Three days in a row of blogging!?!?? Inconceivable!
Will and I have been wanting to catch up with my aunt and uncle (Joanne & Peter) from Oakland for quite some time, but with my aunt and uncle traveling to China and Will's insane work travels, we've been on hold.
Finally, we managed to nail down a date, and that was Wednesday. And, the location for dinner was Chez Panisse. Yes, the infamous Chez Panisse, the restaurant that I've been dying to try forever. Chez Panisse is located in the "Gourmet Ghetto" of Berkeley and is known as the cornerstone of a culinary revolution and was co-founded by Alice Waters, guru of California cuisine.
We had reservations in the elegant downstairs restaurant, with a great view of the infamous open kitchen.
The restaurant has a nightly prix-fixe menu (ranging in price from $50-85 per person, $65 on this evening) that is posted on the Friday of the week before. Our server also offered us wine pairing for the evening, consisting of three 2-oz pourings matched to the first three courses for $18. This seemed like a good opportunity to enjoy some nice wines that were expertly paired with the dishes for the evening. I tried to remember what the wines were and wrote what I could remember here, but I was a little distracted by the food...
First course: Green asparagus salad with Serrano ham, Parmesan, and black truffles.
According to the server, this was the "first asparagus of the season". And damn, was it ever good. The asparagus was perfectly cooked and even though I love me some meat, the Serrano ham wasn't even the best part. It was the truffle oil. Little slivers of truffle in oil drizzled over the asparagus. I couldn't help myself from taking some of the fantastic table bread (from Acme Bread Co.) and sopping up as much flavor from the plate as possible.
Wine: 2005 Odysseus Pedro Ximinez (imported white wine from Spain that was light, fruity and complimented the asparagus nicely).
Second Course: Atlantic skate wing with capers and savoy cabbage.
Oh my, can I tell you how much this dish impressed me? I've had skate wing before, but not like this, it was so deliciously cooked and melted in your mouth. It probably had something to do with the buerre blanc. The savoy cabbage was also delicious and the capers were so subtle and complemented the fish so nicely that I barely realized that they were there (and that's in a good way). I also utilized the Acme bread once more to ensure that no drop of that wonderful-but-I'm-sure-it's-bad-for-you buerre blanc would go to waste.
Wine: Chardonnay, I think
Third Course: Grilled Wolfe Ranch quail accompanied by salad with chicories, Banyuls vinaigrette, roasted celery root, carrots, and turnips.
What amazed me so much about this dish was how tender and lovely the quail tasted. I generally don't order quail because it tends to taste a little game-y to me, but this was wonderful. And I was surprised at how much meat there is on such a little bird. The roasted vegetables were also mouthwatering.
Wine: Syrah (a nice full-bodied wine that did not overwhelm the quail).
Dessert: Pink Lady apple and huckleberry tart with Calvados sabayon
This was a divine end to the meal. The apple and huckelberry tart was savory and the crust also melted in your mouth (I imagine that the butter had something to do with this). The berry sauce was a nice addition. The Calvados sabayon was the only thing in this entire meal that I wasn't crazy for. Although I think the slightly acidic contribution of the apple brandy to the sabayon was intended to complement the tart, I didn't quite get it. Don't worry though, I ate it all.
Peter, Will and I finished with a French press of decaf from the Blue Bottle Coffee Company, which was lovely.
At the very very end, they brought us some homemade dark chocolate truffles and candied tangerine peel. I thought it was a nice last touch.
Of course, it's hard to be disappointed with such a nice meal with charming company. I'd definitely like to come back, particularly to try the more casual and slightly more affordable upstairs cafe.
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