Berkeley á la Carte with Phillipe– Menu 1: Brunch

Introduction

          Legend says Philip the Second refused to marry the prettiest, richest, or most humble women in his land. His troubled father, then the King– and very much stubborn– decided that he would award a house made of gold to the one who should bring to Prince Philip the woman he would finallymarry. Unfortunately for many bounty hunters, no woman brought from Europe,Africa, or Asia appealed to the prince. He would marry no one at all– that is,until he smelled something in his royal kitchen one day. A peasant maiden wascooking a savory dish for the prince to eat, and watched her as she carefully added a pinch of sugar, seven different herbs, and a hint of salt. 

            “Thiswoman I shall marry,” immediately announced the Prince. Within an hour, the coronation of Prince Philip as the king was soon to take place– but when the king tried to crown him, Philip held out a hand.

            “Ishan’t marry yet,” said the Prince. Dismayed, the king stared quizzically.

            “Not until I have had my meal.”

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As college students, one thing is clear– no one wakes up earlier than 10am on a weekend. As for myself, I avoid moving a muscle before 11am– too late for breakfast, too early for lunch.I’m sure others agree– so here’s a review of some local brunchies to get you salivating.

#1: Venus

If you still haven’t been here, you haven’t had a genuine European-style brunch. The moment you walk in,the aroma of scrambled eggs, pancakes, chicken sausage and freshly-squeezed juice violates your nose– “What the hell have I been eating?”, you don’t needto say to yourself. Although the restaurant labels itself as American, the menuis more on par with English ingredients: currants, berries, flapjacks, and soon.The menu changes often, and the specials change daily– so it’s never aplace that gets stale as the bread left over in Café 3. (Come on, you know you’re tired of it.)

If you haven’t, try the 12-Hour Roasted Pork Sandwich, or ifyou prefer something with a stronger flavor, Black Forest Ham Sandwich, both with a side of homefries (baked potatoes). The combination of meats, melted swisscheese, and pickles literally melts in your mouth. The texture of their meatsis not too velvety, but chewy enough to leave you wanting more. The Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, and 2X2X2 are both delicious takes on thetraditional egg-toast-sausage-bacon combo that will surely satisfy any appetite.

One factor that differentiates this bruncher from others is its drinks: don’t forget to order their blackberry lemonade– a flavorful, sour,yet sweet twist on the normal drink. Try the black current mimosa if you wish to imbibe something more cocktail-like. (yes, buddy, alcohol.)

The only complaint here isthat if you don’t make reservations, waits could be between 15 minutes to anhour depending on the number of people– reserve to be safe.

Address: 2327 Shattuck Ave.(On Shattuck, between Bancroft and Durant)

Hours: Breakfast (8am~2:30pm,M~F); Brunch (8am~2:15pm Sat/Sun); Dinner (5pm~9:30pm, Tu~Sat)

Price range: About $10~14 perperson

Reservation?: Recommended ifgoing on a brunch (i.e. Saturday or Sunday)

#2: La Note

Surely you’ve seen thischarming restaurant from the outside– but inside lies a mesmerizing microcosm unknown to a large majority of Berkeleyans– LaNote.

This quaint little restaurant boasts some of the best salads and sandwiches– and other French cuisine you cantry in Berkeley. In fact– it’s almost impossible to get in on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday unless you make reservations ahead of time because peopleactually drive here from San Francisco at 8 in the morning to eat here– call them or use OpenTable if you wish.

There are two main courses at La Note to make note of (sorry), the breakfast/brunch menu, and the dinnermenu. (Note: the hours of operation here are slightly unusual)

As for the breakfast/brunch menu, I highly suggest you try the Crème Fraiche Pancakes, or the Pain Perduau Chocolat; either is great with a side of Salade de fruit or a classic pamplemousse (powdered grapefruit) during the weekday. On the weekend, go with their beautiful sandwiches–Poulet Grille is highly, highly recommended. Topped with roasted red peppers and aioli, thischicken sandwich is none like you’ve ever tasted before. Their Pan Bagnat (albacore tuna salad) isalso rumored to be good.

The dinner menu here is alsogreat, with a similar mix of sandwiches and salads– but also added is theirpasta menu with their signature Pasta De Chez Nouse Penne, and their Poulet a la Nicoise (whole-grain fedchicken with white wine, herbs, saffron rice).

But aside from the food, goinginto this little restaurant in itself is an aromatictically and aesthetically pleasing adventure– perhaps a place you’d want to visit with a significantother.
Surely you want a taste of Paris now– you’ve got it right here in Berkeley.

Address: 2377 Shattuck Ave.(On Shattuck, between Durant and Channing)

Hours: 
M~F, 8am~2:30pm for breakfast and lunch
Th~Sat, 6~10pm for dinner
Sat&Sun, 8am~3pm forbrunch, 11 am for lunch.

Price range: About $13~21 perperson

Reservation?: Highly recommended

#3: North Berkeley Gourmet Ghetto

Now that you’ve had a fillingbrunch– and hopefully, it’s the weekend– it’s time to do a bit of exploring. Let’s head over to north Berkeley for more, if you still have room for dessert– yeah, I know you do.

At the Gourmet Ghetto, you’llfind a small collection of shops– ranging from packaged sushi to go at Kirala 2 (not a restaurant– just pickup), soup to take home and re-heat later at SOOP, and so on.

For dessert, treat yourself to Ciaobella Gelato– hand-crafted andpacked gelato for the senses. If you’re a chocovore, you’ll love to look at theimported chocolate from Barcelona at Alegió Chocolate. Last but not least, if you’re into tea, you won’t want to miss the Imperial Tea Court where you cantake friends for a nice cup of tea and a warm conversation to go with it. Oh,and don’t forget their fortune cookies.

Ciao,

Phillipe