Written by Chez Panisse alum Joanne Weir, Weir Cooking the City is the companion volume to her public television show that aired several years ago. Based in San Francisco, the show and book offer seasonally appropriate recipes that are nicely narrated, thoughtfully organized and not-too complex (although some of the recipes definitely include more steps than you'd want to take on a busy weeknight evening).
I bought my copy for six bucks at the main Goodwill in Portland, OR when I was visiting my parents last December. The previous owner had read it thoroughly and had scattered the pages with yellow sticky notes, marking the recipes that he or she were hoping to try. This is one of the reasons I chose to buy this book over others, I particularly enjoy seeing what appealed to another person.
This is a chunky cookbook with plenty of tasty and interesting recipes. If you come across this one in a used bookstore, flip through and see if anything jumps out at you. It's not a bad one to have on your shelf (if you still use cookbooks) when you need to make something special for friends or family.
Speaking of apples (I know, you're getting tired of me writing about apples. This is the last one for a while. I promise.) did you guys see the gorgeous apple tart that Deb at Smitten Kitchen just posted? I don't think I've ever, in all my life, made a dessert that looked quite so gorgeous.
The recipe is one that originally comes from Chez Panisse, according to Alice Waters it was created by Jacques Pépin so you know even before you bake it that it's going to be wonderful. And Deb's pictures certain prove that out. This would make a great Thanksgiving dessert if you don't want to bake a traditional pie.
I guess it's not surprising, considering only 8 of the top 50 are here in the United States and none are near me. Thomas Keller's The French Laundry in Yountville, CA is the top U.S. restaurant at #4. Other U.S. spots include Per Se, Jean Georges, Le Bernardin, Charie Trotter's, Daniel, Alinea, and Chez Panisse. The top restaurant is El Bulli in Spain (the site also lists restaurants 51 to 100).
Since we heard about some chefs who are not exactly following the all-natural philosophy of the "Alice Waters school of cooking" yesterday, it seems only fair to take a look at one of her cookbooks today. The Chez Panisse Café Cookbook has a lot of material on her beliefs, her philosophies about food, ingredients and cooking, and even a few recipes to complement the text. Essentially, the core of Waters' beliefs is that food should be produced as sustainably as possible and served when it as fresh as it can be. Her recipes focus on highlighting the flavor of the ingredients in as close to a natural state as possible.
Chez Panisse Café is not exactly the same restaurant as Chez Panisse. It is actually a somewhat more casual restaurant above the Chez Panisse dining room where dishes are ordered a la carte, rather than as part of a prix fixe. Not that the less formal presentation detracts from the food or flavors. Instead it gives the chefs a bit wider range of dishes to work with, both casual and fancy. The recipes in this cookbook are some of both: Beef Carpaccio with Capers, Parmesan and Anchovies, Roast Pork Loin with Rosemary and Fennel, Meyer Lemon Eclairs and Pizzetta with Farm Egg and Prosciutto.
No one would question the fact that the French Laundry deserves all three of its Michelin stars, but what about the rest of the ratings? Michael Bauer, restaurant critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, described the French Laundry as a ringer, a restaurant so good that no other establishment - on either coast - can really stand up to it. Bauer wonders whether the other area restaurants are being handicapped by the fact that the French Laundry sets an impossibly high standard for comparison that the 3-star restaurants in New York could not live up to, either.
He says "the list lacks many of the places that go to the heart of Bay Area dining and define who we are" and considering that the restaurant scene in the area has more high-quality restaurants than just about anywhere in the country, if not the world, it would seem that he has a point. While a great honor for Thomas Keller, the Guide's ratings do not seem sufficient for Bay Area restaurant scene. Does Chez Panisse only deserve 1 star? Does Manresa only deserve two? And how many were left off entirely?
Chef Alice Waters, founder of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, CA, is practically the godmother of the "local" movement. Last year, the chef partnered with the Heath Ceramics, a pottery company owned by Catherine Bailey and Robin Petravic, and clothing designer Christina Kim to design and create tableware that reflects their love of locally-made products. Chef Waters uses the the eight-piece setting at her restaurant, and the line is now available to the public from Heath Ceramics. The classically-styled dinnerware is distinctive and because they are all hand-crafted, have subtle differences in form and color.
I had fun putting together this list because it brought back so many wonderful memories of
dining out with my husband. (Most of these memories are before we had kids, wonder why?) For me a romantic restaurant
isn't just about the food. It's also about atmosphere and marking special occasions and evoking a mood. My top four
restaurants are romantic because they have personal meaning for me. They are:
1. La Folie: There is no more romantic restaurant in all of San Francisco, in
my opinion. The tables are intimate, the food is delicious, the service warm and friendly. We dined at La Folie
for our ninth wedding anniversary dinner. We started the meal with a bottle of Laurent-Perrier vintage brut, and I remember we had caviar and
foie gras...everything else is a blur. But, when dessert arrived, I do remember finding out why the host asked if we
were celebrating a special occasion when me made our reservations. I won't spoil the surprise. You'll just
have to dine there and find out for yourself. (wink! wink!)
Written by Chez Panisse alum Joanne Weir, Weir Cooking the City is the companion volume to her public television show that aired several years ago. Based in San Francisco, the show and book offer seasonally appropriate recipes that are nicely narrated, thoughtfully organized and not-too complex (although some of the recipes definitely include more steps than you'd want to take on a busy weeknight evening). 
Is it bad that I haven't visited any of 
No one would question the fact that the French Laundry deserves 
Chef Alice Waters, founder of 
I had fun putting together this list because it brought back so many wonderful memories of
dining out with my husband. (Most of these memories are before we had kids, wonder why?) For me a romantic restaurant
isn't just about the food. It's also about atmosphere and marking special occasions and evoking a mood. My top four
restaurants are romantic because they have personal meaning for me. They are:
Cakes so amazing they'd be hard to cut into
Fruit juice: An invitation to diabetes?
Morbid thoughts? Have a cookie
