This morning I did a quick work out in the lovely fellas apartment gym.  It was so nice to use a gym again!  I wish I lived in an apartment building that had a gym!  Then we headed to Oakland for the lovely fella’s dentist appointment.  The appointment was a quick check up (took literally 5 minutes), then we had a quick lunch in Emeryville.

We had a few hours to kill before out dinner at Chez Panisse!  So we went to every Marshall’s in the Bay Area looking for these red pumps that I’m dying to get.  Every place has them, none in my size!  Breaking my heart!

On to Chez Panisse… Chez Panisse is Alice Waters’ restaurant in Berkeley.  In the four years I lived in Berkeley I never went because it’s a bit pricey.  We went to the Cafe (as opposed to the restaurant downstairs).  The menu changes daily so we didn’t know what to expect when we got there.  According to the menu, their “produce, meat, poultry, and fish come from farms, ranches, and fisheries guided by principles of sustainability,” which is an added bonus!

We arrived and were served some bread to enjoy with our wine.  Very tasty!

I started with the “Baked Andante Dairy goat cheese with garden lettuces.”  Oh goodness… this was DELICIOUS!  This may have been my favorite thing all evening.

The lovely fella got the “Sunchoke and celery with white truffle oil.”  This was very delicious as well.  Nice and creamy.

For my entree, I got the “Fried butternut squash bondas with Indian spices, chickpeas, cauliflower, and mint raita.”  This was a fantastic flavor combination.  The mint raita made everything especially delicious.

The lovely fella got the “Soul Food Farm coq au vin with pancetta, chanterelle mushrooms,
and hand-cut noodles.”  I tried some of the mushrooms and noodles.  This was OUTSTANDING!  If I ate meat, I would definitely order this!

For dessert, we shared the “Hachiya persimmon pudding with bourbon cream,” along with some coffee.  This was the perfect end to the meal, not too heavy and not too sweet but oh so good!

Chez Panisse was everything I expected it to be and more!  I swear I’ve been talking about this place for year!  Thanks lovely fella for taking me 🙂  (He’s a Chez Panisse veteran.  He’s been with his familia many times!)

Tomorrow we’re going to San Francisco to meet up with some friends and hopefully enjoy the city and the day!

Have a great night!