Bar Panisse

Bar Panisse, Alice Waters’s Companion to Her Fabled Berkeley Restaurant, Is Open | Eater SF

"On opening day, I joined a line of curious locals and, once inside, found a relaxed, warmly lit room refitted with darker woods and Edison bulbs, accordion windows still opening to the street, the bar along the north wall, and a back counter offering a peek at the kitchen; servers and bartenders barely missed a beat for day one. The bar doesn’t take reservations and currently closes at 10 p.m., so there’s likely to be a wait, though early or late arrivals might squeeze in as guests were being let in at 15-minute intervals. Chef Amelia Telc helms a small-but-mighty, locally sourced, technique-forward menu: gougères with mustard and pickled carrots; oysters either grilled with parsley–garlic butter or raw with mignonette; hanger steak with a raw artichoke salad; fresh anchovies with celery vinaigrette; pan de mie with crème fraîche and trout roe; and a heartier Gulf shrimp with nettles that would pair nicely with butter beans. Small Fry snacks include visually striking sage-and-anchovy fritters, and desserts run to an affogato and a pavlova; pro tip, order bread to mop up the sauces. Drinks, consulted by Dylan O’Brien, were dialed in—from a quince-kissed spritz and a lemon-verbena martini to a Whiskey Buck and a Sazerac—and the gimlet was one of the better renditions I’ve had thanks to Meyer lemon cordial and lemon oil. Portions skew small but shareable, and I’m planning to return for the bartender-recommended flatbread with butter, oil, and Calabrian chile, and for a proper hanger steak dinner; for now, it’s open 4–10 p.m., Thursday through Monday, with talk of expanding hours and maybe brunch down the line." - Dianne de Guzman