Chez Panisse Disappoints Felix Salmon

Reuters finance blogger Felix Salmon and artist Michelle Vaughan went to Alice Waters' Chez Panisse and wrote about their "(not so) excellent" experience in length for the blog Berkeleyside:

But in the end we spent over $340 on dinner at Chez Panisse. I can certainly think of places where it’s possible to spend that kind of money on worse food, but I can also think of a lot of places where you get much more joy, professionalism and creativity... It’s not accessible; the food is not all that spectacular; and the overriding impression is of a past-its-prime institution trading on its name.

Among the criticisms: wine was misidentified both on the list and by the waiter as being Italian (actually Slovenian); the risotto was "more like a random pile of undercooked rice mixed up with light-brown liquid and the occasional lump of something seafoody"; and their waiter completely disappeared before the third course. Says Vaughan, who recognizes Alice Waters as a "very important as a food activist": "We walked out that night completely let down."

· Our (not so) excellent Chez Panisse adventure [Berkelyside]
[Photo: Berkelyside]