We were seated in the brighter side of the café upstairs, with the sunlight beaming above our heads. It felt like a real lunch atmosphere. Unfortunately, we were also seated next to a woman who felt compelled to talk not only to her companion but to every other table around her.

Member bonvivant702 and I were determined to enjoy our lunch. Chez Panisse’s menu changes according to the produce available during the season. Alice Waters, the executive chef and owner, opened the restaurant in 1971. She is credited with introducing and shaping a culinary style that has been considered a distinctively California cuisine. Her efforts both in and out of the kitchen have left a deep imprint on the culinary scene. Arising from her conviction that when ingredients are organically grown, food is at its best, she has prominently supported farmers who practice ecologically sound ways of food producion. To that end, she heads several foundations that promote ecological conservation for future generations.

I started with the anchovy and potato salad with chervil. Thin slivers of garlic were scattered throughout the salad. At times, my mouth didn’t know what to appreciate first. The anchovy and potato combination was a nice balance. My companion, bonvivant702, had a mix of garden lettuces with goat cheese. For a lover of that type of cheese, the baked Sonoma was heavenly for her. For an entrée, I chose the grilled pork with ratatouille and watercress. I can never say "no" to anything from the Laughingstock farm.

As soon as the meat melted in my mouth, the only thing I could say was that it was one happy piglet. It had that sweetness I've previously experienced in good bacon. You know that the flavor is not because of any seasoning or marinade but instead an expression of the meat's natural juices. She went for the chicken—happy chicken too—with sweet corn polenta and Romano beans.

Among the choices for desserts were a pistachio cake in apricot cream and a nectarine and blackberry tart with vanilla ice cream. They were all tempting, but we’d heard every story the woman right next to us could ever think of, so we decided to pay our bill and find another spot to have desserts.

Alice Waters is largely credited with the creation and popularity of Californian cuisine, and after a meal at her restaurant, it wasn't too difficult for us to see why. We had lunch at the Chez Panisse Cafe, the slightly more casual, upstairs, lunch-only portion of Chez Panisse Restaurant. It was easily one of the best meals I have ever eaten.

I wasn't sure if Chez Panisse would live up to its hype, but any doubts I had were dispelled as soon as I took my first bite of my appetizer. The food is incredible. Everything we ate was fresh and clean, like the heirloom tomato and tuna salad I had, and my friend's wild salmon. The dishes were also remarkably executed without being too complicated. Several of the desserts we had were simply a revelation -things I had never tasted before. The fruit-based desserts in particular are highly recommended.

The atmosphere and service were excellent as well. The room itself is pretty casual, but elegant. Our waiter was very kind to us. Seeing how much difficulty we were having deciding on dessert, he chose for us and surprised us, but brought us three rather than two selections (but charged us only for two).

The cafe menu changes each week, but check it out at chezpanisse.com. You can also find the week's menu for the downstairs formal dining room on that site.

Chez Panisse is located in Berkeley, so it's great to plan a day around going there. It's not near the university, but nearby are several cute boutiques, and some excellent cheese shops.