Foodies come to worship here at the church of Alice Waters, inventor of California cuisine. Panisse is located in a lovely arts-and-crafts house in Berkeley's 'Gourmet Ghetto,' and you can choose to pull out all the stops with a prix-fixe meal downstairs or go less expensive and a tad less formal in the upstairs cafe. Reservations accepted one month ahead.
The restaurant is as good and popular as it ever was, and despite its fame, the place has retained a welcoming atmosphere. The ever-changing menu showcases the bounty of California in ways both creative and delicious, from sea scallops with watermelon radishes to wild nettle soup and trout rillettes.
