November 06th, 2018

By Lauren Lew
About the owner
Alice Waters is the owner/founder of Chez Panisse. Currently, she is 74 years old. She was born in 1944 in Chatham NJ. When she was only about 27, she opened what is now a world famous restaurant.  

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Chez Panisse is not a Michelin star anymore.
The owner Alice Waters planned for Chez Panisse to be a place where people could enjoy themselves while eating good food. In 2006-2009, they had a Michelin star! Unfortunately, in the year 2009, they had their Michelin star taken away. And if you didn’t know, a Michelin star is like an award given to restaurants. Some critiques go to a restaurant, but they cannot be known, because they have to be like every other customer, and they evaluate it. Depending on how good the restaurant is, the highest Michelin rating is 3 stars.

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                                                                                    Reservations
Eating at Chez Panisse will require  reservations about/at least 1 month ahead. You are able to call in for either the restaurant or cafe. If you call in, the available times are between 9:00am-9:30pm. Though you have to remember not to call or visit the restaurant/cafe on  Sundays, because they’re closed!

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How to order
When you’re in the cafe part of Chez Panisse, which is upstairs above the restaurant, it’s all about your preference but as a free appetizer they give you a sour dough bread loaf from Acme Bread Company. Next, the waiters will most likely offer you drinks. For their non-alcoholic drinks they have fresh juices including apple and orange juice. And they also include what’s called a fruit spritzer which is basically a limeade. Then, you can order your other appetizers, like corn soup, or a little gem salad. And while the waiter is taking your order, you can tell them your main dish. I highly suggest the salmon, but it’s whatever you would like.

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My experience
During September, my family and I decided to go to the cafe for a special occasion. We went to Berkeley! They took my brother and I to see the campus of UC Berkeley. It was gigantic. The reservation was at 5:30 pm, or so we thought. My dad thought we would get there early so we got there a few minutes before 5:30. However, it turned out that the reservation was at 5:00pm! Once we got there, we went straight up to the cafe which is above the restaurant. The man told us that he was about to give our seats away. So then we kind of just laughed a bit about that.

Overall
I think I would rate this restaurant 5/5! The waiters were all very polite and kind. The food was amazing! The carefulness and precision they put into each dish is awesome! Each meal is a masterpiece. Just with the right amount of everything.

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