my time in berkeley = the end of eating. from here, everything is severely downhill.

for lunch, mom and dad and i went to chez panisse cafe. it is not even "true" chez panisse cuisine; it is like the younger sister of the real restaurant. i am ok with this, because it was INCREDIBLE. i had a delicious green salad with baked goat cheese, then pork with thinly sliced and exquisitely marinaded veggies. dessert was warm espresso over vanilla bean ice cream. and there are no words tender enough to describe this lunch. there is no language for how great it was. it was the truest expression of what food should be. everything was cooked perfectly, the flavors were present without being overwhelming, and the portions were ideal. it all tasted like the most best, most intense food in the world. it was the goat cheesiest goat cheese in history; the veggies were cooked in a way that magnified their own flavors fantastically.

i don't know how else to describe it.

it was expensive, but i am not at all sorry. i would do it again tomorrow.