Tops in tapas, not service
If welcoming service is a top priority when deciding where to dine, Bar Cesar probably isn’t for you.
But if beautifully prepared food and finely crafted cocktails are the main motivators, this Berkeley tapas bar is calling your name.
When it opened in 1998, Cesar was a trendsetter, much like its nextdoor neighbor, Chez Panisse. It was years ahead of the Bay Area’s Spanish craze and its current bar-centric approach to dining. Cesar was envisioned as a bar, but food was a necessity to secure the liquor license. As it happened, opening chef Maggie Pond’s menu was so good that Cesar became a dining destination. For the last five years or so, the kitchen has been run by Moises Rojas Ramirez, who was a sous chef under Pond.
When I initially reviewed the restaurant, there were only 18 items on the menu, led by bocadillos ($11.75) and fried potatoes ($8.75); both still remain top draws. In fact, the fries — strewn with fresh herbs and sea salt — are among the best in the Bay Area.
The menu has expanded somewhat in recent years and continues to change. Managing partner Richard Mazzera estimates they’ve created more than a thousand tapas since opening. The current menu includes some rare finds such as Iberian black pork shoulder ($19.75), which is grilled, sliced thin and fanned over a mound of mashed potatoes with a Spanish red wine reduction. The richness of the meat, the creaminess of mashed potatoes and the round acidity of the sauce make this truly an outstanding dish.
Ingredients at Cesar have a similar pedigree as its more famous neighbor, concentrating on mostly local ingredients, such as grilled Santa Cruz lingcod ($11.75) propped on sauteed mushrooms and toasted garlic. The satisfying Little Gem salad ($9.75) consists of three baby heads with a creamy dressing with roasted hazelnuts and chunks of avocado.
The restaurant is open continuously from noon to midnight, so a top draw during the day — in addition to the bocadillos — are montaditos ($9.75), slices of baguette toasts piled with various ingredients such as a thick smear of aioli or translucent slices of jamon serrano.
From the start Cesar made one of the best paellas ($27.75) to be found anywhere, and it’s just as good today. The rice gains complexity from the mingling of juices from meat, seafood, chiles and roasted lobster broth. It serves as a base for briny clams, shrimp, chorizo and cumin-dusted chicken wing drumettes. A dollop of aioli in the center adds a refreshing richness alongside strips of roasted red peppers and bright green peas.
The bread pudding ($7.75) has also been on the menu since opening, but this should have been retired years ago. It looks like a muffin surrounded by orange caramel sauce. The center is as dense and smooth as a slab of marble. However, another dessert — the toasted almond and caramelized fig ice cream ($7.75) — reminded me of what I might get at Chez Panisse, a place that consistently makes some of the best ice creams in the Bay Area.
However, any joy found in the food is undermined by the service, which at times bordered on hostile.
While the staff is efficient, servers dispense with the formalities of saying hello. They take orders and deliver food without a smile or even acknowledgment.
They expect that the original small plate preset on the table should last the entire night. When we asked for fresh ones after four dishes, the waiter sighed audibly and looked as if she would like to slap us.
Halfway through service, our waiter took a break and sat at the end of the bar. Two others who stepped in were only marginally more engaged and gave off the vibe that they would rather be anywhere else but working at Cesar.
The occasional rudeness of the staff was mentioned in my initial review, so stone-faced service must be the approved house style.
So the choice is yours: Does food trump service?