Dinner
"Chez Panisse in North Berkeley is a block away from where I grew
up. It's legendary. If you can't get a reservation in the main
restaurant, then the Chez Panisse Café upstairs is always
available, and the
food is fantastic. It's that [owner/chef] Alice
Waters magic. Whatever the definition of
California cuisine is, she
invented it. It's an art form. The menu changes every day based on
what fresh, organic ingredients they have. My favorite thing to get
there is the Tamales Bay oysters with mignonette sauce. They do
really good grain-fed free-range chicken. And lots of wines from
the wine country. I go there almost every time I go home."
Nightlife
"In
San Francisco, there's a whole series of sort of dive bars in
the Mission District, anywhere between 15th and 30th. The Mission
is mostly Latino, and it's a real cool part of San Francisco.
There's a great place to go dancing in Berkeley called Ashkenaz. On
any given night, they've got different types of dancing - reggae,
salsa. It's kind of funky and casual, and it's just got a great
vibe. Slim's is a favorite club in San Francisco. There's a great
place called The Townhouse in
Emeryville, which is sort of an
industrial area that's now becoming cool. There are a lot of hidden
little joints down there, and The Townhouse is where I would go and
have a drink. Their food is fantastic, too. They have meatloaf
there that I love."
SATURDAY
Breakfast
"Fat Apple's in Berkeley is just your typical breakfast place. The
decor has a lot to do with
Jack London because he was from that
area. My dad, who is a local woodworker, redid all the woodwork
inside, so I'm particularly fond of it. I always have scrambled
eggs, a waffle, and chicken apple sausage. The best coffee is at
Peet's in Berkeley, a block from the house I grew up in, and right
around the corner from Chez Panisse. They've got Peet's Coffee in
Los Angeles and a couple of them in New York at this point, but
it's the best coffee I've ever had. When I was a kid, the lines
would go all the way down the street just for a cup of coffee."