CHEZ PANISSE

No other restaurant has had, and continues to have, such a significant impact on how we think about food. Alice Waters was one of the first to hire a forager whose sole job was to work with farmers to find and grow the best products. Through the restaurant, Waters launched the careers of pioneering bread bakers and cheese producers, and she was the first four-star chef to open a more casual offshoot. Whether you eat upstairs in the more relaxed cafe or downstairs with the nightly changing fixed-price menu, the food reflects fine cooking stripped of pretense and showy techniques. Every flavor combination and cooking method is designed to showcase the purity of the product. There’s always a dish or two that make diners realize this is how things should taste, whether it’s pork cooked over the open fire, asparagus gently grilled or a pot of fresh mint tea. Cal Peternell and Amy Dencler share cooking duties in the restaurant, where the kitchen extends into the Craftsman dining room so diners get an unobstructed view of the action. Upstairs, Beth Wells and Nathan Alderson are in charge of the cafe’s a la carte menu, which includes the famous pizza and dishes like buttermilk fried rabbit.

Cuisine Northern Californian | Specialties Downstairs: Menu changes nightly. Upstairs: pizza; baked goat cheese salad; any seasonal dessert | Seats Downstairs: 50. Cafe: 85 | Prices Downstairs: $75-$125 (fixed price). Cafe: $20-$32 (plus 17% service charge at both) | Noise rating Downstairs: Cafe: | Parking Street, fairly easy Vitals 1517 Shattuck Ave. (at Cedar), Berkeley. (510) 548-5525. Cafe: (510) 548-5049. www.chezpanisse.com Downstairs: Two dinner seatings, Monday-Saturday. Cafe: Lunch and dinner Monday-Saturday. Beer and wine. Reservations and credit cards accepted.

Pork loin grilling at Chez Panisse, where cooking showcases the purity of the product.