than the ones I tasted today.
It's a shrine, an absent one if today was any indication. There were two standouts, to be fair. Carmen ordered a Californian sea bass prepared with spinach, peas, and wild fennel. Subtle , savoury, it was pretty perfect. I had an elderflower soda. that was a little citrusy, very bright flavor, great for this hot sunny day.
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