Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
room with copper fixtures and framed
French posters on the walls. Monday night
menus are simpler and more rustic, while
Fridays and Saturdays get a bit more elabo-
rate (prices for the set menus are adjusted
accordingly, though they're all under $100,
a relative bargain for such a landmark res-
taurant). Monday night, for example, might
feature a deeply rustic Sonoma Liberty
duck leg braised in red wine with orange
zest, little onions, and herb noodles; by
Wednesday, a more refined dish of grilled
Wolfe Ranch quail with wild mushroom
risotto and wine grapes might take center
stage; Saturday night might see an elegant
rack, loin, and leg of Cattail Creek Ranch
lamb, dressed up Provençal-style with
green olives, green beans, and zucchini.
Reservations can be made by phone only
one calendar month ahead, and they're
snapped up faster than the first strawberry
of summer.
If you can't get a reservation down-
stairs, try the more informal
Café Panisse
(
&
510/548-5049
) upstairs, a congenial
place with an open kitchen, charcoal grill,
and a wood-burning oven for pizzas. The
menu here is a la carte, with entrees in the
$20 to $25 range; its laid-back vibe harks
back to what Chez Panisse was originally
intended to be, before it became such a
gastronomic shrine. A few blocks away,
Café Fanny
(1603 San Pablo Ave.;
&
510/
524-5447
), named after Waters' daughter,
serves a takeout breakfast and lunch with
a few cafe tables. It's all good—and good
for you, in more ways than you can count.
1517 Shattuck Ave. (
&
510/548-5525;
www.chezpanisse.com).
(
Oakland International (15 miles/
25km).
L
$$$
Hotel Adagio,
550 Geary St.
(
&
800/228-8830
or 415/775-5000; www.
thehoteladagion.com). $
Hotel des Arts,
447 Bush St. (
&
800/956-4322
or 415/956-
3232; www.sfhoteldesarts.com).
Straight from the Farm
178
Herbfarm
Harvest Haute
Woodinville, Washington
Woodinville used to be a simple farming
and logging community, just outside the
Seattle sprawl—but that was before Bill
and Lola Zimmerman began selling herbs
from their roadside stand in 1974. With a
growing cluster of boutique wineries
nearby (see Chateau Ste. Michelle, ),
the Herbfarm was ideally located for snag-
ging the new weekend gourmet trade.
Then the Zimmermans' son Ron and
daughter-in-law Carrie added a restaurant
in a remodeled wing of the farmhouse in
1986, and suddenly the Herbfarm became
much more than just a farm. Its fame spread
like wildfire, even more so after Ron
replaced himself in the kitchen with the
enormously talented chef Jerry Traunfeld
in 1990. (Traunfeld's bestselling
Herbfarm
Cookbook
spread the restaurant's name
worldwide.)
Rebuilt on a new site after a disastrous
1996 fire, the Herbfarm transplanted all
the fruit trees, berries, and herbs from the
original farm, and added a few luxurious
accommodations for overnight guests.
(Come early and you can take a tour of the
Herbfarm's extensive kitchen gardens, 1
mile/1.6km down the road.) The setting is
a rambling timber-and-stucco house full of
Victorian-style whimsy—baronial fire-
places, carved wood details, thick pat-
terned rugs, floral-print upholstery and
drapes and wallpaper, suffused with the
yellow glow of small lamps and wall
sconces. It's fussy and formal, but in a
charmingly old-fashioned way.
