[NorCalJosh]

Sorry for bumping a month old thread, but the anniversary i spoke about came and went, and we ended up going to chez panisse, which was asked about in this thread but never reviewed.

I originally intended to go to the ritz or gary danko's, but ended up procrastinating and found myself trying to make a reservation a week in advance. neither of those places had a cancellation, but chez panisse did have one, so we were set, a downstairs dinner at chez panisse at 9:15 on the 10th. I was extremely curious about how it would go, as obviously it is credited as the birthplace of california cuisine etc, but lately i'd been hearing some reviews (even from el diablo in this thread) that mentioned maybe it was getting a little bit old and over rated.

this was the menu for the night

Tuesday, April 10 $65
Green and white asparagus salad with farm egg
Spring vegetable minestrone
Grilled Wolfe Ranch quail with roasted onion sauce,
artichoke and black olive ragout, and garden lettuces
Rhubarb tart with muscat sabayon

The gf and I arrived at about 8:55. the restaurant is very cozy, with bowls of the fresh menu items on display when you enter. a very nice atmosphere, although not super romantic. we were escorted to the upstairs bar for drinks while we waited for our table. she chose some white wine or other, i had a moonlight death and taxes. we were escorted to our table at about 9:10, and the waitress was there immediately with a nice little ricotta crostini thing that i could have very easily become addicted to if i was given a full plate. so far so good.

the wine guy came over and i mentioned my dilemna as was suggested a couple posts up (i just havent been able to like wine). chez panisse doesnt have as extensive of a wine cellar as a lot of other places apparently, but i was sure he could find something for me. he was very understanding and over the course of the night brought me several different wines to try, and i actually did manage to find a couple that were enjoyable. i have no sophistication in that area, so i was happy but i wont try and go any further.

the salad was brought out, and i continued to be impressed. the asparagus were delicious, and the combination of flavors with the asparagus, egg and pickled beets used for garnish really worked well. it really didnt taste like any asparagus i'd had before, although i cant really put my finger on what was different. it still made my pee smell however.

the second course was a vegetable minestrone soup, which was my least favorite dish of the night. it was something i wouldnt have ordered if i'd seen it on a menu, and when it came, it really felt underseasoned and bland. it had a mint garnish which made it quite refreshing, and once i added some salt and pepper, it was fairly enjoyable, but definitely something i could have lived without.

the quail course came next, and after the slight disappointment of the soup, i was hoping for a home run. I wasn't disappointed. the quail was cooked perfectly, seasoned perfectly, juicy and delicious. the sauce was delicious and i sopped up everything that was left of it with the bread when i finished. it looked like there was a slight alteration to the menu, as the black olive and artichoke ragout was replaced by... something that wasnt ragout. some kind of prepartion of lightly fried fingerling potato and artichoke heart. it was the most perfect potato preparation i've ever had. i was in love with the potatoes. probably my favorite part of the entire meal. it was like the absolute perfect version of delicious kfc fries. but better? i'm not so hot at explaining.

the waitress came by and left a dessert drink menu and asked if we'd like a few minutes to enjoy the wine and conversation before the dessert was brought out, which we accepted. we ordered a french pressed pot of coffee, and then the rhubarb tart was brought out. i don't know why, but on my first bite, i was expecting something very different from what it actually was, and was quite shocked at the flavor. very tart, but with a nice bit of sweetness cut through. once my mouth knew what to expect, it was very good, with a nice light crust. very pleasing, and i'm glad it was included as it was probably not something i would have picked out off a menu.

after dessert, we finished our coffee and they brought us a couple small candies, one was a little dark chocolate drop with some candied ginger orange peel on it that i loved, the other was some kind of small pastry with jelly on top, which my girlfriend preferred.

the total bill came to ~$250, and i was very very happy with it. the service was attentive but not intrusive, the pacing was great, the food was delicious. I wouldn't say that i had a transcendent experience, but i definitely feel like i got my moneys worth. there were really no dishes that i thought i could only get at that location, and i think that's probably what people mean when they say it's over rated. it was a delicious meal, but for a restaurant consistently rated in the top 25 in the world, i think you really expect something a little bit more over the top.. we did go on a tuesday night, and the menu gets a little more extensive (and expensive) over the course of the week, so i may give it another shot on a friday or saturday night and see what it does for me.