Home @ 03 Apr 2008 05:51 pm by Christina Waters
A charmed corner of Berkeley, this wedge of turf at Cedar & San Pablo. At one edge of
the small parking lot is the mighty wine house of Kermit Lynch, where I stopped by to see what I could afford in the way of 2005 Burgundy. (Not much, but I did my best.)
At the other end sits the home of Acme Breads, an establishment that lives up to its name. And in between is the thin slice of cafe heaven, Cafe Fanny - founded by Alice Waters and named after her daughter. Here I paused over an expertly-made caffe macchiatto, and a long slice of delicate pear galette. The fruit had been sliced into stained glass transparency, embedded into a flaky croissant pastry and then almost invisibly glazed with jam. Accompanied by a small, barely sweetened dollop of whipped cream, it fueled my drive home along the Nimitz.
Funny you mention Berkeley. I had just finished reading my traveling British friend’s blog decrying the whole place. (Not that I agree with his every word: just a coincidence of timing.)
http://eatmyglobe.blogspot.com/2008/04/berkeley-from-fruit-bombs-to-restaurant.html
I hope you laugh. (Simon’s got a book deal based on his journey around the world…eating anything and everything. And he’s one of the most wonderful people I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet.)
Our son and his family live on Rose Street near the Gourmet Ghetto in Berkeley. Over the three years my husband and I have been up to Berkeley, we have eaten in so many good to excellent restaurants. Cafe Fanny happens to be one of them.
Tana, I just read your friend’s blog and feel that he did not give an accurante analysis of the dining scene in Berkeley. In fact, he seems to be put off by the city so for some reason known only to him. I hope he realizes that it is not 1968 any more. Everyone has grown up.