A French provincial summer dinner. That's how our server described the meal she served us at Chez Panisse on Saturday night. How perfect!
Several months ago, for my 35th birthday, Lou's parents kindly gave me a gift certificate for Chez Panisse. Lou's mom remembered how much I like the restaurant after we took them there for dinner when they visited us last November.
I was thrilled about the gift certificate, since it would mean that a trip to Chez Panisse would soon be in order. Sadly, Lou and I ended up canceling two planned trips because one or the other of us did not feel well.
When we finally arrived on Saturday, I was immediately reminded why I love this restaurant so much. Chez Panisse does not strive for elaborate food and nor does it deliver feats of molecular gastronomy like Alinea or the French Laundry. Rather, the restaurant delivers reliably elegant culinary pleasures and gracious service, along with a mindfulness of the chain connecting the farm and the table.
I must admit that I fell in love with the restaurant from my earliest days in California. I lived in Berkeley directly behind the restaurant for several months when I first moved to California, before moving across the bay to San Francisco. Each morning, I was awakened by the clinking of wine bottles in the recycling bins in back of the restaurant. That summer, I made a point to walk by the front gate of Chez Panisse on the way to the post office to check the menu for the week. I have yet to break the habit of reading the weekly menus.
The only exception is when I have a reservation. I like to be surprised by what I'm going to be served, so I refrain from looking at the menu before I pay a visit. On Saturday, we told the server that we did not want to see the menu (they lay out beautifully printed menus at each place setting) and she obliged us in keeping the courses a secret after making sure we did not have any dietary restrictions.
The first course was an apertif of mulberry juice and prosecco, followed by an exquisite plate of summer vegetables--grilled squash, zucchini, shallots, carrots, a few light greens, an egg, an anchovy fillet and house-made aioli. The vegetables were fresh and tender, and the combination of the aioli, the egg and the anchovy added wonderful flavors of salt, garlic and, well, egg. A very nice beginning.
I brought along one of the three bottles of 2002 Vincent Dancer Chassagne-Montracht ler Cru "Tete du Clos" I was able to get from Josh at Bi-Rite. You may remember that I first discovered Dancer's wines on my visit to Alinea in March. The 2002 was marvelous. It is a soaring, ethereal wine, with strong notes of lime along with very subtle hints of hay. I absolutely love Dancer's wines, and because he is a biodynamic producer, I thought this would be a great wine to bring to Chez Panisse. It paired pretty well with all the courses, especially the first two.
The second course was probably my favorite. We were served a provencal fish and shellfish soup with a rouille crouton. The soup--really a bouillabaisse--was made with clams, shrimp, monkfish, sea bass and a broth made of fish stock, garlic, parsley, minced tomatoes, shallots and saffron. It was amazingly delicious. Even though I did not grow up on the sea, the lightness and tenderness of the fish, the shellfish and the broth touched me deeply. The soup had soul, and it demonstrated why Chez Panisse is such an outstanding restaurant.
The main course was rack, loin, and leg of lamb served with rosemary and olive sauce and shell and wax beans on the side. It seems like we've been served lamb the last few times we've eaten in the restaurant at Chez Panisse, but I am never disappointed with their lamb (all raised on small, organic farms, by the way). Each piece of lamb was tender and moist, and the rosemary especially gave the dish a lovely summer flavor.
For dessert, we were served an apricot puff pastry tartlet, with a sabayon on the side. Our server kindly placed a candle in a small strawberry and presented my plate as though it was my birthday. She was very sweet. A delicious end to a wonderful meal.
Thanks Louie and Rae!
No comments:
Post a Comment