After fourteen years in the Bay Area, I've made it to Chez Panisse. I know a lot of food snobs dismiss it at this point - seasonal, locally grown, organic ingredients - yawn - but Alice Waters kind of started the whole movement, and her restaurant is still one of the best in the world, almost 40 years later.

The space itself is very understated, natural wood and Craftsman details, like many of the homes in the area.

The exterior is covered with white wisteria, sheltered from the traffic of Shattuck Avenue, and the interior is all warm lighting, copper wall treatments and lots of redwood.

We sat in the restaurant, rather than the cafe upstairs, so there is a single menu and all you have to consider is what sort of wine you'd like.

Soon after we were seated, our charming Italian waiter brought a housemade aperitif, sparkling Spanish Cava blended with a sour cherry and citrus-infused vodka. It was a sunny, warm evening, and the dry wine with the sweet-tart infusion was heaven. There was a wonderful salad of tender asparagus spears with housemade mozzarella, followed by a Northern halibut filet, gently poached and served with young fava beans, another of my springtime favorites. A tiny stuffed quail came with some of the most delicious potatoes I've ever eaten in my life. I never really thought a potato could steal the show, but these proved me wrong. We had Merry Edwards' Sauvignon Blanc - I've had her incredible Pinots before, but never a white, and trust me, she does white equally well. Here's a list of restaurants that carry her - maybe you can find her wine near you?

And dessert. (Sigh.) Several small meringue rounds, very flat, layered with sweet, perfect strawberries (picked that morning at Lucero Farms) and fresh whipped cream.

Infinitely more fun than the French Laundry, way more laid back than a lot of San Francisco spots that are trying too hard, and definitely still worth a visit. Thank you, Ms. Waters.