Chez Panisse

Alice Waters’ high temple to locavorism continues to flourish as the Bay Area’s icon of Californian cuisine. The bright-eyed team of chefs here work their magic in a gleaming open kitchen that is set at the very back of the dining room, dominated by an aromatic wood-burning oven.
Downstairs in the main restaurant, diners are privy to a rotating four-course fixed menu; upstairs, in the café, à la carte offerings are served. No two menus are alike, but rest assured the dishes will feature only the finest peak-season produce—from fresh peas, asparagus and black truffle in a spring risotto, to sweet corn and squash blossoms served with a summer preparation of pork loin.